313 POINTS PROFIT FROM 8 OUT OF 11 NAPS: What is Daqman’s secret? He got the strategy right yet again yesterday, landing his nap (one bet, one winner) against an odds-on favourite in only a five-horse race. Secret Strategy (WON 13-8) gives him this list of results and 313 points profit to 20-point level stakes in his current sequence of eight wins out of 11.
WON 2-1 SILENT ECHO
WON 6-4 CHURCHILL (banker)
WON 9-1 WINTER
WON 4-7 HAVANA GREY
WON 2-1 ENABLE
WON 4-5 CLIFFS OF MOHER (banker)
WON 11-8 ACAPULCO
WON 13-8 SECRET STRATEGY
ARE DERBY AND OAKS WINNERS AT YORK? Today Daqman checks out past results of the two big Classic trials at York tomorrow and Thursday. Will they produce the winners of Derby and Oaks or have those birds flown?
BEWARE THE MUSIDORA MISFITS
The grand old flukes of York! The big Derby and Oaks trials at York this week, ballyhooed by the bullish Press, and cash cows for the bookies, have had their flops as well as producing Classic winners.
Three Musidora Stakes heroines won nothing else at all in the same year as they won the trial. Two Dante winners failed to score again in the rest of their careers.
The two Dante ‘duffers’ won the York race as the only successful outsiders in the decade, which was a warning in itself about their future prospects.
Two horses only – Golden Horn and Authorized – who were winners of the Dante went on to take the Epsom Derby but a Dante runner-up, Workforce, also scored, and the race has won five Derbys, if you include Workforce and one winner each of the French and Irish Derbys.
MUSIDORA TOMORROW: 9-1 AGAINST OAKS WIN
So Mi Dar (2016) won Listed later in the year
Star of Seville (2015) won French Oaks (Prix de Diane)
Madame Chang (2014) won British Champion Fillies and Mares
Liber Nauticus (2013) failed to win again
The Fugue (2012) third in the Oaks; won Nassau Stakes at Goodwood
Joviality (2011) won nothing else that year
Aviate (2010) won nothing else that year
Sariska (2009) won the Oaks and the Irish Oaks
Lush Lashes (2008) won the Coronation Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks
Passage of Time (2007) won nothing else that year.
Favourites: 5 out of 10; only two bigger than 3-1 SP
Winning trainers with runners: J Gosden 4, J Bolger 1
Winning jockeys: F Dettori 2, W Buick 2
FORGET OUTSIDERS IN THE DANTE
DANTE STAKES THURSDAY: 5-1 AGAINST DERBY WIN
Wings Of Desire (2016) fourth in the Derby
Golden Horn (2015) won the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc
The Grey Gatsby (2014) won French Derby, Irish Champion Stakes
Libertarian (2013) second in the Derby
Bonfire (2012) no further success in 15 starts
Carlton House (2011) third in the Derby
Cape Blanco (2010) won Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes
Black Bear Island (2009) failed to win again
Tartan Bearer (2008) second Epsom Derby, third Irish Derby
Authorized (2007) won the Derby and the York International
Favourites: none in nine years since Authorized
Winning trainers with runners: J Gosden 2, A O’Brien 2, Sir M Stoute 2 (an additional Stoute Derby winner was second in the Dante)
Winning jockeys: R Moore 3, F Dettori 2, W Buick 2
BEST OF THREE FOR SPOOF
The topsy-turvy racing continues. Flat racing abandoned after four races last night due to over-watering and jumps racing dominating this afternoon with cards at Sedgefield and Warwick.
They also race on the flat at Beverley and I’m hopeful that Spoof can make it third time lucky and land the opener at 2.00 over the fast five furlongs.
Spoof is well drawn here in two, the draw at Beverley is less of an issue than it used to be after track configuration works but I’d still hugely prefer a low berth.
Apart from the draw, Spoof is the form pick too. The Charlie Hills trained runner made a pleasing debut at Newbury when fifth and followed that up by finishing second at Windsor last time out.
He showed plenty of speed that day and if breaking as smartly today could easily be away and gone.
Lord Riddiford was a staying on second on debut at Pontefract but might need further to show his best form and has a horror draw in 11 today.
A bigger danger may come from the Mark Johnston trained Go Now Go Now who was weak in the market ahead of his debut fourth at Ayr behind the impressive Havana Grey. That was just eight days ago and it seems highly probable that Go Now Go Now will improve from that first run.
2.30 Beverley Mr Strutter made it 11th time lucky when winning in handicap company at Thirsk last time out when he made virtually all the running. But his overall form is modest and could easily be a false favourite here back over the minimum trip.
Whigwham is only rated 1lb inferior on official ratings yet receives a massive 10lb – even allowing for the fact that ratings at this level can be unreliable – the fact I can back Whigwham at 3.6 on BETDAQ compared with 2.28 Mr Strutter (at the time of writing) leads me down the Whigwham road for a bet – even though he didn’t show a great deal on seasonal reappearance over course and distance last time out in better company.
5.40 Chepstow May Remain was very green on debut and didn’t have the clearest of runs. Paul Cole’s runner still showed promise in fifth and was nibbled at in the market. I think we’ll see a completely different performance in the opener at Chepstow and he should outclass Brighton runner-up Super Florence and Wolverhampton fourth Data Protection.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 9pts win (nap) SPOOF (2.00 Beverley)
BET 5pts win WHIGWHAM (2.30 Beverley)
BET 5pts win MAY REMAIN (5.40 Chepstow)
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