Dantga trials well but jury out on prospects at Doomben on Saturday

FORMER boom horse Dantga has confounded punters over the past 12 months and even his trainer Daniel Want admits he’s not certain what to expect when the gelding resumes on Saturday.

Dantga will resume at Doomben on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters

FORMER boom horse Dantga has confounded punters over the past 12 months and even his trainer Daniel Want admits he’s not certain what to expect when the gelding resumes at Doomben on Saturday.

On August 1 last year, Dantga made it four from four when winning as an even-money favourite at Doomben.

He has failed in three runs since, each time being well-fancied in the market, but indicated he was on track for redemption with an easy Grafton barrier trial win last Sunday.

HOT TIPS: WEEKEND BEST BETS

BEAT THE BOOKIE: VALUE BETS

SPORTSMAN PREVIEW: DOOMBEN

“He beat a bunch of unraced horses, but he was pretty good I thought,” Want said.

“He probably didn’t come up last prep. He had bad respiratory problems early on and that’s why he didn’t start until late in his four-year-old year. He’s over that now but it might haunt him a bit.”

While the Grafton trainer is happy with Dantga’s progress thus far, he wants to see the five-year-old produce on race day before making any concrete plans. That’s a stretch from last August, where the Ramornie in Want’s hometown was firmly on the agenda.

“I expect a pretty forward showing and I’m interested to see how he goes to see what sort of a program we can map out,” he said.

Dantga is rated an $8 chance in the One Metro Win Handicap (1110m), a race where UBET have Royal Applause as the $7.50 favourite in a wide-open market.

Want also has Clangs Victory in Saturday’s Class 3 Plate and the mare has been backed at longer odds in early trading.

“I think these Class 3 Plates on a Saturday are fantastic. For a horse like her, she gets weighted out of her right grade here at home but gets into this race nicely,” he said. “Her first-up run was good. The winner (I’m A Jet) looks smart and my mare needed the run.

“The one query I have is 1350m second up. She failed at 1400m in a Country Championship race last prep, but she’s bigger and stronger this time.”

â–  STEWARDS in Victoria and NSW on Thursday ruled they will not grant consent for jockeys to participate in “Ride Guide” which was launched on the website of bookmaker Ladbrokes last Saturday.

In a joint RV and RNSW statement, stewards noted “there is a genuine issue of perception that the ‘Ride Guide’ service ... is inconsistent with the maintenance of public confidence in the image, integrity and perception of thoroughbred racing.”

â–  TRAINER Chris Waller set a national record with season earnings of $30 million after Loiret’s win at Gosford on Thursday.

RQ plans minimum bet limit in WSP talks

RACING Queensland is set to follow the lead of NSW and Victoria by introducing a minimum bet limit for wagering service providers later this year.

Racing NSW was the first jurisdiction to introduce the rule, which forces bookmakers (wagering service providers, or WSPs) to bet all punters to lose a minimum amount.

The rule was brought in to counter the growing number of punters who were being restricted by corporate bookmakers. The minimum amount they need to bet to lose is $1000-$2000 (depending on the status of the meeting) and it applies from 9am on racedays and bookmakers have to show valid reasons (for example, integrity reasons) in order to refuse a punter the bet.

Racing Victoria is in the process of introducing a similar structure, but their proposal has been criticised for being too “watered down”.

Punters have taken issue with the clause saying the rule will only apply from 30 minutes before a race and will close two minutes before start time.

“No serious professional money will exist in the fixed odds market place in the years to come if these petty rules are introduced. Open the marketplace up and let everyone bet,” professional punter Kingsley Bartholomew wrote in a submission to Racing Victoria.

Debate is ongoing.

Racing Queensland’s acting chief executive Sam Adams indicated a minimum bet rule could form part of the new Race Information Fee negotiations with WSPs, due by November 1 this year. “Imposing minimum betting limits will be considered as part of Racing Queensland’s Race Information fee conditions for the next period,” Adams said.

Originally published as Dantga trials well but jury out on prospects at Doomben on Saturday