ASCOT DATE FOR ‘VERY BEST OF JUMPERS’: Daqman’s Fortune Cookies are now seven strong for the festival season in the new year but he retains 11 to follow still bidding for Cookies status from their trials and big-race tests, including one for the Ascot Silver Cup on Saturday, described by his trainer as ‘the very best of jumpers.’
THIRD TIME LUCKY AT MUSSELBURGH: The Scottish venue only got the thumbs up 30 minutes before racing but with the ground good and the horses declared on good to soft, DAQMAN heads elsewhere for his Monday bets.
FOLLOW ‘SEVEN’ TO SILVER CUP
Let’s have more of that! I got one thing right at the weekend. I said that Sire De Grugy would be retired and he was. Thankyou, Sire, for the memories.
Now I suggest that J P McManus and Jonjo O’Neill should draw a line under the career of More Of That.
I welcomed the change of direction with the Gold Cup sixth, to try him in the cross-country at Cheltenham at the weekend. A very skilful jumper but weaknesses surface under pressure. He had bled more than once.
Giving More Of That a six-week break (he usually goes well at this time of year) and a different discipline seemed a sensible approach but he struggled in vain and had to be pulled up.
Yes, he’s only nine (10 on January 1) but I believe that once a good horse has had enough, or things have gone wrong, and treatment doesnt work, he should be given an honourable retirement. He’s done his job.
Ironically, two 12-year-olds fought out the Glenfarclas that he pulled up in. Bless The Wings (Gordon Elliott) and Cantlow will be 13 in a very few days from now.
It all suggests to me that Elliott has in his yard the cross-country champion of 2018: Cause Of Causes, who will be 10 on every European horse’s birthday, January 1.
Cracking Smart remains in the horses-to-follow list though he was brilliantly outpointed yesterday by Next Destination, who must now be a Fortune Cookie for the Ballymore at Cheltenhan.
Cracking Smart remains on the list – I’d like to see another run in January – on the grounds that he’s already scored over the Albert Bartlett (3m) trip and we just need some reassurance.
Shoal Bay was beaten at Cheltenham on Friday but revealed yet again that he would have much preferred top of the ground. It’s often fastish for the festival and even faster at Aintree, so we will make a decision nearer festivals time.
Meanwhile, my man in the long grass at Lambourn insists that I should resurrect O O Seven for the big race this coming Saturday, having already taken some 12-1 with Corals or Ladbrokes.
Still only seven, and regarded as the very best of jumpers, fifth to stablemate Might Bite in the RSA, he has done well since third in the Ladbrokes Open Handicap Chase at Newbury on the first of the month. He now goes for the Ascot Silver Cup.
Fortune Cookies Ainchea, Blaklion, Buveur d’Air, Bristol de Mai, Next Destination, Politologue, Sizing John
Horses To Follow Al Boum Photo, Aristo De Plessis, Bullionaire, Cracking Smart, Forest Bihan, Jers Girl, Lady Karina, Le Breuil, O O Seven, Ravenhill Road, Shoal Bay
Rejected More Of That
THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR MUSSELBURGH
A frosty start at Musselburgh which has seen three inspections this morning. I’m all for giving race meetings every chance but surely not making a decision when the first race is 40 minutes away isn’t great for customers and connections? The third inspection was called for 11am with still no news from the course at 11.30am.
The course tweeted at 11.35am “Further inspections are being made on specific areas, please bare with us.”
The good news though is that racing was given the go-ahead at 11.40am. The clerk of the course reports good ground – for a meeting that was declared on good to soft. I’ll give it the swerve today (already six non runners and may well be more).
Thankfully no weather problems elsewhere and there looks to be a SUPERNAP on the Plumpton card.
12.30 Ffos Las There’s heavy and then there’s Ffos Las heavy !! It will be stamina sapping for sure today so look out for the mudlarks.
In the opener at 12.30 Hurricane Rita looks the one. The grey mare has won on heavy ground at Ayr and may well have needed her reappearance at Towcester when runner-up.
3.30 Plumpton The one runner with experience Hideaway Vic created such a good impression on debut at Wincanton that he should prove hard to beat here. He wasn’t unfancied on debut in what looked a much better race than this and was a creditable second to the impressive winning favourite Caribert. The winner has since finished second at Exeter and the third horse The Russian Doyen went on to win at Exeter (not the same race as Caribert) so the form looks pretty solid.
Adding to the confidence factor is the fact the Anthony Honeyball stable have had three winners from their last 11 runners.
5.10 Wolverhampton Wonderfillo might be vulnerable after a 166 day absence and is already proving hard to win with (form figures 4222). Preference is for Pure Shores who has been quite highly tried. She showed she has enough ability to win this with a third at Kempton last time out behind Humbert.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked to win 20 except SUPERNAP)
BET 5.7pts win HURRICANE RITA (12.30 Ffos Las)
SUPERNAP 20pts win HIDEAWAY VIC (3.30 Plumpton)
BET 9.5pts win PURE SHORES (5.10 Wolverhampton)
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