KEY-OF-THE-DOOR TO WINNER-FINDING: 21 HORSES TO FOLLOW: Daqman’s horses to follow are on a roll, with four winners out of five last week. Today he updates the list of 21 qualifiers for Fortune Cookies 2020, three added and one removed, with their target races where planned.
TODAY: Three bets from Lingfield and Wolverhampton. Lingfield passed a morning inspection.
FOUR HITS FOR FORTUNE COOKIES
Four winners! Champ, Fakir d’Oudairies, Envoi Allen and Floressa have all won since the last posting of Daqman’s horses-to-follow list. Epatante, Fanion D’Estruval and Honeysuckle are added to the trialists for the 2020 Fortune Cookies. There are a dozen with impending dates:
BATTLEOVERDOYEN (Gordon Elliott) Novice chase (Limerick, December 26)
BLACK OP (Tom George) Good second to Champ; could move up to 3m.
BRELAN D’AS (Paul Nicholls) Winter Gold Cup (Cheltenham, December 14)
CAPELAND (Paul Nicholls) Winter Gold Cup (Cheltenham, December 14)
CYRNAME (Paul Nicholls) King George (Kempton, December 26)
DELTA WORK (Gordon Elliott) John Durkan Memorial (Punchestown, December 8)
EASYWORK (Gordon Elliott) Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Leopardstown December 27)
ELEGANT ESCAPE (Colin Tizzard) Coral Welsh National (Chepstow, December 27)
HONEYSUCKLE (Henry De Bromhead) Christmas Hurdle (Leopardstown, December 28)
KLASSICAL DREAM (Willie Mullins) December Hurdle (Leopardstown, December 29)
LOSTINTRANSLATION (Colin Tizzard) King George (Kempton, December 26)
NOTEBOOK (Henry De Bromhead) Novice chase (Leopardstown, December 26)
VINNDICATION (Kim Bailey) King George (Kempton, December 26 )
*Also: As You Like (Jonjo O’Neill), Braid Blue (Gordon Elliott), Champ (Nicky Henderson), Envoi Allen (Gordon Elliott), Epatante (Nicky Henderson), Fakir d’Oudairies (Joseph O’Brien), Fanion d’Estruval (Venetia Williams), Floressa (Nicky Henderson), Russian Bill (Noel Meade), Sam Spinner (Jedd O’Keefe), Thyme Hill (Philip Hobbs), Zanza (Philip Hobbs)
*Deleted: Samcro
RUACANA FOR LINGFIELD HAT-TRICK
2.15 Lingfield Much milder conditions today and Lingfield sailed through their morning precautionary inspection.
Ruacana looks set to notch up a hat-trick by winning the handicap hurdle over two miles. He’s a Lingfield heavy ground specialist winning his last two starts here by 9 lengths and 10 lengths and a 4lb penalty for his latest success doesn’t look too onerous – given he won with a fair bit in hand.
Jockey Page Fuller is riding well at the moment – she was unlucky not to have ridden a double at Plumpton yesterday and I would have taken long odds-on in the photo that her mount Tractor Fred had held on.
Another lady in form is Venetia Williams with 5 winners from her last 24 runners. She runs Bonne Question here. The grey should improve for his Wetherby reappearance run and for the step back in distance.
The Gipper won this 12 months ago and followed up by winning at Ffos Las but has been disappointing since then. He’s having his first start today since wind surgery, so we’ll need to see whether that’s had a sportive effect.
3.15 Lingfield A veterans handicap chase but no teenagers here and they are all aged a relatively sprightly 10 or 11.
This could be a winner on the card for Venetia Williams who saddles Uhlan Bute. There was a much improved effort from him last time out when fourth at Ludlow and the more testing ground, combined with the drop back in trip, should be to his liking here. He’s a confirmed front runner and could prove hard to peg back.
The danger is most likely to come from Shanahan’s Turn who represents the Colin Tizzard yard who are going along very nicely. Shanahan’s Turn has a good chance on his third at Chepstow last time out but he has yet to win on heavy and hasn’t won a race of any description since 2015.
5.15 Wolverhampton Michele Strogoff finished third to Storm Ahead over course and distance two weeks ago and has chances of reversing that form with a 5lb swing for under 3 lengths.
Storm Ahead was a 25/1 chance that day and I wouldn’t have a great deal of confidence in his ability to reproduce that level of form in any case.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each staked to win 10 points)
BET 4.7pts win (nap) RUACANA (2.15 Lingfield)
BET 2.7pts win UHLAN BUTE (3.15 Lingfield)
BET 3.7pts win MICHELE STROGOFF (5.15 Wolverhampton)
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