FORTUNE COOKIES ARE BACK: Daqman has a nap to win 20 points and a FORTUNE COOKIE staked 20 points, plus two bets to land the December Gold Cup. It’s well planned and two of them have Grand National potential.
TOMORROW: Jumps racing returns to Windsor.
BOY FOR A FUTURE NATIONAL
⭕ 12.40 Cheltenham Winners of this have gone on to score at the Festival: Blaklion in the Brown Advisory (when it was the RSA) and Corach Rambler in the Ultima.
Both would later finish in the frame in the Grand National: Blaklion (fourth) and Corach Rambler, a famous winner for Lucinda Russell.
Peaky Boy, winner of the novice handicap over shorter at the November meeting, is still regarded as a big baby but his jumping was superb and a Kayf Tara out of a Vinnie Roe mare surely won’t have any trouble staying three miles and more.
MADARA TO SPOIL DOUBLES
⭕ 1.50 Cheltenham (December Gold Cup) Il Ridoto tries to do what only Pegwell Bay (1988) and Exotic Dancer (2006) have done: follow up the November Gold Cup here and land the double.
But he’s drifted alarmingly since Olive Nicholls was posted as replacement jockey and stablemate Stage Star (2023 winner on the old course in the November) has shortened, trying to win on the new course one year on (but still 9.9 on Betdaq Betting Exchange this morning).
Their trainer, Paul Nicholls, has won this race twice with the same horse – Poquelin (2009-10) and Frodon (2016-18) – but trying to repeat last year’s win, by a short-head over Il Ridoto, is Fugitif.
Fugitif was only fifth when Il Ridoto got his revenge in November and the one I carried forward to this slightly longer event today is the fourth horse home, Madara, who was apprentice ridden then but now has Harry Skelton back in the saddle.
STEP FORWARD, GABORIOT..
⭕ 2.05 Doncaster FORTUNE COOKIE: It’s 35 days since we nominated Gaboriot a Fortune Cookie horse to follow, also with the Grand National in mind.
After improving more than a stone with five wins from six, still standing, he came back after the break to run third in the Aintree Grand Sefton.
The winner that day, King Turgeon, did the form no harm at all yesterday, beating Our Power and Chianti Classico at Cheltenham.
Forward Plan must be on the premises, after 12 times placed out of 14 starts since May 2022, including victory in this race a year ago.
CHEWY CHANCE IN HANDICAP
⭕ 2.25 Cheltenham There’s a doubt on fitness and a doubt about the ground: Libberty Hunter has not won first time back, hurdles or fences, and has scored or finished big-field runner-up only on soft or heavy.
Two ‘b’ or not to be for Harry Cobden? Well, his teaming up with Libberty B has so far never been successful.
Graded winner or placed three times, Master Chewy has won only in small-field races a year or so ago, though was beaten just a head in a Grade-1 novice at Aintree, when Libberty Hunter was a well-beaten third.
‘Chewy’ was fourth on the reappearance over a furlong further at Ascot (Grade 3), when Issar d’Airy (cheekpieces first time today) was second.
Then he tried matching strides with Jonbon and Co in the Tingle Creek (Grade 1), and this drop down the grades is his first handicap since second at Newbury in early December last year.
Etalon has been handicapped out of it since a treble at the turn of the year.
Third Time Lucki (ex-Skelton) must improve since switching to Fergal O’Brien if he is to return any of his £190k sale price of last summer.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
12.40 Cheltenham (win 20 nap)
BET 11.5pts win PEAKY BOY
1.50 Cheltenham (win 20 each)
BET 6pts win MADARA
BET 2.25pts win STAGE STAR
2.05 Doncaster
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win GABORIOT
2.25 Cheltenham (win 10)
BET 4pts win MASTER CHEWY
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