‘DON’T CALL ME, I’LL CALL YOU’ KEY TO INTERNATIONAL FIELD: Here’s your Fortune Cookies diary until Boxing Day, with just 14 betting days until Christmas. Daqman sees Saturday’s International Hurdle at Cheltenham as key to Goshen’s hopes for the Champion Hurdle in March but is again likely to highlight the controversial power of the big stables, as Gary Moore waits on Nicky Henderson, who keeps an ace up his sleeve in last year’s winner, Call Me Lord. Cheltenham has rain forecast for today, tomorrow and Friday.
14 BETTING DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS
⚠️ HEADS UP After the withdrawal of Altior last week, the spotlight is again on trainer Nicky Henderson and the ground at Cheltenham, whether he will run Call Me Lord in the International Hurdle on Saturday.
Last year’s 1-2-3 of Call Me Lord, Ballyandy and Ch’t’bello are all probables again in a big test for Goshen, famous for romping the Triumph Hurdle as far as the final flight in March; fell 10 lengths clear.
The running of Call Me Lord would be key to assessing the chances of Goshen for the Champion Hurdle; withdrawals might leave Goshen with a weak racecourse gallop. The big stables rule racing as much as by what they care not to run as by what they do run.
🗓️ FORTUNE COOKIES: There are just five Fortune Cookie early-bird bets in the run-up to Christmas which has 14 days’ racing left from Thursday. The daily diary of meetings with their Fortune Cookie entries are:
Tomorrow, December 9: HEXHAM, LEICESTER, KEMPTON, LINGFIELD.
Thursday, 10: Atholl Street engaged in the 1.10 TAUNTON.
Also NEWCASTLE, WARWICK, TAUNTON, CHELMSFORD, TRAMORE.
Friday, 11: Eight-race card at CHELTENHAM to start with Peterborough Chase (switched from Huntingdon), with Easysland in the Glenfarclas cross-country. Atholl Street engaged 12.05 race
Also: DONCASTER, BANGOR, SOUTHWELL, DUNDALK
Saturday, 12: CHELTENHAM includes Annie Mc in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup and the International Hurdle.
Also: DONCASTER, HEREFORD, NEWCASTLE, WOLVERHAMPTON, FAIRYHOUSE
Sunday, 13: CARLISLE, SOUTHWELL, LINGFIELD
Monday, 14: AYR, FFOS LAS, PLUMPTON, NAAS
Tuesday, 15: CATTERICK, WINCANTON, WOLVERHAMPTON
Wednesday, 16: NEWBURY, LUDLOW, KEMPTON, LINGFIELD, DUNDALK
Thursday 17: EXETER, HEREFORD, SOUTHWELL, CHELMSFORD, DOWN ROYAL
Friday 18: ASCOT, UTTOXETER, SOUTHWELL, WOLVERHAMPTON, NAVAN, DUNDALK
Saturday 19: ASCOT includes Long Walk Hurdle (with Thyme Hill currently joint-favourite) and the Silver Cup, and has Buzz in the Grade-3 handicap hurdle.
Also: HAYDOCK, LINGFIELD, NEWCASTLE, WOLVERHAMPTON
Sunday, 20: FAKENHAM, SOUTHWELL, THURLES
Monday, 21: LINGFIELD, MUSSELBURGH, NEWCASTLE
Tuesday, 22: HUNTINGDON, SEDGEFIELD, LINGFIELD
CAVE NO LONGER HIDDEN HORSE
⭕ 1.05 Fontwell A couple of short priced favourites on the Fontwell card, notably Gary Moore’s course and distance winner Nassalam in the opener whose job has been made considerably easier with the defection of Hacker Des Places. I was going to say he now looks like a penalty kick but looking at the prices he’s even shorter than that !!
The second race on the card at least looks more competitive and is not a bad class 4 handicap chase.
Gary Moore has chances of a (presumably) early double with Bridle Loanan who might well have been in need of his comeback run at Wincanton after a 317 day break.
Preference though is for the resurgent Cave Top whose recent form sequence now reads /PPPP24-P21 – it’s hard to figure out exactly what has made the difference but the tongue tie and visor look the most likely.
We’ll continue to strike whilst the iron is hot with him and because he was in such a wretched run of form there’s every chance he remains well handicapped – he’s up 4lb for his recent Southwell win and can follow up.
KERAK IS THE NAP MY LORD
⭕ 1.45 Uttoxeter This looks the perfect opportunity for Lord Kerak to record a first win.
He’s run well on his first two starts over hurdles finishing second at Uttoxeter and Sandown but has also been unlucky to have bumped into a couple of useful types in Wilde About Oscar and Adrimel respectively.
The stable remain in good form (5 winners last 14 days) and he should be progressive enough to account for the slightly more exposed Oneupmanship who was a 10 length runner-up at Newton Abbot in a race that fell apart a bit and the form doesn’t look especially strong.
HEAR THE SOUTHWELL WAR CRY
⭕ 6.15 Southwell A really interesting seven furlong handicap in which the key line of form is from course and distance 12 days ago. We see the reappearance of War Defender (winner), Portugueseprincess (2nd), Split Down South (4th) and Zyland (6th).
Portugueseprincess is 2lb better off for the length she was beaten by but I still fancy the bang in form War Defender to confirm that form as he goes in search of a hat-trick and he looks the bet.
Stone Soldier heads the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE but there are two major question marks with him. Not least of which he hasn’t tried this quirky Southwell surface before and this is also his first start for Archie Watson. I’m a watcher rather than a backer today.
Another making his Fibresand debut is Richard Fahey’s unbeaten Hong Kong Harry who has won both starts at Redcar and Newcastle but the handicapper doesn’t appear to be showing him much love on his handicap debut.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 4.3pts win CAVE TOP (1.05 Fontwell)
BET 7.5pts win (nap) LORD OF KERAK (1.45 Uttoxeter)
BET 2.3pts win WAR DEFENDER (6.15 Southwell)
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