REVISED LIST OF HORSES TO FOLLOW: Cheltenham and the Grand National, all to look forward to for Daqman’s team that makes up your own Jumps stable of Fortune Cookies. Here’s the revised list, with some cast-offs (if they don’t win, they don’t stay in).
TODAY: Musselburgh are bidding for third time lucky after inspections at 8am and 10am proved inconclusive. Daqman sticks to the all-weather with bets from Chelmsford and Wolverhampton.
FORTUNE COOKIES FOR 2023
ALLAHO (177 Willie Mullins) Won first time out at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 and 2022, and in between took the John Durkan off a long break.
AN TAILLIUR (139 Jonjo O’Neill) Needs a sound surface and has won four starts in the Spring so, despite a sound run back in October, is likely to wait for Aintree and the Galway, where his owner lives.
ASHTOWN LAD (145 Dan Skelton) Becher Chase winner but didn’t stay the 4m of the Scottish National last April so placing him is no easy task.
BRAVEMANSGAME (164 Paul Nicholls) Our hero just keeps on winning.
CAPODANNO (160, Willie Mullins) Up a pound in the ratings without running!
CORACH RAMBLER (146, Lucinda Russell) He’s a National horse, says the trainer.
DAWN RISING (149 Joseph O’Brien) Could run at Naas on Sunday.
EDWARDSTONE (170 Alan King) A rare blunder at Kempton over Christmas.
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (175 Willie Mullins) Unbeaten with six strikes out of seven, still standing (clear in the Golden Miller at Cheltenham when fell last)
GREEN BOOK (135 Venetia Williams) Needed his first run back after wind surgery.
HERMES ALLEN (142, Paul Nicholls) Won the Challow Hurdle in a canter.
HEWICK (167, John Joseph Hanlon) Grand National mission.
LAC DE CONSTANCE (145 Dan Skelton) Blundered away his Wayward Lad chance.
L’HOMME PRESSE (170, Venetia Williams) Would have been second in the superb King George but pecked on landing after the last.
NOBLE YEATS (167, Emmet Mullins) Back-to-back wins in the autumn showed the National win has not left its mark, as so often happens. So a live contender for the double.
PROTEKTORAT (170 Dan Skelton) November Grade-1 winner so in the frame 12-14, improving all the while.
ROYALE PAGAILLE (163 Venetia Williams) Great run second in the King George.
STATTLER (158 Willie Mullins) NH Chase winner at Cheltenham last year. Not apply stamina until too late when just held by one-time Gold Cup winner Minella Indo at Tramore on the first day of the new year.
❌ Removed
ANNIE MAGIC (119 Jeremy Scott) Disappointing. Needs top of the ground.
BRAZIL (142 Padraig Roche) Trainer lost form.
COMMODORE (141 Venetia Williams) Difficult to know where he goes now. Well beaten in December in the Cheltenham race he won last year when 9lb lower. Didn’t seem to act over the Grand National fences last April.
MIRANDA (146, Paul Nicholls) Not move forward as we hoped in the Long Walk.
UNANSWERED PRAYERS (133 Chris Gordon) Disappointing.
BACCARAT LOOKS ON THE CARDS
⭕ 2.30 Chelmsford Resilient Power looks a little short for me on Betdaq Betting Exchange with him being raised 4lb for a narrow success over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton last time out. I’m not completely sold on the step up to a mile being a positive – he ran out of steam on his previous start at Lingfield over seven furlongs.
The filly Baccarat Baby is harder to assess in that she is less exposed but could be the answer for trainer Ralph Beckett. She’s been expensive to follow so far, going off favourite on all three of her starts but has shown ability – particularly when runner-up at Goodwood.
The downside is she disappointed at Wolverhampton on her final start but her starting mark of 74 doesn’t look too onerous and she appeals more than fellow handicap debutant Blueflagflyinghigh who starts from a mark of 73 but hasn’t achieved anything like the selection has so far.
POINTS TOWARDS BERNARD
⭕ 8.00 Wolverhampton Bernard Spierpoint hit form this time last year notching up a rapid hat-trick in the space of just 20 days. In 14 starts since he hasn’t managed to add to that tally but some of his form has been respectable – including here at Wolverhampton.
The key to him might be the stable switch to Darryll Holland. Hopefully that might have freshened him up and this might be the time to catch him.
With the exception of Nellie French this looks a really moderate contest. Nellie is more than capable (3-24 on all-weather) but her tardiness at the start is becoming a habit and stall 11 is not a great place to give ground away from.
SMOKING HOT
⭕ 8.30 Wolverhampton A class 6 on the all-weather isn’t my normal modus operandi but I’m struggling to get away from Man Made Of Smoke here who looks by far the best.
The David Evans trained runner brings by far the best form into the race and a first success looks on the cards for the grey who looks improved since stepped up to a mile. He got involved in a bit of dodgem racing at Southwell in December and his fourth place can probably be upgraded in form terms.
Noodle Mission and Flying Panther are the dangers on the market and both probably capable of more on their respective fourth starts but need to find a lot more given they are both on an average of being beaten 10+ lengths in each start to date.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.30 Chelmsford (win 10)
BET 2.5pts win BACCARAT BABY
8.00 Wolverhampton (win 10, nap)
BET 6.25pts win BERNARD SPIERPOINT
8.30 Wolverhampton (win 10)
BET 3.3pts win MAN MADE OF SMOKE
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