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Latest Profit & Loss Figures
Another good week-ending Sunday, 8 February, produced a healthy profit of +£16.00 to a £1 level stake.
There were four winning days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with the highlight being the success of Holloway Queen – recommended at 14s but bigger available – at a soggy Newbury on Saturday.
Latest Profit & Loss for the week ending Sunday, 8 February 2026
- Cumulative profit since August 1, 2022: +£1,468.97
- Week ending Sunday, 8 February: +£16.00
- February 2026 to date:+£21.00
- Year 2026 to date: +£78.76
- Year 2025 ended: +£312.73
- Year 2024 ended: +£364.90
- Year 2023 ended: +£469.27
- Period 1/8/22-31/12/22 ended: +£243.31
(All figures to a £1 level stake)
Charlie McCann’s Tips - Sunday, 15 February
1.42 Newcastle - Staffordshire
I am up to 1356 consecutive days – seriously – on Duolingoas I try and achieve what I would consider moderate conversational Spanish. I am proud to say that Hijo De La Luna translates to Son Of The Moon in English.
Hijo De La Luna is a twenty-eight-race maiden but has been knocking on the door of late and he has only raced over 10f at Gosforth Park once previously when he finished second to Ana Emaraaty off today’s mark back in March. He has finished second in his last two starts including on tapeta at Southwell over an additional furlong last month. Tiene una buena oportunidad.
If you look back at STAFFORDSHIRE’s recent Wolverhampton run over a-mile-and-a-half you will see him pull like a train in rear but he was still tanking along at the top of the home straight before his effort, unsurprisingly, petered out.
That was his first start for eleven weeks and, under normal circumstances, you would say he might be more amenable to restraint with the run under his belt. That is unlikely to be the case with Staffordshire though, as he has a history of being too keen, but I just wonder if this long home straight will suit this son of Ghaiyyath whose progeny do tend to improve with age.
I remember the selection finishing best of all at Wolverhampton over 9.5f when beaten 2l from a 3lbs higher mark in September. If he ever learns to drop his head, he is capable of being much better than his current mark of fifty-one. He could easily pull his chance away again and fall in a hole, but I am prepared to give him a chance for the very much inform Staffordshire based trainer Jennie Candlish.
Recommendation: Staffordshire at 14/1 (bet365 & Hills)
3.20 Musselburgh - Didntgotwenty (NAP)
Divas Doyen ran as well as could be expected behind Celestial Fashion from 10lbs out of the weights at Carlisle last time, but the forecast ground described as soft (good to soft in places) on Saturday morning is softer than ideal and there is the chance of some rain or sleet – up to 3mm - this afternoon. She is down to her last winning mark and, if the rain fails to materialise, she looks sure to run a big race.
DIDNTGOTWENTY failed to get home over 3m on chase debut but was sent off just 9/2 and he bumped into a very well handicapped horse in subsequent winner Marty McFly over today’s C&D last time.
The winner is now rated 12lbs higher in the handicap and the selection would have finished closer to the 12l winner had he not been interfered with by a last fence faller. He wore cheekpieces for the first time here at New Year and Martin Todhunter keeps the aid today for what will be just his third chase start.
The selection has been sent off no bigger than 11/2 in his last five starts – only had nine career runs – and he must show more at home than he does on the track at present. Connections have found a good opportunity although a market move for Steady The Ship would be worth noting. He is very well treated on his back form, but he has failed to complete in his last couple of starts.
Recommendation: Didntgotwenty nap at 15/8 (bet365)
The 3m handicap chase is a tremendous race and the shortlist is too long. Bridge Court was taken off his feet on fast ground at Haydock last time, but I don’t think he will stay. Jus De Citron ran as if he was crying out for 3m at Newcastle last time while the resurgent Russell/Scudamore yard saddle a couple. Filed under fascinating but too hard.
Brown Advisory Novices' Chase - Wendigo (EW)
My second Cheltenham Festival ante-post selection is WENDIGO EW at 7/1 NRNB for the G1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at 2pm on Wednesday 11th March.
The selection finished fifth beaten 8l in last year’s G1 3m Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle and is held by the mare The Big Westerner who finished a two-and-a-half length second to the Willie Mullins’ trained winner Jasmin De Vaux. The mare is considered the chief threat to Wendigo but, at the time of writing, the Henry De Bromhead yard remain quiet by their own lofty standards although they do have a knack of getting them right for the big day.
I do not think The Big Westerner will shorten from her current odds of 5/1 and she does have the alternative of the Mares’ Chase although the 3m trip of the Brown Advisory has been nominated as her Festival target by connections.
Wendigo has only won two of his four chase starts, but he has only had his optimum conditions – 3m on a lefthand track - once previously and that resulted in a facile 22l Kelso success last time although that was an uncompetitive heat that saw him returned at 1/5.
I came away from the G1 Kauto Star Novice Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day thinking the first two Kitzbuhel and Thomas Mor would never beat Wendigo again as the latter was ill at ease on the fast ground and righthand track. The winner blotted his copybook at Sandown when coming down at the open ditch in the home straight while the second must go righthanded and he is due to run in the Reynoldstown at Ascot this weekend.
Wendigo would have finished a couple of lengths closer to The Big Westerner at Cheltenham last year had he not got involved in scrimmaging – great word I should use it more often – after two out in the Albert Bartlett and this sound jumper goes on all ground although soft or good to soft would be ideal.
Final Demand heads the market at 7/2 and is one of the reasons I am keen to have a bet in the race as I was unimpressed with his Limerick G1 success at Christmas and he again looked laboured when third at Leopardstown to stablemate Kaid d’Authie at the Dublin Racing Festival over 2m5f+. He did win his sole point over 3m and a 2m6f G1 Novice Hurdle but he has never run over three miles under rules.
I appreciate Willie Mullins – who has saddled the winner three times in the last five years - should know where he stands with Wendigo through Kitzbuhel, but I am putting a line through the selection’s Kempton run. I would take Wendigo and The Big Westerner over Final Demand and Kaid D’Authie that is for sure.
In the last decade only one horse (Lecky Watson 20/1 in 2025) has been returned a double-figure price for this G1 Novice Chase and there have been five winning favourites.
Recommendation: Wendigo EW at 7/1 across the board NRNB Brown Advisory Novice Chase
Coral Cup - Sonigino
I have been inundated – well, two – with requests for an antepost selection for the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival and, with the meeting now just four weeks away and many of the major bookmakers going NRNB, I have decided to dip my toe in the water.
A rating of 131 was needed to get into the Coral Cup in 2025, and SONIGINO is rated 132 and is 11lbs lower in the weights than when sent off 16/1 for the Martin Pipe of 2025, when he carried 11st 10lbs but disappointed on heavy ground.
His Cheltenham record isn't great, 8-4- PU, but his fourth in the Greatwood Hurdle of 2023 from a 5lbs higher mark is very good form. However, I thought he ran a terrific race at Musselburgh last time when he jumped and travelled like a very well handicapped horse under Freddie Gingell, but failed to stay three miles. His penultimate run at Sandown has been given a boost by the subsequent win of runner-up and stablemate Henri The Second, who is now rated 11lbs higher in the weights.
Only three nine-year-olds have won this famous race – without Coral sponsorship this year, of course – since its inception in 1993, although there has also been one ten-year-old. The statisticians will tell us he can't win, but at 66/1 non-runner no bet, I am prepared to take a chance, given he looked a different class to the rest of the field on his last start on good to soft ground before the petrol gave way in a slowly run race.
He is guaranteed a better pace to chase at Cheltenham, and do remember Paul Nicholls napped him as his best chance of a winner at the two-day meeting at Musselburgh, and the Ditcheat trainer had three winners over the two days.
Paul Nicholls has won the corresponding race only once, with Aux Petit Soins, owned by the late John Hales. The executors of the late Hales also own Sonigino in partnership with Ged Mason and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Note that in 2015, you had to be rated 138 to get into the race, and it is possible that Sonigino is not rated high enough to qualify. At 66/1, with money back if he does not get a run, that is a chance worth taking. Good to soft ground would be ideal.
Antepost Recommendation: Sonigino - 66/1 with bet365 (NRNB)
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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Charlie McCann’s Horses to Follow
Last updated, Monday 30 June
Blue Bolt (Three-year-old filly trained by Andrew Balding)
Blue Bolt was beaten more than 5L on her racecourse debut over 7f at Southwell on debut but she has looked a different proposition on turf, with that experience under her belt, winning both starts over a mile at Windsor and Newbury.
Her latest success in a valuable Novice under Colin Keane suggested she was ready for a step up in grade and she holds an entry in the listed Coral Distaff on Eclipse Day at Sandown.
Her Group 1 entry Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in September suggests connections are taking it slowly slowly with this daughter of Blue Point - no entry in next week’s Falmouth Stakes - but I am convinced she is at least up to listed level.
Keane was jockey up on the filly as soon as the entries were announced and both turf wins have been gained on good or faster ground. There is a possibility of a shower on Wednesday morning, but the forecast is set fair for the rest of the week.
Gunship (Three-year-old trained by James Ferguson)
Gunship was not guaranteed on breeding to appreciate the step up to a mile-and-a-half at Royal Ascot and so it proved with the dual tapeta winner fading from two out in the King George V Stakes.
It is possible that the Sea The Stars colt will always be a better horse on the all-weather, but he travelled as well as anything save winner Merchant at the Royal meeting. We will know more about his long-term prospects after his next start which is likely to be at Newmarket on the Friday of their July Cup meeting.
That bet365 sponsored contest is one of the hottest three-year-old 10f handicaps of the season and he needs ten to come out to be guaranteed a run, but he remains a colt with plenty more to come, and his next start should tell us whether his best days lie solely on an artificial surface.
The form of his previous three quarters of a length defeat of War Hawk at Newmarket has been franked by the runner up who has since won at Chester and Epsom. He would meet Gunship on 6lbs worse terms if they both faced the starter on the July course.
Midnight Tango (Two-year-old trained by Ed Walker)
Midnight Tango really ought to have won the listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket (July) at the end of June when Kieran Shoemark tried to come from last to first on the wrong side of the track. She passed six of her seven rivals in the last couple of furlongs, and I wonder if the jockey will consider it one that got away.
She has only got a modest Hamilton success to her name, but she is held in some regard by Ed Walker, and she is up to at least listed class. It would be no surprise if she landed a Group race between now and the end of the season with something like the Lowther at York’s Ebor meeting under consideration.
Charles Darwin (Two-year-old trained by Aidan O’Brien)
The “lads” at Ballydoyle nominated Albert Einstein as their Coventry horse over 6f at Royal Ascot after making it two out of two in the Marble Stakes at the Curragh. That left Charles Darwin as their Norfolk representative after his fluent Naas win at the minimum trip.
When Albert Einstein was a late defector ahead of the Coventry, connections gave Gstaad the green light to run on the opening day and left Charles Darwin in the Norfolk rather than “upgrade” him to the Coventry which is widely considered the premier juvenile race of the meeting.
Gstaad duly bolted up by 3l in the Coventry while Charles Darwin landed Thursday’s Norfolk by more than 2l hitting the line hard and giving every impression he would relish another furlong. Aidan O’Brien, it would appear, already has the three best juvenile colts in Europe and it will be fascinating to see how connections keep them apart.
If there is a batting order at present, you feel the yard consider 1) Albert Einstein 2) Charles Darwin and 3) Gstaad. Charles Darwin has the physique of a four-year-old let alone a two-year-old and a crack at the Group 1 Nunthorpe over 5f at York in August was muted given the weight-for-age allowance juveniles receive against their elders.
I would prefer the son of No Nay Never to step back up to six furlongs next time, but you get the impression that Albert Einstein will dictate and be campaigned as the yard’s number one until results say otherwise.
As a half-brother to the yard’s dual Group1 winning juvenile Blackbeard, Charles Darwin is not guaranteed to train on next term, but I am convinced he will win at the top table between now and the end of the season.
Aeronautic (Four-year-old trained by Joseph O’Brien)
The lightly- raced Aeronautic finished fifth in the 1m6f Copper Horse Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot for Joseph O’Brien who endured such a frustrating week.
The stable had four winners in Ireland on Saturday, and most of their Ascot team ran terrific races in defeat with six finishing in the first four of their respective races.
Aeronautic was no match for French Master at Ascot but ran a cracking race on the quickest ground he has encountered to date. He was beaten less than 4l in the Copper Horse over that mile-and-three-quarter trip and I wonder if connections will consider dropping him back in distance at some time given how well he travelled on that occasion.
After just six career starts the son of Gleneagles has a big race in him between now and the end of the season. The Ebor and Melbourne Cup were races connections may have had in mind for the gelding had he won at Ascot, but I am still convinced there is a big pot to be had with the gelding this term and he won’t go up the weights for finishing fifth.
Classic Encounter (Three-year-old trained by George Boughey)
Classic Encounter was weak in the market, then backed near the off at Newcastle on his first start for George Boughey and belated seasonal reappearance.
He was squeezed out at the start of that hot Novice contest before making good late headway into a never nearer fifth over a mile.
That should have blown the cobwebs away, and I expect him to be more forcefully ridden next time. He will get further than a mile and looks the type to win a maiden/novice on turf in the short turn while he may be eased a couple of pounds from his mark of 82.
He is very much one to keep onside in the months ahead.
Charming Whisper (Three-year-old trained by Charlie McBride)
I appreciate you can go skint backing horses who have been unlucky, but I feel Charming Whisper should have won his last four races for Newmarket handler Charlie McBride.
A winner of two-mile handicaps from marks of 72 and 74 in June, the gelding has met trouble in-running from his last couple of starts over the Bunbury Mile and at Brighton - not convinced he was in love with the track - and I feel he is more than capable of defying his current rating of 80.
A stiff mile on good or faster ground are his optimum conditions, and he is one to keep on the right side of in the short term.
Ride The Thunder (Two-year-old trained by Roger Varian)
He cost 400,000 gns as a yearling and went into my tracker when recovering £1700 of his purchase price when finishing second in a Doncaster Novice to God Of War - had previous experience - on debut over seven furlongs.
I appreciate that the Varian yard lacks consistency, but I will be disappointed if this inmate does not go one better next time. The step up to a mile is likely to suit going forward, although 7f looks his trip in the short term.
Jagwar (Five-year-old trained by Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero)
Jagwar ran with the choke out at Uttoxeter in their competitive 2m 4f handicap hurdle last weekend and a blunder two out put paid to his chance. He was beaten 10L at the line, but he travelled like a well-handicapped horse for much of the race and the hope is that he will eventually cut out the jumping issues that have blunted his progression to this point. He was dropped 1lb to a mark of 118 by the handicapper after Uttoxeter.
Better ground should suit this spring and I wonder if he might be worth a try back at the minimum trip. The conditional jockeys’ event at Aintree might enter calculations at next month’s National meeting.
Merry Monty (Seven-year-old trained by Chris Down)
Merry Monty looked the type to improve for the switch to fences, and he shaped with considerable promise on his chase debut at Exeter over 2m 3f on New Year’s Day, giving every indication that he would improve again when stepped up in trip.
The gelding showed his first form when runner up - also at Exeter - on his penultimate start over timber when he jumped his hurdles as if he had been previously schooled over fences. He is likely to be nudged up the weights from his mark of eighty, but he would have won at Exeter granted another twenty yards, and I will be disappointed if he isn’t bordering on three figures by the end of the season.
Frederick Daly (7lb Claimer)
It is rare to be as impressed with a jockey, especially one who arguably won by too far, having his first ride under rules. Still, I was blown away by the quiet style of amateur Daly, who rode Golden Shot to win the amateur riders’ event at Ffos Las on Monday for Sir Mark Prescott. As Ian Bishop might have said: “Frederick Daly - remember the name”.
The 16-year-old was as polished in his postrace interview with Sky Sports Racing as he was in the saddle, and he suggested that he would spend little time as an amateur and would soon be turning professional.
His 7lb claim is likely to prove very popular when that happens. However, you get the impression that his father, who I remember as a former assistant trainer in Newmarket, and Sir Mark Prescott will manage his progression diligently as he works through his claim.
It might be daft to draw such conclusions after just the one ride, and he never had to get serious on the 29L winner, but there was just something about his style that suggested he was no ordinary amateur jockey. I, for one, will be monitoring his progress and will take note to see if other trainers book the jockey for similar contests in the short term.
Royal Rhyme (Three-year-old trained by Karl Burke)
Goodwood was largely a disappointment, with the rain putting a dampener on proceedings on and off the track. The week was summed up when the last three races were abandoned on the Saturday as the rain returned in spades.
On the track, the highlights were the continued brilliance of Paddington in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, but he must play second fiddle to Royal Rhyme, who showed himself to be a Group horse when running away with what is invariably a competitive three-year-old handicap.
The handicapper has seen fit to raise him 13lbs to a mark of 108 for his six-and-a-half length romp, while his winning time was three seconds quicker than that clocked by Al Husn in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes later in the card. His record on soft ground reads played three won three, with those successes coming by an aggregate of 12 lengths.
He remains one to keep on side granted soft ground this autumn. His stablemate Triple Time, likely to reappear at Deauville on Sunday, did us a huge favour when landing the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot at 33/1. Royal Rhyme is currently the same price for the Champion Stakes with Ladbrokes and Coral at Newmarket in October. Granted soft ground, he certainly won’t be that price if he faces the starter.
Diamond Ri (Four-year-old trained by Joe Tizzard)
Diamond Ri tanked through a Warwick Bumper on his racecourse debut to score by a long-looking thirteen lengths. The winning time was five-and-a-half seconds than the first division half an hour later.
The Tizzard yard does not have too many Bumper winners, but the yard can dare to dream over the summer that they have something to go to war with as a novice hurdler next term. His win came on soft ground, and his action and breeding suggest plenty of cut will suit going forward. Not one for the short term, but one for next season.
About Charlie McCann
Seven years as talkSPORT racing correspondent/tipster who recently spent over a decade as Director Of PR/Communications for a couple of leading igaming operators.
Failed cricketer - I regularly bore people, myself included, with the story about how I caught Imran Khan when 12th Man for Lancashire v Sussex as a youth - former National League Basketball player - once scored 72 points in a game - and lifelong and long-suffering Everton supporter.
Many of my old friends - and I mean old - would tell you I was a better footballer than a cricketer - but cricket was my first love. Horse racing has long been my passion - ironic as I’ll never pass the vet again as my sports injuries have come back to bite - with my specialism handicap chases over jumps and 1m+ handicaps on the level.
I have met many of the great and good in the game and consider myself to have been very fortunate. Please always bet within your means and never chase your losses.
Be Lucky.
You can follow Charlie McCann on Twitter for more racing insight.
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