Charlie McCann’s Tips
Charlie heads to Wolverhampton on Monday for his best bet
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Latest Profit & Loss Figures
An excellent start to the week, but it went downhill from Thursday onwards, with no fewer than seven second-place finishes over the weekend, including two beaten by a nose (Brussels & Ghost Mode) within fifteen minutes of each other.
Sunday's two seconds, Alexei (14/1) and nap Crazee Icon (7/2), somehow found a way to get beaten, with the latter subject to a rare poor ride from the champion jockey. Had one of those seconds won, it would have produced a winning week. As it was, the week ending Sunday, October 12th, resulted in a loss of £1.70 on a £1 level stake.
Latest Profit & Loss for the week ending Sunday, October 12th
- Cumulative profit since we began on 1/8/22: +£1284.43
- Week Ending Sunday, October 12th: -£1.70
- October 2025 to date: +£15.52
- Year 2025 to date: +£206.95
- Year 2024 ended: +£364.90
- Year 2023 ended: +£469.27
- Period 1/8/22 to 31/12/22 ended: +£243.31
(All figures to a £1 level stake)
Charlie McCann’s Tips - Monday, October 20th
The BHA website gave the ground as good at Pontefract on Sunday morning, with the prospect of rain (5-8mls) on Sunday afternoon/evening. Conditions could ease to good to soft (no worse) for today's card.
There is no further significant rain due again this week, which will be frustrating to both jumps trainers and racecourses alike.
However, Perth should produce some excellent ground for tomorrow's (Tuesday) meeting.
3:03pm Pontefract - Shayem
Ralph Beckett has saddled the winner of the listed 1m Silver Tankard Stakes twice in the last decade, and his filly Morven got off the mark at the second attempt when landing a four-runner Haydock Fillies' Novice over today's trip on similar ground to what she will encounter this afternoon.
Karl Burke trains market leader SHAYEM, and he should know where he stands with the filly, given that he saddled the runner-up of that contest, Nada Two. Beckett will be looking for black type for the filly with the breeding sheds in mind, but Shayem has much the superior form.
The selection has won two of his three career starts, and the only juveniles to finish in front of the colt are the Gosdens' exciting Publish, and subsequent Group 2 Royal Lodge winner Bow Echo, and those colts hold realistic classic aspirations for 2026.
The colt does not have the sexiest of pedigrees and only cost €12,000 as a yearling, but his win in a minor Conditions race at Epsom last month gives him an automatic entry into the Derby. There were only three runners in that contest, but his two rivals were well-bred colts representing leading connections with good form in the book – one a previous winner – and he readily brushed them aside.
Rochfortbridge beat a subsequent listed winner at Ayr on debut and finished third in a Group 3 at Chantilly last time. His penultimate run, when fourth – beaten more than 5l in the Acomb Stakes at York – has been well and truly franked in the interim period with the winner Gewan landing the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last month.
He is officially rated 1lb higher than Shayem, but I favour the Burke-trained juvenile over this stiff mile, especially if the rain has got into the ground.
Recommendation: Shayem - 11/8 with William Hill
2:40pm Plumpton - Gone In Sixty
There is plenty of rain forecast for Plumpton on Sunday and Monday morning, and that tempers confidence behind GONE IN SIXTY, who would not want conditions to deteriorate too much for Alex Hales.
The gelding has finished third in his last three starts, including at Fakenham on Friday, when he reverted to hurdles. On his penultimate start, he was behind King Of The Story – reopposes today - at Warwick over fences. Still, he really ought to have won with Alice Stevens having to sit and suffer waiting for gaps which failed to materialise until after the last. He meets the winner on 9lbs better terms – including Stevens' claim – this afternoon and can reverse the form on revised terms, although neither would want the ground any worse than good to soft.
Bertie Wooster has had a wind procedure over the summer, and he might be the one who would benefit most if conditions turned soft. The Tizzard yard had a couple of inmates run below par at the weekend, but their runners all performed well at Chepstow's three-day meeting earlier in the month, and stable form is not an issue.
Recommendation: Gone In Sixty - 11/4 with bet365
8:30pm Wolverhampton - Little Miss India (Nap)
Pat Cosgrave likely could have gone to Pontefract to ride Crack Shot for the James Owen yard in the competitive 10f handicap. However, he has four rides at Dunstall Park, the best of which may be Owen's recent recruit LITTLE MISS INDIA (Nap) in the concluding 12f handicap.
The filly broke her maiden tag at Southwell at the beginning of the month from a 6lbs lower mark over a slightly shorter trip and hit the line hard on that occasion, suggesting this mile-and-a-half would be well within her compass. She was fitted with a hood for the first time at Southwell and her record on tapeta now reads 1-2.
Tony Carroll has had a tremendous year, and his eight-year-old Night Bear is very well treated on his best form and returns from a near two-month lay-off. He has won on tapeta in the past and must enter calculations, although the chief threat may come from five-time course and distance winner Pysanka, another returning from a break, in his case over four months.
The booking of Danny Muscutt suggests this is not a run merely to blow away the cobwebs, but I favour the top-weight who could have more to come on this surface.
Recommendation: Little Miss India (Nap) - 15/8 with bet365
*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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