Charlie McCann’s Tips
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A dreadful week.
On Saturday I gave positive mentions to 7/2 and 4/1 winners – and had a 3/1 Breeders’ Cup winner I said would not put into my figures – but did not recommend them, and on Sunday I left out a 7/1 winner, having originally put Passengerontheship (7/1) in the copy.
I subsequently edited it out as it was his fifteenth start since March, as I did with Sweeper System (33/1 winner) who I recommended first time out over fences at Uttoxeter last month, but finished last having been badly in need of the run.
I pondered long and hard on Saturday morning about recommending his again, as I knew he jumped superbly but just faded from two out.
Had I been in better form, I would have just put a fourth selection in.
- Week ending Sunday, 1 November: -£11.98
- November 2026 to date: -£3.00
- October 2026 ended: -£29.50
- Year 2026 to date: +£316.98
- 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
- Cumulative profit since 1/8/2022: +£1697.19
(All figures to a £1 level stake)
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Charlie McCann’s Horses to Follow
Irandando Has (7-year-old trained by Sam Allwood)
Runner-up in his sole start in a listed hurdle in his native France, the gelding was bought privately by his present connections and sent to Paul Nicholls back in October 2022.
In his three years at Ditcheat, he never saw the track, and the Hales family moved the horse to Sam Allwood last year when he overcame a 1188-day absence to land a 2m maiden hurdle at 25/1. He also scored at Ayr, again over the minimum distance, back in March before disappointing when stepped up to 2m5f at Haydock the following month.
He made his chase debut at Worcester at the beginning of November over 2m4f when he was a shade keen but jumped and travelled well before tiring in the last half mile. He obviously overcame a huge absence to win first time out last term, but I am convinced he will come on for that Worcester comeback on chase debut, and he looks sure to be dropped a couple of pounds from his current mark of 124.
He will want good to soft or soft ground going forward and will likely get further in time – ran an excellent staying on second behind a Gordon Elliot horse rated 127 at Ayr over 2m in January – but he will be dangerous over a stiff 2m/2m2f next time. He looks worth following on his next two starts.
Anniversary (4-year-old gelding trained by Ralph Beckett)
Blindedbythelights has form figures since winning at Newbury in June 2023 of 2-2-4-2-2-2-2, and his handicap mark has risen from sixty-eight to a mark in the early nineties. Given he finished second at Kempton from a mark of eighty-eight in the Queen’s Prize at the end of March.
His profile hardly strikes you as being one to have onside going forward, but he is lightly raced for one of his age, and I have always thought there was more to come from the flashy gelding.
He was very well supported at Kempton, however, whereas Anniversary was weak in the market with blinkers reapplied by Ralph Beckett, and the jury is still out as to whether he truly stays two miles.
The stable’s inmates ran well in defeat on the opening weekend of the turf season, and this four-year-old has not won since beating the subsequent Goodwood Cup/St Leger winner Scandinavia at Newmarket on his racecourse debut as a juvenile.
There is a 1m6f handicap at Newmarket on the Sunday of the Guineas weekend at the beginning of May, and that would strike me as a suitable target for the gelded son of Sea The Moon who may have races such as the Copper Horse Stakes at Royal Ascot as a mid-summer target, although he would have to win to get into the race as the bottom weight was rated ninety-five last year.
At the time of writing, Anniversary is rated ninety-one, but you would imagine he will be eased at least 1lb for his Kempton run. He will need to win to sneak into the bottom of the handicap if the Royal meeting is a realistic target.
Kadastral (6-year-old trained by Dan Skelton)
It is rare that you look at a horse’s handicap mark and do a double take, but that is what happened when I saw Kadastral had a mark of just 125 ahead of his chase debut at Aintree on Saturday. The 4/1 earlier in the week has gone, and the six-year-old is a top price of 7/4 with sponsors William Hill at the time of writing. But why is he so short?
Well, he beat a subsequent Grade 1-winning 2m hurdler, Talk The Talk, when landing a Newbury Bumper and, while he only won one of four of his own hurdle starts, he bumped into the top-class Sober Glory twice and palpably failed to stay 2m4f on heavy ground at Uttoxeter on his final start.
He has the size and scope to make a much better chaser than hurdler, and this strong traveller looks the type of novice who will be contesting the Grand Annual and/or Red Rum in the spring from a mark circa 140.
Trainer Dan Skelton has an embarrassment of riches in the 2m Novice chase division, with Sinnatra and Kabral Du Mathan having both looked potential 2m chasing starts when making winning chase debuts at Ffos Las and Perth for the yard last month.
Skelton said of his six-year-old in a Racing Post Stable Tour:
“You haven't seen the half of this horse yet. He won a good bumper at Newbury two years ago, and we made some mistakes with him last season as a hurdler, ran him on ground that was too soft and lost his season as a result, but he'll have learned a lot. I think he's good and now that he's going over fences, we'll see something more like it.”
Those sentiments may have led to the gamble on him ahead of Saturday’s possible chase debut, although the trainer does not confirm he will be starting his season off on Merseyside.
One Big Bang (8-year-old trained by James Owen)
One Big Bang palpably failed to stay 3m5f+ in both the NH Chase at Cheltenham when third - beaten 16l – and at Fairyhouse when sixth – beaten 40l – in the Irish Grand National back in the spring.
I presumed he would be campaigned over 3m-3m2f this term and was alarmed when the excellent James Owen was quoted in the Racing Post as saying his grey:
“Excels on soft, deep ground. He'll potentially be ready to start at the end of this month or early November – we're guided by the weather a little bit – but the Coral Gold Cup is the big early aim if it came up really soft. The Welsh Grand National is another nice option for him, but he'll be considered for all the big staying chases in deep ground.”
I could not disagree more! He is not just a mudlark.
I remember twelve months ago in a similar piece Owen saying he was sure his novice chaser – that was – did not need deep ground. He was outstayed by Wade Out on his chase debut over 3m1f on soft ground at Cheltenham last November – not knocked about and good form - and his sole success came in a Southwell match on good ground back in December.
He is 3lbs wrong in the weights for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury (25/1 across the board) at the end of the month, but Grey Dawning currently heads the weights, and he is likely to miss the race given his primary objective is the Grade 1 Betfair Chase a week earlier.
He also holds an entry at Cheltenham in a 3m3f+ race at the Paddy Power meeting in the middle of the month (8/1 best price), but he makes little appeal as a betting medium for either of those races granted the trainer’s bonkers comments about the grey.
Good to soft ground is ideal, and throughout the summer and early autumn I have felt the Coral Gold Cup rests between One Big Bang and Wendigo of Jamie Snowden. Let’s hope the rains arrive – although I’m not convinced he needs too much!
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, before joining Free Bets.
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.
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