What are you backing Today?

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250 Exeter Cedar valley 3/1 looks a steal each way , 2 horse race with step up in trip a big help to cedar , should be 5/4 fave ,2/1 cedar on my figures
 
My tracker horse Forest Bihan, (the one I lost my conkers on last time!), is entered at Doncaster in Friday. He's a CD winner. I will probably stick him in a Trixie on Friday.
 
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Straight Right (5.15N) has any amount of boot, as he showed in his C/D win last Feb. Circumstances conspired gainst him in his 2 latest runs, though he still did enough to demonstrate it's still there.
Plenty of pace in today's race, which should allow clear passage in the closing stages, and looks well worth a bet at the general 5/2.
 
Robert Havlin has some good chances at Lingfield and Kempton tomorrow. Most of his rides are obviously for John Gosden. It could be a red letter day for him. He will surely be dissapointed if he can't bag two or three winners from these chances. I'll have a go on a five or six horse yankee, hoping for the best.
 
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For what it's worth, his six rides are: Lingfield 1:30 Playful Spirit. 2:05 St Peters Basilica. 2:40 Abe Lincoln. 3:45 Vandella. Kempton 5:15 Trapani 7:15 Baasha.
 
Marble said:
My tracker horse Forest Bihan, (the one I lost my conkers on last time!), is entered at Doncaster in Friday. He's a CD winner. I will probably stick him in a Trixie on Friday.
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Declared.

A competitive little seven runner affair though. We'll see if the four pound pull at the weights Forest Bihan has with Cracking Find can help him in his attempt to beat that opponent.
Several horses with good chances in there, so I fancy we could get 10's or bigger on Forest Bihan by off time, in which case I'll probably have a sporting bet on.
 
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This could well turn out to be a decent Grand Annual trial.
 
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Yes. This is my take on it:

DON 1.55 SKY BET BEST ODDS GUARANTEED HANDICAP CHASE (Class 2) (5yo+) Winner £18,768 7 runners 2m78y Good SKY
No.
Form
Horse
Stats
Days
Age
Wt
Trainer
Jockey
OR
MON
(171)
Notes
RPR
3
16-3F3
Forest Bihan
p CD
29
8
11-5
BE
Danny Cook
150
171
175 e d?
168
5
-1P462
Nuts Well
D
13
8
10-12
AnnHanilton
Brian Hughes
143
170
164
7
-32321
Cracking Find
D
29
8
10-0
SueSmith
Sean Quinlan
131
170
p +?
164
6
2U-641
Beau Bay
ht D
13
8
10-5
Dr RN
Sam Twiston-Davies
136
169
p
164
1
-13251
Ozzie The Oscar
D
41
8
11-12
PH
Richard Johnson
157
167
+p
166
4
-31126
Champagne At Tara
D
62
10
11-0
JJON
Richie McLernon
145
167
163
2
185-10
Modus
D
62
9
11-5
PN
Barry Geraghty
150
163
+?
(169? +?
165

<tbody>
</tbody>

This race has been relegated from the Saturday card, possibly to beef up today’s card. It’s always a good race, usually run on decent enough ground at a good pace and this renewal looks a little cracker with Ozzie, Cracking Find and Beau Bay all potential front-runners likely to be stalked by Forest Bihan who is handicapped to win on his best form. I suspect Modus, though, might be prepping for something like the Grand Annual.

Cracking Find and Ozzie The Oscar – if your memory stretches back far enough this is the one I put up for the County at 50s or so a couple of years back – are the ones with the steepest curves but I suspect they’ll take each other on and this could set it up for Forest Bihan. It’s probably a race best watched but I’ve punted Forest Bihan (7/2).
 
Interesting. I wasn't expecting Forest Bihan to be favourite, but I won't let that put me off backing him.

7/2 is a decent price if he wins.

I hope he wins for us.
 
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I didn't see the race and only heard bits of the commentary. It sounded like Forest Bihan refused to go past CF rather than the winner holding him at bay.
 
They pulled 8 lengths clear of Modus and the rest.

At least Forest Bihan is showing a bit of consistency now, running two very good races recently without winning. That is one positive to take out of the race for him. He is probably worthy of one last bet, but not in a small field at shortish odds. I hope to see him in The Grand Annual entries.
 
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The immediate post-race comment by the guy with the Scottish accent on the WHill radio service reckoned FB wouldn't go past CF. If that's the case (I'll need to see the replay somewhere) I won't be backing FB to win anything. Ever.
 
I'm not great at race reading. Let us know what you think happened when you watch the replay please mate.
William Hills and several others have put the first two today in their anti-post betting for The Grand Annual.
 
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Not sure I'd say that he wouldn't go past - he definitely took the lead - he just isn't the greatest of battlers, and would need to be upsides a similar type to ever get his head in front in this type of handicap. Think CF's rider knew this as well and kept asking to worry FB out of it. Once CF responded at all, the result was inevitable.
 
I would add too, that Forest Bihan has given a really consistent and improved horse this season, nearly a stone and a half in weight today.The curve of Forest Bihan form is improving just at the right time in terms of a crack at the Festival Handicap.

You could even argue, that were he to have won today, and raised in the handicap as a result; this would actually have disadvantaged him in a bigger value handicap, such as The Grand Annual, in the near future.
 
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HawkWing said:
Not sure I'd say that he wouldn't go past - he definitely took the lead - he just isn't the greatest of battlers, and would need to be upsides a similar type to ever get his head in front in this type of handicap. Think CF's rider knew this as well and kept asking to worry FB out of it. Once CF responded at all, the result was inevitable.
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With all due respect this is nonsense.

If you was to take about twenty pounds off Forest Bihan's back, (which is how much more weight he was carrying than Cracking Find today), he would have won cosily.

He's given a lot of weight away to a consistent and progressive horse, and they've pulled well clear of the rest.

No major harm done in terms of his handicap mark either. Roll on The Grand Annual I say.
 
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I've just watched the full replay (over at the ATR site). Forest Bihan got marginally in front of CF just after the last but I have to agree with the WHill guy and say FB didn't want it as much as the other one. I think the head carriages say it all. FB carried his head high after the last the other one kept his down and forward.

It was a very good quality race - it usually is - and confirmed two things I noted beforehand: CF is on a proper curve and FB is well handicapped.

But I'd have to say there is no way FB is improving. Note that in my preview of the race I questioned FB's honesty ("d?" in the notes column) and his best rating this season was 4lbs below his career best. Nuts Well, the other of my top three, had just come to challenge the other two at the last when he fell so I suspect FB has maybe run somewhere between this season's best and his career best. I do reckon he could match his career best against better horses when he's towed into it but would never back him again at this level or higher. He could probably scoot away from inferior opposition in a Class 3 race with a short run-in.
 
Well its all a game of opinions! :)

Given the rattling pace they go in The Grand Annual, based on the recent running's I've seen, about 80-90 percent of the field never get a look in.
They get tailed off after four furlongs!
At least with Forest Bihan you know he's going to be up there, running his race. In a Grand Annual he'd be one of about 10 percent with a chance.
I'm surprised other people can't see that.
 
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On a flat track with a downhill finish. He needed to gain a length on CF at the last to stand a chance. Once he didnt, it was all over.
 
The only chance FB has of winning the GA is to arrive on the bridle well after the last, and would be best served staying well off the fast gallop and hope he gets a Bellvano. I cant see him outbattling anything up the hill. Aim for the Red Rum would be my advice for the connections...and even then.
 
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