Of the two, I didn't think Chinese Whispers would be the one that would lose, but Cobden didn't give him the best of rides.
Harry was simply too confident turning for home, but when the winner loomed down the outside, Cobden knew he wasn't going as well as he originally thought. The horse took ages to get rolling, and if the jockey asked him for his efforts much sooner, he probably would have won.
Alien Storm didn't give me much confidence for most of the race, but when they turned for home and David Bass wasn't moving, I knew we had it in the bag. He didn't jump the greatest, but he simply loves Plumpton, and he recorded his fifth success at the track.
Berry Edge 11/4 – Warwick 2.03
Usually, this isn't the type of race I'd spend my time looking into too much, as there are a lot of runners and it looks fairly open. Berry Edge has gone up 9lbs for his recent win, and if you look at that form, he should be open to further progress.
Dan Skelton is known to improve horses when getting them from other stables, and given that Berry Edge won his second start for the yard and was 7/4F on his first start, they must've felt he was much better than the mark when he joined.
He improved a decent chunk from first to second run, and I think the drop to two miles helped him. He was held up towards the rear, and when he crept through the field and Harry Skelton asked him to win his race, he did it and was pulling away at the finish.
The runner-up and third-placed horse have both won races since, and considering Berry Edge was well on top at the line, I rate that.
Coastguard Station 5/1 – Warwick 2.38
Seeing back-to-back poor performances for Coastguard Station is not a great sign, especially when he was fairly consistent last season. Maybe the age is catching up to him, but seeing Sean Bowen booked up does usually suggest a big run is on the way.
Sean isn't booked by Henry Oliver too often, but his only win for the yard did come on this horse last September, and that was the horse's best performance in years.
Coastguard Station's handicap mark has fallen considerably over the last twelve months since his last success, and that gives him a solid chance of winning if he returns to form. He has to compete against a couple of unexposed chasers, which is mainly aimed at the favourite, but he hasn't looked miles ahead of the handicap, and I think he is vulnerable.
GambleAware