S V Rutter Novices' Chase

FOREST BIHAN brings a very reasonable level of C&D form into this disappointingly small field contest. Although carrying a penalty for his debut success at Towcester, this six-year-old has impressed over fences, and time is likely to tell that his recent C&D second to Waiting Patiently will be the strongest of Northern novice chase form. He has a little in hand of the others on his official hurdles rating, both of whom have questions to answer (chase debut, and a moderate round of fencing over C&D to overcome). He's the solid option, both for today, and for going forward. 1. Forest Bihan 2. L'aigle Royal 3. Chidswell