Chelmsford City Preview: Forceful makes plenty of Appeal

Forceful Appeal shaped really well last time out and can take advantage of a drop in the weights to land the 1m handicap at Chelmsford City today (2.10)

The Simon Dow trained gelding is a six-time winner on the polytrack surface, with the last of those coming in a 7f contest at Lingfield in February 2014.

The seven-year-old came from off the pace and quickened up nicely to readily beat Living The Life by 3/4 of a length off a mark of 81.
Forceful Appeal got put up to 87 for that success and subsequently failed to trouble the judge in his next seven starts.

However, the son of Successful Appeal is now back down to his last winning mark of 81 and shaped as if his time was near when an eye-catching third of seven to the progressive Mr Bossy Boots over 7f at Lingfield seven days ago.
Forceful Appeal was held-up in a slow run race and after getting outpaced when the tempo quickened two from home stayed on strongly to be beaten 2 3/4 lengths in the hands of Hayley Turner.

The step up to a mile looks sure to suit judged on that run, and with Luke Morris now taking over in the saddle Forceful Appeal looks to have everything in his favour to get back in the winners’ enclosure.

Dow has an excellent chance of completing a quick-fire double with Clear Praise in the 6f handicap (2.40).

The gelding was last successful when scoring in a class 5 contest at Brighton last May off a mark of 73, and is now able to race off the same rating having shaped better than his form figures suggest in his last four starts.

Three of those starts have been in class 4 company, and after finishing third to Searchlight off 77 at Lingfield the son of Songandaprayer ran a blinder off the same mark when a 1 3/4 length fifth of 11 to Dont Have It Then at Kempton

Clear Praise has since not had the race run to suit in two subsequent outings, the last of which came over 5f at Lingfield.

The eight-year-old looks sure to be suited by the step back up to 6f, a trip over which he has notched six of his eight career successes, and another plus is that Clear Praise has won two of his three starts in today’s grade of class 5.