FORECASTER'S long wait for victory can finally come to an end when she reports for duty on a good card at Chelmsford.

The Queen's filly has not hit the target in 10 previous starts, but she has been found a really neat opportunity to remove that unwanted statistic.

Michael Bell's three-year-old is not without ability – a rash of placed efforts earlier in the year is testament to that - and she very nearly produced the goods over this course and distance on September 29.

Forecaster did not have a clean passage in a reasonably competitive mile-and-a-quarter handicap last month, so she actually did well to get to within a head of Princess Raihana.

How that race unfolded also did her no favours as Princess Raihana stole a march early doors and did not look back, whereas Bell's inmate finished fast enough but was never going to get there.

This daughter of Fastnet Rock has gone up another 2lb for the attotepoolracing Fillies' Handicap, but that should not prove a considerable stumbling block – especially with Adam Kirby back in the saddle.

It was interesting to see Very Talented pop up amongst the declarations for the feature race in Essex, the totepoolliveinfo.com For Racing Results Handicap.

Things have perhaps not quite gone his way since he finished down the field when well fancied for the Craven at Newmarket back in April, but he really caught the eye in the Cambridgeshire.

Despite having seemingly been drawn in the wrong part of town, Godolphin's colt finished strongly to take third spot behind Spark Plug.

Whether he quite hits the heights trainer Saeed bin Suroor might have hoped remains a bone of contention, but this sparingly-raced three-year-old really ought to have the quality to win a race like this

Billyoakes has a fine chance of taking top honours in the Racing UK In Glorious HD Handicap at Nottingham.

The four-year-old has to arrest a two-year-long barren spell, but trainer Charlie Wallis will have been heartened by his recent spin at Colwick Park, when he finished a close-enough third to Mysterious Glance.

Billyoakes flew at the finish that day, so Wallis must surely feel he is back to somewhere near the form needed to win a race like this.

The gelded son of Kodiac is 9lb lower in the weights than when he last claimed victory, which is obviously no bad thing, while it seems perfectly sensible that he is running in the cheekpieces that did their job last time.

Rock Steady bumped into one at Kempton earlier this month but should not suffer a similar fate back in Sunbury for the 32Red Handicap.

Roger Charlton's ultra-reliable chestnut had to play second fiddle to the Ocean Ready in a one-mile-three-furlong handicap, but he was not beaten far against a horse who was in receipt of stacks of weight.

SELECTIONS:

CHELMSFORD: 1.30 Mister Manduro, 2.00 Unforgiving Minute, 2.30 Trishuli Rock, 3.00 Very Talented, 3.30 FORECASTER (NAP), 4.00 Brother Tiger, 4.30 Fleeting Dream, 5.00 Summersault.

FAKENHAM: 2.10 The Blue Bomber, 2.40 Lee Side Lady, 3.10 Fool To Cry, 3.40 Salto Chisco, 4.10 Definitly Grey, 4.40 Northandsouth, 5.10 Instant Replay.

KEMPTON: 5.45 Power Up, 6.15 Hydrant, 6.45 Rebel Heart, 7.15 Hurricane Rock, 7.45 Owaseyf, 8.15 Rock Steady, 8.45 Fast Sprite, 9.15 Shifting Star.

NOTTINGHAM: 1.50 Dhajeej, 2.20 Envoy, 2.50 Fast Dancer, 3.20 Captain Peacock, 3.50 Parnell's Dream, 4.20 Billyoakes, 4.50 Blue Jean Baby, 5.20 Blue Top.

DOUBLE: Forecaster and Billyoakes.