Supernova, baryon acoustic oscillations, and CMB surface distance
  constraints on f(G) higher order gravity models
  We consider recently proposed higher order gravity models where the action is
built from the Einstein-Hilbert action plus a function f(G) of the Gauss-Bonnet
invariant. The models were previously shown to pass physical acceptability
conditions as well as solar system tests. In this paper, we compare the models
to combined data sets of supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and
constraints from the CMB surface of last scattering. We find that the models
provide fits to the data that are close to those of the LCDM concordance model.
The results provide a pool of higher order gravity models that pass these tests
and need to be compared to constraints from large scale structure and full CMB
analysis.
