not fluent, led, reminder after 4th, ridden approaching 3 out, headed last, no extra close home
tracked leaders, ridden every chance 3 out, weakened next
held up in rear, headway approaching 2 out, led last
with leader to 9th, soon behind
Just the four runners go to post in an interesting opener, a maiden hurdle, and we'll opt for Hot Produxion over Rodolfo but any one of the four could win. The selection has proven very consistent, finishing second or third in nine of his 14 career races and an event like this is within his compass. He seems to need plenty of driving but maybe first-time cheekpieces will help in this respect. Overall, his form entitles him to be competitive here. Rodolfo finished second to Kaikovra on his hurdling debut and, while the bare from of that effort is not exceptional, it is enough to make him competitive too, given that he is entitled to improve on that run. West Coaster hails from the Henrietta Knight yard and has shown promise in his five hurdle runs. Bred to be a chaser, he might need this after a 229-day break but cannot be ruled out of calculations, particularly if the market speaks in his favour. Pop Gun, a 14-furlong handicap winner at Nottingham in March, showed some promise on his hurdling debut and the step up in trip shouldn't pose too much of a problem. As we say, it's interesting, but we'll side with Hot Produxion, who can gain a well-deserved success.
