2:30 Newton Abbot - hype or substance?

[JollyGreen]

This is a tricky race because we have two problems with the front two in the market.

Rudanphast was a decent bumper horse but can he jump a hurdle in a race? He probably skips over them at home but how will he perform in a race?

Marc Aurele is trained by Paul Nicholls and part owned by Sir Alex Ferguson. This horse won a weak hurdle race and he's looked vulnerable under his penalty. He must look vulnerable to connections too because they've put a 5lb claimer on him. Is he priced more on connections than ability?

Personally I couldn't back either of them but if the money doesn't come for the Nicholls' horse then Rudanphast is likely to shrink from 2.60-2.62 into 2.50 and possibly lower.

Whilst I would have a slight preference for Rudanphast but my concern is that he may pull hard early on and his trainer has said he tends to fluff the first couple of hurdles at home. The ground is now soft so they may go slow and we may see him throwing his head around.

I couldn't back either of these two but what can you oppose them with?