8:50 Hexham Tips

Hexham can be, at times, a front-runners' track. If Alan Doyle can get the fractions right and have his mount hurdling well and not being hassled, he could have this field stretched out. By giving Malangen a breather before the hill and then kicking on, they can free-wheel downhill to the winning line with enough in hand to win.

The 5yo was a good 3rd of 9 four weeks ago, clear of the rest??'not helped by a poor jump 2 out. It was just his second run after an eight-month break, and there is plenty of room for more improvement.

Has shown a modicum of ability and ran well last time out. He is now dropping in the weights and, in this open field, could run well.

He won a maiden hurdle at Naas but hasn't shown much since, including since the switch to the John Dixon yard. Of his five starts for John Dixon, his best performance came last time out when he was third at Kelso. That race coincided with his first start on good ground; his previous four were on soft. The combination of faster ground and the first-time tongue tie seemed to work, and he gets similar conditions today. He has been dropped an additional 3 lbs and should run well.

Western Soldier has proven ability at this trip and was still travelling well before falling at a crucial stage last time. If he avoids mistakes today, his experience, workable mark, and effectiveness on varying ground conditions give him the chance to bounce back strongly.

King Kodiak is a little sketchy when analysing the form lines, but he's had some positive runs from higher in the weights and over this trip. So if everything clicks we've got one who could get involved from the front, but we do need to accept that he could just as easily flunk once again. At this price it's still probably a gamble worth taking.

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