'I was gobsmacked last time' - Hot To Go turns up the heat to put his puzzling debut run behind him

Hot To Go put a disappointing jumps debut behind him and took a big step forward when winning the 1m7½f maiden hurdle under Sam Twiston-Davies.

The Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained four-year-old flopped on his first start over hurdles when eighth as 6-5 favourite at Newton Abbot last month, beaten 32 lengths, having finished second on his sole point-to-point effort before that.

Willy told Racing TV: “I was gobsmacked last time. All our novice hurdlers have been going and winning nicely, and I ranked him right up there with some of our nicer ones.

“I couldn’t believe it at Newton Abbot and we couldn’t find a reason why. He’s a lovely horse and whatever he does now he’ll make a smashing chaser. Sam came off very happy and he’ll be a nice horse going forward. We'll run in another novice, then we might try and get him qualified for the EBF Final.”

The trainers quickly doubled up in the 2m4½f conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle, this time with Jamie Brace on board Jewel Eyed Judy.

Sam Twiston-Davies also made sure to have a double of his own, prevailing by a nose in a photo-finish in a thrilling 1m7½f mares’ novices’ handicap hurdle on the Harriet Dickin-trained Sophie Power.

Magic Manganese

Manganese made a winning start over hurdles on his stable debut for Max Comley in the 1m7½f fillies' juvenile maiden hurdle. The three-year-old won a bumper in France before joining Comley in the summer.

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