Shakira hard to shake but Monalee is the major mover

The first of the season's truly top-level fixtures mixed with rain-softened ground is a recipe for getting overexcited, but it is quite difficult to stifle the buzz created by Apple's Shakira.

There are questions about the bare form of her juvenile hurdle win at Cheltenham – the only horse to race her, Gumball, overdid it and just about went back to the field after the last – but the fact the winner was able to keep up the gallop after sitting not far off the pace was impressive.

The Triumph Hurdle market was a guess-up as little as a week ago and still is to a large extent, so you would have to work very hard to convince cautious punters that it can possibly be solved with a 9-2 shot at this stage.