Thanks, Jeff. Like I said, this is the way-stripped-down version of the core query with things like "the_priority" and "the_work" standing for more complicated expressions. Lots of other stuff is going on to make sure we get a response, clear the queue, etc. and we will index appropriately.
I'm really looking for any things like planner ordering nuances that would make the query operate in unexpected ways.
Cheers,