PEDDLERS CROSS will bid to maintain his unbeaten record in the Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock a week on Saturday.

Donald McCain’s ex-Irish point-to-point winner scored on both his starts, first taking a bumper at Haydock in nice style in November, then on his hurdling debut at Bangor last month. On the five-year-old, McCain said: “There’s a Grade Two novice hurdle at Hay-dock that we’re think-ing of going to. Since he came over he has done everything we’ve asked him to do and is defin-itely very exciting.”

McCain’s Cholmonde-ley base has been hit by the snow and ice so he been using the facilities of Cheshire neighbour Tom Dascombe this week.

McCain has some decent horses and is itching for a thaw to get them back on track.

But sadly the useful novice chaser Comhla Ri Coig will not be one of them. McCain said: “Unfortunately he won’t run again this season – he just came back with a touch of a leg. It’s there and you can’t hide it. We could well get him back for the spring – it was only very minor – but his ground will have gone so we’ll sit tight until next year.”

The likes of Will Be Done, the hat-trick-seeking Youngstown and Any Given Day are just three who may be heading to the Cheltenham Festival.

TODAY’S NAP: Red Suede Shoes (7.15pm Kempton).