DONALD McCAIN is looking at the Victor Chandler Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso as the Champion Hurdle prep race for his stable star Peddlers Cross.
The unbeaten six-year-old, who won the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, has seen a number of options for his final race before heading back to Prestbury Park put on hold.
He returned to action this season when beating Starluck and Binocular in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newbury in November.
But his scheduled run in Haydock’s Champion Hurdle Trial on January 22 was called off due to frost.
While he also missed possible engagements at Sandown and Ffos Las last weekend after he coughed coming off the gallops at Bankhouse Stables.
McCain has two options left now with the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on February 19 and the Morebattle two days earlier.
The Cheshire-based trainer expects to run Peddlers Cross – who is a best-priced 6-1 with Paddy Power and Sportingbet – at Kelso with stable-mate Overturn heading to Wincanton. McCain said: “He galloped this morning, Jason (Maguire) was on Overturn and Adrian (Lane) was on Peddlers and the horse is well so hopefully we can run him next week somewhere.
“He came off the gallop, gave a cough so we scoped him and it was mucky, I couldn’t have run him. Touch wood it is out of the way.
“In an ideal world I would say Peddlers goes to Kelso and Overturn goes for the Kingwell, but that’s ground permitting.”
Meanwhile owner Michael Buckley doesn’t know if totesport Trophy favourite Solix can live up to that tag at Newbury this weekend.
The Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old will carry top weight on his British debut and the French import has been well-backed for Saturday’s contest.
Buckley said: “I saw him work with Oscar Whisky a couple of weeks ago and he went very well with him.
“Obviously he’s a capable horse, Nicky likes him very much and thinks he’s a very nice horse with lots of ability and he’s got a reasonable chance.
“He may well not be up to it, but nobody knows as we’ve no form to go on because he’s never run in England. It’s fair to say we think he’s a very nice horse and he’s capable of working with good horses. Whether that translates to being competitive in this race I don’t know.”
TODAY’S NAP: Genstone Trail (4.40pm Huntingdon).
