Shropshire’s big Cheltenham Festival hope Peddlers Cross has suffered a setback which has ruled him out of his intended final preparation race.

The unbeaten six-year-old, owned by Tim Leslie who farms north of Telford, was due to make an appearance at either Ffos Los or Sandown on Saturday.

But those plans for one of the leading contenders for the Champion Hurdle have been shelved.

“He gave a little cough coming off the gallops yesterday so he will not be running,” said trainer Donald McCain, who is based at Cholmondeley.

“I want to give him a couple of quiet days. It might be that we are still able to run him in the next week or two.

“But if the worst comes to worst and we have to go straight to Cheltenham then so be it.”

Peddlers Cross may now make an appearance at either Kelso on February 17 or Wincanton two days later and there could be similar plans for Leslie’s other Champion Hurdle hopeful Overturn.

Meanwhile, Shropshire is well represented in the list of initial entries for the Grand National which has attracted 102 horses — 10 down on last year and the smallest number of entries since 1997.

Le Beau Bai, trained by Richard Lee on the south Shropshire border, is included for the April 9 Aintree showpiece.

It’s the same story for Neptune Collonges although an encouraging victory at Cheltenham last week looks set to convince Cosford businessman John Hales to send his charge to the Gold Cup.

And Khachaturian, owned by Jon Glews — of Ellerdine near Telford — and Tong’s Brendan Richardson, is one of three McCain horses included.