Peddlers Cross set for Cheltenham Festival

Unbeaten hurdler Peddlers Cross will tomorrow aim to give Shropshire a champion start to the Cheltenham Festival.

The six-year-old - owned by county businessman Tim Leslie - is amongst the leading contenders for the Champion Hurdle, the showpiece event of the first day of the biggest week on the National Hunt calendar.

Peddlers Cross, trained by Donald McCain at Cholmondeley, has yet to taste defeat in seven outings.

And he will be looking to hand Leslie his biggest victory as an owner and complete a Cheltenham Festival double after winning the Neptune Investment Nov-ices' Hurdle 12 months ago.

Amongst Peddlers Cross' perfect record is success in a novices' hurdle at Bangor in December 2009, and clerk of the course Ed Gretton said: "I think Donald said straight away that he was a special horse."

Leslie's hopes of winning were boosted as reigning champion and favourite Binocular was withdrawn.

The bombshell came in the wake of British Hors-eracing Authority advice after a medication being used to treat an allergy failed to clear his system, raising fears of a positive drugs test if he ran.

Leslie and McCain will also be represented by Overturn in the Champion Hurdle but it is Peddlers Cross who catches the eye of Shropshire Star racing tipster Bob Downing.

"He was my firm favourite 12 months ago - and nothing he has done since will see me desert Peddlers Cross on the eve of his greatest achievement," said Downing.

By JAMES GARRISON