Peddlers Cross 2012 Champion Hurdle

You could have a point here, interesting to see what happens!

Nick Luck put the question to McCain today - he was n't keen - said Peddlers was bought to be a chaser and that Maguire had said he now needs further than 2 miles.

However, he also said that he'd need to discuss it with the owner - of course might be a different story if Hurricane Fly was ruled out but I expect Mullimns will play his cards close to his chest right up to CH on that one.

Before placing any bets on PC for the CH I would wait and see if HF runs this week imo ..

I've stated on Previous posts that imo PC is the best 2m uk hurdler I've seen for at least 10 years. He's loaded with pace as was seen in last years slowly run Fighting fifth and relatively slowly run CH. When a
horse is that good at 2m hurdling there often not effective chasing. He didn't jump well today and doesn't
appear to get high enough at his fences leaving his back legs trailing to brush threw the fences. His jumping
technique was totally exposed today. If they go over further then he won't be approaching his fences as fast
so may get higher. He's got everything you need in a 2m hurdler and if they persist in running over fences
they could end up ruining him ,which would be very sad for such a good horse.

Peddlers has yet to achieve half of what a Rooster Booster or Binocular have done.

How could he be the best uk hurdler for a decade?

Valiramix was the best Uk hurdler of the last 10 years

what a loss!

would have won a Champion hurdle 10 lengths and gone on to be a 180++ chaser

Im sure Donald wil do the best for the horse. BigBucks was bought as a chaser but reverted back and the rest is history. Can he reverse tdays form in Cheltenham or step him up to try and beat Grand. Hurricane looks NR thurs by all accounts in Leopardstown tday, dont know what excuse WMuliins has this time but surely 80% fit he would win, or is there something more seriously wrong with the CHAMP....

i'd be very surprised if PC went the CH route. When a horse has been extensively schooled over fences and jumped them a few times racing, their pace over hurdles is nearly always diminished.

he is still a very smart horse

and only raced over fences three times, loads of time yet

DEBOOKIEBOY.
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Im sure Donald wil do the best for the horse. BigBucks was bought as a chaser but reverted back and the rest is history. Can he reverse tdays form in Cheltenham or step him up to try and beat Grand. Hurricane looks NR thurs by all accounts in Leopardstown tday, dont know what excuse WMuliins has this time but surely 80% fit he would win, or is there something more seriously wrong with the CHAMP....

what was said Delboy ..

Just rumour at the track today thats all from 2punters that go racing week in week out, it is very strange the way WMullins deals with the media in relation to HurricaneFly though. Would you agree sintonian?

He is generally OK I think when he has made plans, is very open about their respective chances. But that is once plans have been made, i.e 100% confirmed. Before that he is quite cagey and I didn't particularly like the way he said re HF '' I have nothing more to say''. You wouldn't get Nicholls or Hendo doing that imo.

sorry, you said in relation to HF. Yes, I agree.

Today, at a speed track, in effectively a two runner race, Peddlers was beaten. I'd say it has little bearing on what will happen at Cheltenham in the Arkle, in March, in a fast run race.

Decent run from the winner though.

I think WM is reluctant to be too positive about H Fly because as he said himself on ATR not so long ago that its a day to day thing with the Fly as to whether he pulls out sound every morning. I do not know the horses problems entirely but he is obviously a very fragile sort so if WM was to say today "it's all systems go" only for the horse to be lame thursday morning, imagine the kind of uproar there would be then if the horse was a non runner. He obviously would like to leave it as late as possible with his decision so antepost punters cannot lambast him if indeed the said horse cannot run.

Dont think he cares about Antepost punters really only the ones connected with the stable...OOPS Sorry "Not a punting stable" LOL

If Peddlers cant win a 2m chase, how can one fancy him for a Champion Hurdle? However, I don't think we saw the real Peddlers Cross today and I hope they dont give up on a crack at the Arkle.

Sure has'nt he won two 2mile chases!! Strange comment. Might be better over hurdles though.

He won two below par 2m chases. Today was his first proper test. He was bought as a chaser so going back over hurdles wont be an opt

ion....

I would send for the Pillar Properties meeting at Cheltenham around the 20th January, bound to be a race there he can run in or if not the Totesport Trophy meeting at Newbury. Both left handed, should suit the horse better

If PC were mine he'd be running in the Totesport trophy carrying top weight (built to carry weight and the ideal track for him) then straight on for the Champion hurdle.

I agree Tinkler. DABOOKIEBOY do you pay for that info or are you allowed say??

No payment required just go racing and you pick up useful snippets of info from boys that are at the game all their lives, although the same lads were put through it manys a time so take everything you hear with a pinch of salt.....

McCain is clutching at straws if he thinks that Peddlers is much better than what we saw at Kempton, but he may well be better suited to another course. They ran the Kempton race 40 lengths faster than Fianians and Wishful on the clock. In March Sprinter Sacre led the Triumph field on the bridle until the last hurdle, and he has obviously strengthened up over the summer. His fencing was far superior to that of Peddlers, so with his natural pace and a track well suited to that and the result was that Peddlers was stretched from the off. All of which leads me to think that Peddlers stamina and the stiffer nature of Cheltenham will give him every chance on the battle to the line up the hill.

I agree with most of what you say Sisyphus but don't agree with your conclusion. I don't think SS has more flat
speed that PC ,who would slam SS over hurdles. It's all on the jumping and PC doesn't jump anywhere near
as quick as SS ,on decent ground at Chelt SS would jump PC into the ground again. Personally think all the
damage will have done been before they meet the hill. In a bigger field there is also the Possiblity of PC's
jumping falling apart.

to win an arkle you have to  stay a bit further than the 2miles so woudnt be ruling PC out just yet  Captain Chris last years winner not the best jumper ive ever seen but still won it so foolish to write PC off just yet

Pipebet:

Arkle 1/2
Jewson 4/1
Champion H 7/1
RSA 20/1

what price the ryannair

You can have 33s Rob ;)

Tinkler, how do you know PC would ''slam'' SS over hurdles ?

he doesnt,hes stating on last years form

Judging Peddlers on his Kempton run would be a foolish thing to do imo. Sprinter Sacre is clearly very smart but PC never looked himself. He belted the first, never travelled & didnt handle the tight right handed track & was beat in no time. PC may well go on to need further but im covinced that hes much much better than that given the right conditions.

Last seasons form Bud.
Sint, Basically because peddlers cross has the jumping technique of a hurdler and a lot of flat speed. SS jumps
a lot higher , and is quick at it to. Over hurdles SS is still useful but his jumping technique is best for
Fences. To me with these 2 horses PC is a lot better over Hurdles and SS a lot better over fences. Maybe some
middle ground would be hit if they both competed over brush hurdles.

you know what i meant!!

And you still dont know.

You make fair points though,but unless they meet over Hurdles which they are extremely unlikely to,you will never know.

Bens right imo,PC needs to be judged on his next run at least.

There's no doubt in my mind that Sprinter Sacre could have been trained towards a Champion Hurdle. Whether he would have beat PC over hurdles we will never know but you can't really say PC would have slammed him. Hendo has another SS from the Supreme to stay hurdling tho.

As for PC I believe he will end up in the Arkle if he bounces back nto. He has a bit of ground to make up but it's not impossible. Whatever he goes for I still believe one day he will be a better horse over further.

This is utter ballocks;
Donald McCain expects Peddlers Cross to bounce back from his disappointing display at Kempton after a couple of issues came to light following that run.

Last season's Champion Hurdle runner-up made a seamless transition to chasing game, winning twice at Bangor to take him to the top of the ante-post lists for the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

But his comprehensive defeat at the hands of new Arkle favourite Sprinter Sacre in last month's Wayward Lad Novices' Chase perplexed his trainer, who admits he is pleased to have found something to explain the below-par performance.

"It was obvious to me that he wasn't himself and we have found a couple of things that weren't right," said McCain.

"There are a couple of issues. What we have found is more than enough to fully justify his run.

"We're sorting the problem out and hopefully we should be OK and we can get him back on track.

"I think now we've found those problems there is no reason for us to change our original plan and all going well, we're aiming towards the Arkle.

"I've never been so pleased to find a problem with a horse in my whole life."

While McCain is now looking forward to Cheltenham again with his star performer, he has cast some doubt over whether the seven-year-old will run again in the meantime.

"The issues we've found are going to need a bit of management so we'll try to sort that before we make plans for his next run," the trainer added.

"It would be nice to get another run in before Cheltenham, of course it would, but if we don't I wouldn't be unduly concerned."

Telling us something and nothing?????????

For the record, Sprint Sacre covered the 2 miles of the Supreme faster than Peddlers Cross did in the Champion hurdle, but an hour later...

If he pulled a muscle or needed treatment to his back - very common in chasers - why doesn't he just say so? More a case of dented pride to me.

Dented pride is only one of the two things he found, the other can only be; Sprint Sacre...

For the record...The Arkle is half a furlong shorter than the Supreme and Champion hurdles, Sprint Sacre jumping is imaculate.. will be on the bridle coming to the last...Alferof connections already thinking of avoiding and going QM route...Respect

he's found problems but won;t say what they are.

Peddlers has done me proud,betting wise,and i hope i'm wrong BUT...i didn't back him at aintree last year cause he'd had too many hard races and been hammered with the whip by his jockey on too many occasions

Mcain admitted after the aintree hurdle he'd made a mistake running him after a punishing champion hurdle/.

imo it goes deeper than that,i said then they may have soured the horse and this could be a reason he'll not win at the highest level again.

Just look at the whipping he was given in the fighting fifth at newbury and in the novice victory at aintree.
As for fences,i think 2 miles isn't far enough for him to run comfotably[it was only his guts that kept him competitive over that trip over hurdles.

spr sacre is something special anyway so thats where my arkle money will be directed.

Jason Maguire not a heavy handed whipper

Why cann't Mccain tell the public what the problem is  and let them make their own opinions.
A lot of people seem to refuse to accept that SS maybe a really special horse and seem to want to find holes
in him. Fair enough if he's odds on but he's not he's 5/2.
A couple of the Racing Post's supposed betting experts put SS up as the worst AP bet at cheltenham yet came
up with very little reasons as to why.