Peddlers Cross leads McCain trio with big Cheltenham hopes
Published:Donald McCain may not have the leading contenders, but he is not without a chance of ending the Cheltenham Festival with three lucrative winners, especially Peddlers Cross at 7/2 to triumph in the Arkle Chase.
The novice chaser would have arguably been sent off favourite if not disappointing on his latest start, finishing 16 lengths adrift of Sprinter Sacre at Kempton, who has since been installed at the head of the Arkle betting at 9/4.
McCain has not been panicked by the result and remains convinced that his horse was not right on the day.
Training has since gone well at home and the horse will now head straight to Cheltenham, where the Arkle remains his likely destination, although there remains a slim chance that he will instead contest the Champion Hurdle for the second straight year or even the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Hopes were high earlier in the season that Weird Al could have a big chance of challenging the main protagonists in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, especially after winning on his first start for McCain in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in October.
He has since finished third in the Betfair Chase and even got within two lengths of Long Run.
This could make Weird Al a solid each-way proposition in the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds at 20/1, particularly as McCain believes the horse likes the course.
Meanwhile, McCain is also convinced that Overturn is good enough to finish in the first four in the Champion Hurdle and so 25/1 looks smashing each-way value.
With Hurricane Fly in the field, it will be hard for Overturn to triumph, but he has run Grandouet close this season when conceding weight and defeated Binocular in the Fighting Fifth Chase at Newcastle.
