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Peace And Co skips Champion Hurdle Trial

Peace And Co Peace And Co
© Healy Racing Photos

Nicky Henderson will look towards Sandown as a possible option for Peace And Co after ruling him out of Saturday's StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock.

The five-year-old, winner of last year's Triumph Hurdle, had been due to have just his second start of the season in the Grade Two event after finishing last in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on his reappearance in December.

However, Henderson was not totally happy with the horse on Friday morning and opted to bypass the Merseyside contest.

He told PA Sport: "Peace And Co is not going to run tomorrow. He was perfectly OK yesterday but I'm just not happy with him this morning, it's as simple as that.

"We've had a look at him, he's not lame or anything like that, I'm just not completely happy with him and we don't want to take a chance so we will now regroup.

"We could look towards the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown (on February 6), that may be the most likely option, or there is Wincanton too. There are options there.

"It's nothing that's going to take any time, we will just give it a weekend and then start again on Monday.

"He's just not 100 per cent - he was fine yesterday, but that's just the way horses are and we don't want to take a chance."