Grands Crus a real threat to the champion

Big Buck's may be hot favourite to win a third World Hurdle but Grands Crus can prove he is the main danger to the champion when he takes on some top staying hurdlers at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The six-year-old is second favourite in the betting for the Festival showpiece to the odds-on Big Buck's, who is unbeaten in his last 10 races and is aiming to land the event on 17 March for a third successive year.

But Tom Scudamore, back among the winners after a spell on the sidelines with a lacerated kidney, is confident Grands Crus will show he is a worthy contender for the crown when he steps up in class in the three-mile Cleeve Hurdle.

Though usually judicious in his assessment of his mounts, Scudamore is finding it hard to temper his enthusiasm as trainer David Pipe's grey prepares for his biggest test to date. "We'll see how good he is when we mix it with the big boys this weekend but I don't see why he shouldn't be the main threat to Big Buck's," said Scudamore.

"We know the task that's in hand. The main man has been out and done his bit and now it is up to us to do the same."

Though Grands Crus has done all of his racing with ease in the ground, Scudamore is not fazed by either the two-month break since his last run, or by the prospect of faster conditions.