Binocular out to stake Champion claim

BINOCULAR is likely to start at prohibitive odds as he bids to show he is Champion Hurdle material on his first run of the season at Haydock today.

JP McManus’s four-year-old, trained by Nicky Henderson, is rated far superior to his four rivals in the Betfair Hurdle and is already ante-post favourite for the Smurfit Kappa-sponsored showpiece at Cheltenham next March following a very fruitful first campaign over hurdles.

After winning his first two starts, he was second in the Supreme Novices’ at Cheltenham before flooring Triumph hero Celestial Halo at Aintree.

“He’s fairly forward but he will improve for it, he’s quite a burly horse,” said Henderson.

“These horses that take their work quite easy are probably a little bit harder to get straight than horses who struggle a bit and therefore have to work harder.

“He’s pretty straightforward this fellow, he got a very good temperament and a very good attitude.

“AP (McCoy) schooled him a couple of weeks ago and he was happy, it looks a nice place for him to start because after this it looks very difficult,” the Seven Barrows trainer told At The Races.

Peter Monteith, trainer of Los Nadis, accepts that the rest of the field are probably battling for place money.

“Los Nadis is a nice horse and I’ve wanted to give him a run. We have our limitations in this class, but he’ll run well and maybe get a place,” said the Midlothian trainer.