Binocular fails to impress in Sandown prep

TWELVE months on from throwing his Champion Hurdle bid into doubt with an unimpressive success in the totesport 0800 221 221 Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, Binocular was back at the Esher track on Saturday.

And while the reigning two-mile king won slightly easier than in 2010, it was more a case of ’job done’ for connections rather than something to wax lyrical about.

Indeed, for a fleeting moment anyone who had taken odds of 1-10 would have been heading for a stretcher as Tony McCoy just seemed to be niggling along with stablemate Ruthenoise still bounding merrily clear at the head of affairs.