Henderson happy with Binocular

Nicky Henderson reports Binocular to be in fine shape following his victory at Sandown on Saturday.

The JP McManus-owned gelding was not overly impressive in winning the Contenders Hurdle, but he had struggled home in the same race 12 months ago before going on to glory in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Seven Barrows trainer will give Binocular an easy time over the next week before aiming to have him at his peak for his bid to retain his crown in the Stan James-sponsored showpiece on March 15.

“He’s absolutely fine, he was sound yesterday. He’ll have a quiet week or even a fortnight probably,” Henderson told At The Races.

“We’ll just potter about with him and he’ll come back for the principal target.”

Bookmakers still have Binocular as favourite at around 3-1 for the Champion.