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Binocular impresses in Kingwell
Binocular warmed up for a bid to reclaim his Champion Hurdle crown when proving to be a super-sub at Wincanton.
The 2010 Cheltenham title-holder was only handed a place in the Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle after his Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate Grandouet was forced to miss the race, but he showed he could yet be a big rival to Hurricane Fly when easily disposing of Celestial Halo.
Try as he might, the front-runner had no answer to the finishing kick of Binocular after Tony McCoy asked his mount to win the race at the second-last. J P McManus's eight-year-old bounded clear to score by eight lengths from Celestial Halo, with Starluck third.
Speaking from Ascot, Henderson said: "You'd have to be pleased with that. I was certainly very pleased with what I saw.
"It was never the plan to give him another run, but when Grandouet couldn't run I said to JP (McManus) it made more sense to have a run than go for a racecourse gallop. He's a class horse, he jumps really well and that was very good to see."
McCoy told Racing UK: "He's been cantering away and jumping well. He was going to work at Newbury last night but when Grandouet got injured we decided to run him here.
"I wanted him to have a race here. I knew turning him I'd be able to make a decision and give him a squeeze and make him have a blow. From that point of view I felt confident. He could have won on the bridle but I actually wanted him to have a blow as well and he quickened away nicely from the last.
"His jumping is always pretty good. I was very happy with him and he showed he was in good form. Hurricane Fly is going to be very hard to beat at Cheltenham, but I was able to do what I wanted to do on him."
