Binocular to get green light

Champion Hurdle hope pleases in Wednesday schooling session

Last updated: 11th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

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Nicky Henderson says Binocular is right back on course for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle next week after schooling on Wednesday.

The six-year-old was sent over 13 flights of hurdles by Tony McCoy and pleased connections ahead of a final gallop on Friday.

The trainer ruled Binocular out of the race after discovering a muscle problem last month, but the injury has been rectified and Henderson is bullish about the chances of last year's third going two better next Tuesday.

"He had a hiccup, but he's back now. He's in really good form, AP (McCoy) came down and schooled him yesterday and we think we are three-quarters of the way to getting him back to where we need him to be," he said.

"There's just one more bit of work to do tomorrow when again AP's going to come and ride him. And if he's happy there I think we'll give him the green light.

"He hasn't impressed everybody all season. He won his last start very easily, but even so it wasn't quite the same Binocular we know we can have."

Henderson takes hope from the fact Binocular was only beaten a length and a half by current favourite Go Native in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton despite being under par.

"We weren't happy with him on the day, it wasn't him, yet he was still only beaten a length and a half by Go Native, so we only have to find two lengths and we are back where we are," he added.

The trainer also saddles last year's winner Punjabi and Zaynar, the winner of the JCB Triumph Hurdle 12 months ago, and believes the latter is not without a chance.

"I'm very happy with Zaynar. There was that debacle when we went to Kelso (beaten at 1-14) but we had to get runs into these horses," he said.

"We were having to use races we wouldn't normally go for, but the ground was horrible and he got beaten for the first time. That was disappointing but excusable.

"He's back here in good form and he schooled the other day. He's in very good order, at the end of the day you'll find him going further than two miles but at the moment he's a very smart horse."