BINOCULAR starts on the road to what connections hope will end in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle when he makes his seasonal return at Haydock today.
The JP McManus-owned four-year-old, who trained by Nicky Henderson, and will start as a warm favourite against four rivals in the Betfair Hurdle.
Binocular is a best-priced 11-2 ante-post favourite for the Cheltenham Festival showpiece next March.
He won his first two starts, was second in the Supreme Novices’ at Cheltenham before beating Triumph Hurdle hero Celestial Halo at Aintree.
He is back on Merseyside today and Henderson said: “He’s fairly forward but he will improve for it, he’s quite a burly horse.
“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.”
