Binocular ready for Kempton Binocular is right on target for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton after coming through a schooling session under Tony McCoy with flying colours. The reigning champion hurdler finished third on his comeback in the rearranged Fighting Fifth at Newbury but ran far better than in the corresponding race a year earlier. McCoy is confident that Binocular is on good terms with himself but is well aware that there are plenty of pretenders to his crown. "He gave me a good feel through the race but it wasn't run at a quick pace," said McCoy of the Fighting Fifth. "Obviously he's a horse that travels well and, when he got on the heels of the leaders going to the last, I thought he might win and I hoped he might win. "On the day we got beaten by a very good horse in Peddlers Cross who was dropping back in trip and is very much a contender for the Champion Hurdle. "I schooled him the other morning and he felt very good. "We'll see, we'll just have to hope he keeps progressing but there's a lot of horses there that are going to be trying to take his crown. "The Christmas Hurdle is the plan. The plan after he won the Champion Hurdle was to run in the same four races again this season and hopefully the result will be the same in the end. "Menorah was impressive but the distance between him and the fifth horse (Cristal Bonus) wasn't that far. But he has already won a Supreme Novices' Hurdle and I'm sure he'll be a major player. "Hurricane Fly won over two and a half miles so he has pace and stamina. He beat Solwhit who has won six Grade Ones and I'm sure they'll be keeping away from Hurricane Fly at all costs," he told Channel 4's The Morning Line.
