Binocular heads six in Christmas Hurdle Reigning champion hurdler Binocular faces a field of five as he attempts to win the williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday. When it was last held, on Boxing Day 2009, Nicky Henderson's star could only finish third behind Go Native - with one of his rivals this weekend Starluck ahead of him. Binocular also needs to put behind him defeat to Peddlers Cross in the rescheduled Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newbury. Along with Alan Fleming's Starluck, he will face last year's Champion Hurdle runner-up Khyber Kim, who is having his first start of the campaign. Donald McCain, trainer of Peddlers Cross, will look to further muddy the waters with his Galway and Northumberland Plate winner Overturn, while Paul Nicholls representative Escort'men and Andy Crook's Bocamix complete the sextet.
