Reigning king heads Champion 31

Binocular heads 31 entries for the 2011 renewal of the £370,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle, the highlight of Centenary Day at The Festival on Tuesday, March 15th.

The seven-year-old is the 5/2 favourite with Stan James to retain his crown having powered to a stunning three and a half length success over Khyber Kim (25/1 with Stan James) last year and is one of five entries for trainer Nicky Henderson.

The J P McManus-owned Binocular confirmed his well-being with an authoritative victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on January 15th and is set to make his next appearance at the same venue on February 5th.

Henderson’s entries also include the last two winners of the JCB Triumph Hurdle, Soldatino (33/1) and Zaynar (50/1), exciting French import Solix (50/1) as well as Oscar Whisky (14/1), who finished fourth in last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and made a winning return to action in the Cheltenham & Three Counties Club Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

If any of the quintet were to prevail and hand Henderson a sixth Stan James

Champion Hurdle success, it would make the master of Seven Barrows the most successful handler in the championship race’s history.

Strong opposition to Binocular comes from last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor Menorah (5/1), who is unbeaten in three outings at Cheltenham having returned to the course this year to record victories in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle under top weight at The Open and in the StanJames.com International in December, when he proved four and a half lengths too strong for last

year’s Weatherbys Champion Bumper victor Cue Card (25/1).

Donald McCain has two entries headed by the unbeaten Peddlers Cross (5/1), last year’s Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle victor who had Binocular back in third when taking the rearranged stanjames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newbury on November 27th, a race in which Starluck (50/1) took the runner-up spot.

Peddlers Cross is set to put his credentials on the line on Saturday at Haydock Park in the stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial while McCain could also be represented at Cheltenham by Overturn (25/1), who finished second to Binocular at Kempton on January 15th.

A strong Irish entry of seven is headed by the Willie Mullins-trained Hurricane Fly (5/1), a six-time Grade One winner who has recorded facile victories over Solwhit (33/1) on his last two outings, the most recent coming in the Grade One Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 29th.

The Irish entry also includes Dunguib (16/1), winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in 2009 but not seen out so far this season.

Joining Hurricane Fly from the Mullins yard are Blackstairmountain and Thousand Stars, while 2007 champion hurdler Sublimity is also in the reckoning.

Trainer Alan King tasted Stan James Champion Hurdle glory with Katchit in 2008 and has three chances this time around with Mille Chief (20/1), Walkon (40/1) and Salden Licht (100/1).

Mille Chief was a decent juvenile last season and recently recorded a decisive victory in a Sandown handicap hurdle on January 8th while Walkon, the 2009 JCB Triumph Hurdle runner-up, has not been seen out since landing a Grade One event at Aintree in April, 2009.

Salden Licht, a Listed winner on the Flat in France in his younger days, was the ready winner of a handicap hurdle at Exeter on January 1st on his latest appearance.