Binocular / Grandouet !!!!

GRANDOUET MISS KINGWELL TEST

Nicky Henderson has elected to run Binocular, rather than Grandouet, in Saturday's Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton.

Henderson told Press Association Sport the 2010 Champion Hurdle winner will deputise for Grandouet, who has suffered a slight setback.

Binocular was expected to head straight to the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, taking in a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Friday along the way.

Henderson said: "We've had a slight change of plan with the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton tomorrow.

"Grandouet has unfortunately gone and banged a hind leg in his box overnight and can't run, but he's perfectly all right and he's just had to have some medication to clear it up.

"Hopefully he'll be perfectly all right in three or four days time, the timing of it is just unfortunate.

"Consequently, Binocular, who was going to work after racing at Newbury today, is now going to run in the Kingwell.

"He was literally going to work soon after the last race, but it seems we might as well go and have a gallop round Wincanton and try to pick up some prize-money.

"Nobody wants hard races at this time of proceedings. The two horses are now going to reverse roles and Grandouet will probably go for a racecourse gallop somewhere."

Henderson

Unbelieveable. What chance have we of predicting where Simonsig goes.  Toss a coin Nicky.

You gotta love old Bino, really.  Could write a book on him, couldn't you?!

If only he knew....

it's not unbelievable at all

they were never going to run both in the Kingwell and now that Grandouet can't run then why not run Bino? He was originally meant to run that race that was frozen off so was going to miss his prep run but now gets the chance

don't see anything in it myself

The intriguing comment is that Grandouet has had ''some medication''.

Anyway, im delighted Bino gets to run, as he has previously been described as stuffy and a bull of a horse. It will also boost TTF points if he wins.

JR, NH said was going straight to Chelt with Bino!!!

I thought that was a rather unfortunate choice of words too, sint!

I know that Shock and I said so in my post

but the original intention was to run in the Contenders hurdle at Sandown but that was frozen off - same card as the Scilly Isles - and they only announced he was going to go straight to Cheltenham AFTER that race was cancelled

you are making mountains out of molehills and I can say after 20 years of ownership that plans can and do change because neither the Kingwell nor going straight to Festival were the original plan for Bino - Sandown was - but the injury to Grandouet gave them another option and I don't blame them for taking it

Taken in isolation, judo, no-one would disagree with you....but I think you're missing the point.  This is just another little chapter in the Henderson 2m Hurdling backstory that's been going on now for the best part of 25 years since the days of 'See You When?'.

not missing the point at all

people are taking the opportunity, given what has happened before, to do the old "nudge,nudge, wink, wink, Chemical Nicky hey? He's a one isn't he?" type speculation when in fact this is a perfectly normal set of events

if Sandown had not been frozen off Bino would not be considered for the race even though Grandouet misses the race but it was frozen off, which has nothing to do with Nicky, and Grandouet does miss his prep race

as I say its mountains out of molehills and just opportunism - "ooh look another Nicky changes his plans story, let's all take the p1$$"

There's nothing to it

Yeh,makes sense to me,and pleased with this as a Binocular backer in the CH.

quite lucky for henderson that grandouet has knocked himself as i'm sure he'd much rather have got a run into bino if he could only run one of them...