TimeformBlog

Binocular (h168) took his tally to two from three for the season but he was far less convincing than he had been in the Christmas Hurdle as he defeated three rivals in the two-mile listed contest at Sandown. The race turned into a virtual exercise gallop for the Champion Hurdler, left with only his stablemate Ruthenoise (h122) to beat from two out, and he needed only to record a bare figure some two stones below his best (139++). He's certainly best judged on the form of his Kempton success last month and will no doubt be fully tuned up to be back to that level at Cheltenham, though whether you would be rushing out to back him at 4.9 for such a wide-open renewal of the Champion after this display is another matter. In contrast, his stable-companion Oscar Whisky (h163p) was impressive...

The Christmas Hurdle has been dominated in recent years by the Irish, who have sent over Harchibald (2004 & 2008), Feathard Lady (2005), Jazz Messenger (2006) and Go Native (2009) in the last six years. The Irish monopoly has been broken in that time only by Nick Gifford's Straw Bear in 2007, though even that could be seen as an Irish success, with Straw Bear carrying the colours of legendary owner J. P McManus. McManus also owns Champion Hurdler Binocular, who currently trades at 5.5 to defend his Cheltenham crown. Nicky Henderson's stable star could manage only third behind Go Native when sent off favourite for the Christmas Hurdle last season, having had a similar preparation as he has this time (on both occasions not at his best in the Fighting Fifth), and is 2.92 to win at Kempton...

[b]Menorah was an impressive winner of Saturday's International Hurdle at Cheltenham and now trades as joint favourite for the Champion at the Festival in March.[/b] In a race that was always going to cause a shake up in the market for the Champion Hurdle, last year's Supreme winner [b]Menorah[/b] was eventually sent off as favourite against his year-younger rivals Cue Card and Silviniaco Conti and didn't disappoint his backers. Although Cue Card looked to be going just as well at one point, Menorah responded when asked by Richard Johnson early in the straight and romped away up the hill for a four-and-a-half length victory. Menorah is now disputing favouritism with Nicky Henderson's [b]Binocular[/b] for the two-mile showpiece at Cheltenham in March, with the pair currently trading...

[b]Newbury's Saturday meeting dodged the bad weather, and racing fans were treated to an afternoon of top-quality jumps racing. Timeform look back over the day's action...[/b] All the weekend's best racing was confined to [b]Newbury[/b], where the day's best winning performance came courtesy of [b]Diamond Harry[/b], who produced a top-class effort to win the Hennessy Gold Cup by one and a quarter lengths and fourteen lengths from Burton Port and Denman. Diamond Harry's form still falls short of the standard set by the likes of Kauto Star, Imperial Commander and Denman, but he left the impression at Newbury that he has more in the locker and he certainly has the potential to make up into a serious Gold Cup contender, that view reflected in the fact that he is currently the 17.0 fourth...

[b]Saturday's meeting at Newbury is one of the best NH cards you could wish to see, and though some of the weekend's other meetings have fallen foul of the elements, there is still plenty to get excited about elsewhere as well...[/b] [b]Denman[/b] is currently a 5.4 chance to become the first horse in the history of the race to win the [b]Hennessy Gold Cup[/b] three times, surpassing the record that he currently shares with Mandarin and Arkle. Judged on Timeform ratings, Denman has a good chance, even from a mark of 182 (6 lb higher than last year), and despite the fact that he has forced all but six of his opponents out of the handicap, this looks a vintage renewal. Denman will face particularly stiff competition from two of last year's leading novices in [b]Weird Al[/b] (7.4) and...

[b]The current Cheltenham Gold Cup holder and the former dual Champion Chaser both made impressive seasonal returns at the weekend; Gregg Taylor reflects on the merits of their performances.[/b] [b]Imperial Commander[/b] (182) didn't have to match the form of his Gold Cup-winning performance to land a high-quality renewal of the [b]Betfair Chase[/b] by a length and a quarter from [b]Tidal Bay[/b] (160$). It was the first time in five years that his old adversary Kauto Star had not shown up and the race failed to attract any of last season's top novices, yet Nigel Twiston-Davies's stable star left the impression that he's returned as good as ever. Hopefully the cut he suffered to his leg won't prove severe enough to make him miss his intended clash with Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing...

[b]Keith Melrose gives his thoughts on this weekend's Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, just don't ask him whether he thinks the meeting will beat the weather![/b] There are seemingly countless trials for the Champion Hurdle these days, but the Fighting Fifth is the first British Grade 1 for two-mile hurdlers and as such often the first proper indicator of how the division is shaping up. It's fitting, then, that reigning champion [b]Binocular[/b] should make his reappearance in the race. Nicky Henderson's six-year-old suffered a disjointed campaign last season, which kicked off with defeat at odds on in this race, before finally getting it right in March when storming to success at Cheltenham. That win belatedly proved Binocular a top-class performer, a rare commodity among hurdlers over...