I’m always loath to get into a debate about times because no race is ever run twice the same way.
Just for the record, Timeform, albeit with the advantage of hindsight, gave the going for Binocular’s Champion Hurdle and for H Fly’s as Good.
I couldn’t agree with you more re times, that’s why I compared all the hurdle races run at the entire meetings and not just race V race.
Just about everything says Binocular was an exceptional winner but the memory of such visually impressive wins fade quickly, no matter the reason, if subsequent events don’t back it up.
This triggers hypnotic anchors which can prolong the effects indefinitely and to some Binocular will always be nothing more than the best of a bad lot.
There’s a medical term for it it’s called being nuts
My memories are of AP going so well he took a huge pull before leaving the entire Champion Hurdle field for dead. Anything going that well in any Champion Hurdle ever run would have taken all the beating. Class horse on his day.