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Back when Binocular first ran at Ascot I asked then "Have we just seen next years champion hurdle winner?"
I was of course referring to Binocular but that day I backed another horse in the race who for me alo has top class written all over him.
When I made the post a few said No Way he has beaten nothing but lurking behind him was the horse I backed Miss E C Lavelle’s Crackaway Jack.
Tenderly ridden that day by Ruby Walsh he himself went on to win the Fred Winter at Cheltenham.
As good as I think Binocular is CAJ has top class written all over him and the 40/1 that was on offer a while back won’t be seen again.
Not being knocked about in his early race and given an easy win next time out he was brought along steadily and ended his season with an excellent win at the festival.
We have not seen the best of this horse who will no doubt improve bundles next season.
I rate him very highly and sure to be in the firing line come champion Hurdle day.
It is very difficult to be confident about Binocular with Sizing Europe lurking in the shadows. I was delighted when Katchit won the champion hurdle and silences his critics who couldn’t see the wood for the trees but I won’t fool myslef by thinking he would have won had SE not gone wrong at a crucial part of the race.
If Sizing Europe V Binocular were to happen today my heart would tell me Binocular but my brain would tell me Sizing Europe. The difference being SE has done it in top class Binocular has yet to prove he can.
I wish I owned Osana the first thing I would do is change stables and change the way he runs.
The Pipes have this infuriating habit of trying to make all in the Champion hurdle with everything that can raise a gallop. Looking back at the CH pushing a horse out there fully exposed to the high winds are bound to have cost him many lengths in the race. Held up and covered up he would have won in my opinion. Looking back at his early career he can be held up and win.
The Pipes fail to realise that making all against opponents who are not fully would up early in the season and doing it against horses who are 100% spot on are worlds apart. Sitting a horse up there to be shot at in a race like the Champion Hurdle proves to be suicidal 95% of the time yet they do it……..The Pipes are Pigheaded and a big hit for themselves and with Osana it cost them the CH IMO.
If Katchit is given a similar season to last he will of course take the world of beating. His style of running is ideal for Cheltenham. He has the ability to quicken at exactly the right time (3 out) and immediately take the opposition of their feet. The question will always be can the likes of Binocular, Sizing Europe, Crackway Jack etc go with him on the run to the last and actually pass him when he quicken again at the last.
It will take one tough cookie to beat him in the Champion next year. Let’s not forget Binocular failed to peg back ******* in the Supreme and that must be a worry for his fans. However rumour has it he was a bit short at Cheltenham due to the fact Nicky thought he wasn’t going to run.
Dspite the fact I have backed Binocular and Crackaway Jack at huge odds if I was asked to name the winner now I wouldn’t have a clue. I hope Binocular wins and Crackaway Jack is placed but I am far from confident.
One things for sure if the winner comes from anything else other than those mentioned it will need to be made of Persian War Bula and Istabraq and come out of a melting pot
I think we’ll have a slightly better idea come mid-december
The fighting fifth and Boylesports look to be attracting all of the key protagonists so we’ll have seen how the 4 year olds are progressing and how Katchit, Punjabi, Osana have summered. Of course this won’t include Sizing Europe who I understand will be staying in Ireland to get talked about until he finds another reason not to go past us in March…
Katchit is looking stronger, and I think the yard are more confident this year so he’ll have a busier campaign and probably go back to running the way he likes to (like wincanton and cheltenham last year)
There are certainly a strong bunch of horses coming out of last season’s juvenile ranks and I just hope the 5 year old stat is there for a reason!
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