Small Field Set to Tackle Christmas Hurdle

There is something about running a race called the Christmas Hurdle in mid-January that just makes punters assume that things may not go according to plan. Betting favourite Binocular is continuing to take volume and his price has dipped from 2/1 to the 7/4 neighborhood with various bookmakers.

Nicky Henderson’s talented hurdler was bested by Peddler’s Cross when sent off at odds-on in the Fighting Fifth though it should be noted that he turned in a career-high OR with that shift, notching a 172 over his previous high of a 169 (which all came in losing efforts as well). Every time Binocular has won he hasn’t had to find his best so punters will perhaps be wary of the JP McManus-owned bay. 

Starluck finished second to Peddler’s Cross in the Fighting Fifth but was well-beaten by Binocular in the Champion Hurdle. Alan Fleming’s charge has demonstrated acumen over the Kempton surface in the past, taking a novice hurdle and a handicap hurdle while running second to the impressive Go Native in this race last year. The second place finish came on good to soft going and he isn’t known to enjoy the softer stuff. Connections will obviously be keeping their eyes on the forecast.

Khyber Kim is the other main focus here and the Twiston-Davies charge doesn’t boast any experience over Kempton, which makes him a bit more of a wildcard than most punters would want. He finished second to Binocular in the Champion Hurdle and ended last season with a score in the Aintree hurdle over a field that included Zaynar and Celestial Halo. He tends to flourish at distances a bit longer than 2m, so there may be others with too much gas left in the tank.