Kempton Racing: Binocular beat Rock On Ruby by a neck in a thrilling renewal of the Grade One williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton today. Nicky Henderson's seven-year-old was bidding for a second win in the race this year as he won last season's delayed contest in January and he went off the 5/4 favourite.
Yet backers were made to sweat as Rock On Ruby looked the most likely to prevail until a mistake at the final flight checked his rhythm ever so slightly.
It was enough for champion jockey AP McCoy to get a winning tune out of Binocular who took it up in the closing stages and hung on from a rallying Rock On Ruby.
Overturn took them along but he was beaten in the home straight and was eight lengths behind in third at the line.
Sky Bet cut Binocular and Rock On Ruby to 10/1 from 14s for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
Henderson and Barry Geraghty made the best possible start to the afternoon by taking the opening Download williamhill.com On Your Mobile Novices' Hurdle with Tetlami.
Paul and Susan Roy's gelding went off the 11-8 favourite due to trainer Henderson's excellent course record and a recent win at Sandown and as he pushed on from a prominent position, it became clear Vulcanite would be his biggest danger.
Vulcanite, a first jump runner for Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani's Pearl Bloodstock operation, made an impressive debut but was not as polished as Tetlami over the flights, finishing three and a half lengths behind.
Henderson said: "He's going the right way, although he was doing a little bit too much early on, but he clearly enjoys it.
"The ground was very tacky at Sandown and I thought after that he wanted good ground. Barry said we'd need to make sure the ground was all right for him in future and I'd think the Tolworth is now a possibility as I'm sure he's a two-mile horse."
Grands Crus
further enhanced his reputation with a brilliant victory in the williamhill.com Feltham Novices’ Chase.
David Pipe’s top-class staying hurdler had made an excellent start to his career over fences with victories at Cheltenham and Newbury, and was the 6-5 favourite to complete the hat-trick in this Grade One prize.
As pacesetting pair Mr Moonshine and Teaforthree began to fade, Tom Scudamore took the bull by the horns on Grands Crus heading down the back straight and sent his mount to the front.
Gradually winding up the pace, it was clear he was getting his chief rivals Silviniaco Conti and Bobs Worth in trouble and that pair were hard at work from the turn for home.
Grands Crus continued to jump with great verve in the straight and was ridden out to score by two and a quarter lengths, with Silviniaco Conti beating Bobs Worth to the runner-up spot as both ran like smart horses in defeat.