Charli Has Sights On Binocular Route

Ferguson can see Nicky Henderson getting off to a flier in Supreme.

Supreme Novices Hurdle

Nine years ago Binocular won the Adonis Hurdle for JP McManus and Nicky Henderson before taking on his elders in the Supreme and the same connections’ impressive Kempton winner CHARLI PARCS is likely to follow a similar path.

Hugely impressive on his British debut over Christmas, giving 5lbs and an effortless beating to useful Flat handicapper Master Blueyes who won by 18 lengths at Ludlow during February, he had earlier won on his sole start in France. Having missed a couple of engagements in recent weeks, the Adonis looks the obvious prep race (run while this feature goes to press) and, if all goes to plan there, it seems highly likely that he will run in the Supreme, with the owners’ Defi Du Seuil running in the Triumph. Binocular could finish only second behind Captain Cee Bee in the 2008 Supreme and, such was the impression that Charli Parcs made at Kempton, Henderson’s juvenile is taken to go one place better in the Festival curtain-raiser, in receipt of a handy 8lb allowance.

Willie Mullins has any number of possible contenders for this and it is his well-touted Melon that heads the market at the time of writing. Undeniably impressive on his hurdles debut at Leopardstown in January, there isn’t much depth to his form and he needs to take a big leap forward here. That said, he clearly has loads of pace and coped well with good ground, but he lacks a bit of value in terms of what he has actually achieved. That is not to say he can’t win, of course, but at the prices Bunk Off Early is slightly more appealing, given his excellent second in the Deloitte.

A maiden winner over 1m½f on the Flat, he won smoothly on his hurdles debut then ran a solid second to stable-mate Bacardys in the Grade 1 over 2m2f, where he was out-stayed after the last. The grey gave the strong impression that he will relish a strongly run race over the minimum trip on decent ground.