Binocular (horse)

Last updated
Binocular
Binocular.JPG
Binocular and jockey Tony McCoy parading before the 2009 WBX Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Sire Enrique
Grandsire Barathea
Dam Bleu Ciel Et Blanc
Damsire Pistolet Bleu
Sex Gelding
Foaled2004
CountryFrance
Colour Bay
Breeder Élie Lellouche
Owner J. P. McManus
Trainer Nicky Henderson
Record9-3-2 (18 starts)
Earnings£583,478
Major wins
Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle (2008)
Champion Hurdle (2010)
Christmas Hurdle (2010 – run in 2011, 2011)
Last updated on 29 December 2011

Binocular, foaled on 17 March 2004 in France, is a French thoroughbred retired racehorse. He was sired by Enrique out of the mare Bleu Ciel Et Blanc. [1] He is owned by J. P. McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson. His primary jockey is Tony McCoy. [2]

Binocular started racing as a two-year-old when he was entered into the Prix de Belleville – for unraced colt (horse) and geldings – in October 2006. In that race, he bested 10 other horses en route to his first victory. [2] His first notable win came in February 2008 at Kempton Park Racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England where he won the Adonis Juvenile Novices' Hurdle, a Grade 2 National Hunt race. Although he won the race, McManus was disappointed. He said of Binocular; "It seemed that the horse didn't jump as well as he can, but Kempton is a quick track, and maybe he was not suited to it." [3]

Binocular's first major win in a Grade 1 race came in April 2008. With jockey McCoy at the helm, he went on to win the 2008 Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England where he beat Celestial Halo by 7 lengths. [4] Binocular's other major Grade 1 National Hunt win came in the Champion Hurdle in March 2010 at Cheltenham Racecourse when he beat Khyber Kim by 3.5 lengths. [5] Binocular had originally been ruled out of the Champion Hurdle due to a muscle problem, [6] and he drifted out to as high as 999–1 to win the race. [7] However, McManus and McCoy later decided he was fit to run. [8] By winning the Champion Hurdle, he denied 4-1 race favourite [9] Go Native the chance to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown of Hurdling. [7]

Binocular's career record reads 9 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds, with 2 of his wins coming in Grade 1 races. [2]

On 10 December 2013 it was announced that Binocular was retired due to a heart problem. [10]

Related Research Articles

Tony McCoy

Sir Anthony Peter McCoy, commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and the UK, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a record 20 consecutive times, every year he was a professional. He stands 1.78 m (5'10"), far taller than most jockeys.

The Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Grand National meeting in early April.

Paul Carberry

Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey.

The Triple Crown of Hurdling is awarded to a horse that wins all three of the open, two-mile Grade 1 Hurdling races in any given English National Hunt season:

  1. The Fighting Fifth Hurdle, held at the Newcastle Racecourse
  2. The Christmas Hurdle, held at Kempton Park Racecourse
  3. The Champion Hurdle, held at Cheltenham Racecourse
Punjabi (horse) British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Punjabi is a British Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire, Komatie and dam, Competa. Punjabi started racing as a three-year-old in 2005. He won his first race, a Class 6, in May 2006 at Newcastle Racecourse in Newcastle, England.

Straw Bear American-bred racehorse

Straw Bear is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He was trained in England throughout his career and was notable for his performances in hurdle races. He won two Grade I events, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle.

Go Native Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Go Native was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire Double Eclipse and dam Native Idea. He was owned by Docado Syndicate, trained by Noel Meade, and his primary jockey has been Paul Carberry. He was purchased by the Docado Syndicate for £25,000 from horse dealer Martin Cullinane. As of March 21, 2009, Go Native’s career record stands at 8 wins, 4 places and 0 shows, with 3 of his wins coming in Grade 1 Hurdle races. He has amassed £310,254 in lifetime earnings.

Noel Meade is a horse trainer from Castletown, Co. Meath, Ireland. He established Tu Va Stables in Co. Meath, Ireland as a place to train his horses.

Aces Four, foaled on March 30, 1999, in Ireland, is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse.

Al Eile Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Al Eile is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for being the only horse to win the Grade I Aintree Hurdle three times.

Solwhit French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Solwhit was a French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist hurdler, he competed in National Hunt races. He died on 7 November 2014 following a fall whilst schooling in Tipperary.

Weapons Amnesty Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Weapon's Amnesty is an Irish thoroughbred racehorse. He retired in January 2013.

Rock On Ruby Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Rock On Ruby, is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist hurdler he is best known for his performances in the 2011–2012 National Hunt season, when he won the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury in November before winning Britain's most prestigious hurdle race, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on 13 March. After failing to make a mark as a steeplechaser he returned to hurdling and won the Relkeel Hurdle in 2014 and the Ascot Hurdle in 2015.

Albertas Run was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. He won two National Hunt Flat races and became a successful hurdler, winning the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final and the John Smith's Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle in 2007. He became more successful as a Steeplechaser, winning four Grade I races: the Royal and SunAlliance Chase, the Melling Chase and two runnings of the Ryanair Chase. His other wins included the Reynoldstown Novices' Chase, the Amlin 1965 Chase and the Old Roan Chase.

My Tent Or Yours Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

My Tent Or Yours is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing and has finished second in three editions of the Champion Hurdle. In his first season, he showed promising form in National Hunt Flat races, winning on his debut and finishing second in the Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race. In the following year he was one of the best novice hurdlers in the British Isles, winning the Betfair Hurdle against more experienced rivals and the Top Novices' Hurdle at Aintree. In the 2013/2014 National Hunt season he won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle and finished runner-up in the Champion Hurdle. His later career was interrupted by injury but he returned to finish second in the Champion Hurdle in 2016 and 2017. In December 2017 he returned to Cheltenham to win the International Hurdle on his seasonal debut after a protracted battle with The New One.On 9 December 2018 it was announced that My Tent or Yours was retiring to JP McManus's Martinstown Stud.

Darlan was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. In a nine-race career that lasted from April 2011 until February 2013, he won six times, finished second once and fell twice. After winning his only National Hunt Flat race, he was one of the leading novice hurdlers of the 2011/2012 season, winning four races including the Top Novices' Hurdle. In the following year, he established himself as a leading contender for the Champion Hurdle by winning the Christmas Hurdle, but was killed in a fall in his next race.

Intersky Falcon British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Intersky Falcon is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. He won eleven hurdle races and one steeplechase in a thirty-six race career which lasted from February 2001 until July 2006. He recorded his first major win when taking the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park Racecourse in May 2002. He went on to win the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle in Ireland in 2002 and 2003 and the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in 2002. Intersky Falcon's most notable achievement was to record back-to-back victories in the Christmas Hurdle, decisively defeating the reigning Champion Hurdler on each occasion. He never won at Cheltenham, but ran in four consecutive renewals of the Champion Hurdle, finishing fifth, third, sixth and eleventh.

Jezki is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. After showing promise in National Hunt Flat races he won five times as a novice hurdler in the 2012/2013 season, with his victories including the Fishery Lane Hurdle, Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, Future Champions Novice Hurdle and Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle. In the following season he won the WKD Hurdle and the Hatton's Grace Hurdle before taking the 2014 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse and following up with a win in the Racing Post Champion Hurdle. In the following season he was beaten in his first three races by Hurricane Fly and finished fourth to Faugheen in the Champion Hurdle before winning the Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles and defeating Hurricane Fly in the World Series Hurdle.

Oscar Whisky was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. In his early career he showed promise, winning two National Hunt Flat races and two novice hurdles. In the 2010/2011 National Hunt season he emerged as one of the leading hurdlers in the British Isles, winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle as well as finishing third behind Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle. In the following season he won the Relkeel Hurdle and a second Aintree Hurdle. He won the Ascot Hurdle and a second Relkeel Hurdle in 2012/2013 before being moved up to compete in steeplechases in the following season when he won the Dipper Novices' Chase and the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase. Oscar Whisky was fatally injured in a fall at Sandown Park Racecourse on 6 December 2014.

Call Equiname was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed under National Hunt rules. In a racing career frequently interrupted by injury he raced twenty-one times in eight seasons, winning eleven races. Despite an undistinguished pedigree, he showed promise in his early career, winning the Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle in 1995. He reached his peak in the spring of 1999 when he won the Victor Chandler Chase and the Queen Mother Champion Chase. He was retired from racing in January 2001.

References

  1. Binocular Pedigree, pedigreequery.com, accessed 17 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Binocular Pedigree, racingpost.com, accessed 17 March 2010.
  3. Binocular target unclear at Kempton, telegraph.co.uk, 25 February 2008, accessed 17 March 2010.
  4. Binocular topples Halo at Aintree Archived 2012-03-08 at the Wayback Machine , breakingnews.iol.ie, 3 April 2008, accessed 17 March 2010.
  5. Binocular avenges 2009 defeat to land shock Champion Hurdle win, mirror.co.uk, 17 March 2010, accessed 17 March 2010.
  6. Binocular ruled out of Champion Hurdle reckoning by muscle problem, timesonline.co.uk, 18 February 2010, accessed 17 March 2010.
  7. 1 2 Bone scans and back specialists turn 999-1 Binocular into a champion, guardian.co.uk, 16 March 2010, accessed 17 March 2010.
  8. Binocular regains former dash to scoop Champion Hurdle, timesonline.co.uk, 17 March 2010, accessed 17 March 2010.
  9. Go Native ready to go for the million bonus, advertiser.ie, 11 Match 2010, accessed 17 March 2010.
  10. Heart problem forces Binocular into retirement, racingpost.com, 10 December 2013, accessed 10 December 2013.