03.04.08 - THE GRAND NATIONAL, RACING AT AINTREE

Raise your glasses to Binocular

Tony McCoy partnered Binocular to a hugely impressive seven-length success over the JCB Triumph Hurdle winner Celestial Halo to the delight of trainer Nicky Henderson.

"I think he is a very classy horse, he’s done little wrong and you have to say the horse that beat him at Cheltenham (Captain Cee Bee) must be very good," said Henderson.

"He very nearly didn’t go to Cheltenham because we thought this might be the better place for him because of that natural speed.that he’s got. He’s always been a very good jumper and was very slick today, very professional. He deserved it. He goes on soft and good ground and you’d have to say he’s pretty smart.

"He’s a good four-year-old but we all know the next step is difficult. We felt he’s learned from Cheltenham and this was the obvious way to ride him today - have one crack at the other horse and try to do him for toe. Cheltenham was the first time AP had sat on the horse and we would have possibly left it longer if we had been taking on Celestial Halo there.

"He’s entered at Punchestown but I haven’t spoken to J P (McManus) about it and as AP (McCoy) said this horse is very good and needs minding, it could be holiday time for him."

Jockey Tony McCoy added: "He travelled well at Cheltenham as well and he’s got plenty of pace and this track would have helped him. Obviously, I rode the wrong one at Cheltenham but I had been injured and hadn’t ridden any of them so I didn’t know. But I was happy after Cheltenham to come here and take on Celestial Halo.

"He has loads of pace and the problem we had at Cheltenham was that there were a lot of horses in contention coming down the hill and to the second last I went to join Ruby and the other fancied horses.

As it happened Captain Cee Bee wasn’t travelling so it would have been very hard to follow a horse that was off the bridle at the top of the hill in a championship race, so I tagged along with the fancied horses.

"If you had the chance to ride the race again and you knew that Captain Cee Bee was going to come you would take a chance and follow him, but it’s easy afterwards. He deserved to win today after such a good run at Cheltenham.

"With nine runners I knew the main danger would be in front so tactically it was easier to do. His jumping was even slicker today than at Cheltenham and I’d like to think he’s improved a bit.

"It was only his fourth run so hopefully he’s still getting better and his rating today was 143 so I think he would have to go up by another 20lb or so to challenge Katchit next year. But his races so far have suggested that he is going the right way."

McCoy looking forward to Butler's Cabin

Tony McCoy is hoping it will be 13th time lucky in Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National when he partners Butler’s Cabin in the big race.

"It wasn’t a tough choice to ride him but I’ve picked the wrong one a few times before," said McCoy, who has had no success in 12 previous National starts.

"He’s won an Irish National and the four-miler at Cheltenham so you’d have to think that there’s not much of a question mark from the staying point of view.

"I just thought this one has more potential of winning a Grand National than (owner J P McManus’s) other entries."