Binocular out of sight in Champion Hurdle win

Trainer Nicky Henderson last month ruled out a crack at the top hurdling prize at Cheltenham after failing to find any tangible reason for a string of indifferent performances this term.

However, a solid schooling session last week put the six-year-old right back in the mix and jockey McCoy barely had a moment of worry in the 370,000 feature event on the opening day of jump racing's celebrated festival.

Sent off at 9-1, McCoy was confident throughout on last year's third – when he was a disappointing 6-4 favourite – and he quickened right away after the final flight to beat Khyber Kim (7-1) with plenty to spare.

Zaynar, another of Henderson's three runners, was third at 15-2, but last year's winner Punjabi disappointed.

Henderson said: "It hasn't been an easy passage this year. When he was beaten last year, we said he'd come back and AP (McCoy] said he would win it. We were actually nine-tenths taking him out and we said he wouldn't run. We did a lot of work. We've got a fantastic team and we ironed out a few things. His jumping was the difference and Zaynar ran a great race. Binocular deserved to win it one day."

McCoy added: "When I schooled him last week it was the first time he has hurdled like we know Binocular can – like a champion hurdler. He didn't have a good build-up this year. He has not been hurdling (well] all year, he's just done something funny every time.

"I'm so happy for JP (McManus, owner]. This is better than any feeling I have had from the horse. It's hard to win here and this is everything."

The major disappointment of the race was Noel Meade's favourite Go Native, who travelled well for a long way but was beaten turning for home, while fellow Irish raider Solwhit, who had scoped dirty at the start of last week, also finished well out of the frame.

Binocular is 3-1 to defend his crown next year as bookmakers toasted a great start to their 2010 Cheltenham Festival.

David Williams of Ladbrokes said: "Binocular was a smashing result in the big race. He'd slipped off the radar with his troubled build-up to the race and we were cheering him home. It came on the back of three great results and helped seal a winning start to the Festival for the bookies."

The first of these three bookmaker-friendly results was the reverse suffered by Dunguib in the opener.

It was the worst possible start for punters as the supposed banker of the day, was beaten at 4-5 in the Spinal Research Supreme Novices' Hurdle. All seemed to be going swimmingly for a long way, but Philip Fenton's 2009 Champion Bumper winner could not pick up when push came to shove and it was Philip Hobbs' 12-1 shot Menorah who struck gold under Richard Johnson, holding off McCoy on board Get Me Out Of Here by a head.

Sizing Europe shook off the memory of Champion Hurdle disappointment two years ago with an impressive win in the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy.

Henry de Bromhead's eight-year-old let down favourite backers in 2008 when tailed off in the hurdling blue riband but looks the real deal over fences judged on this impressive triumph, at odds of 6-1, with the well-backed Captain Cee Bee another costly favourite for punters.

De Bromhead said: "He seemed to be travelling brilliantly and jumping great.

"He got a fantastic ride and it all went right on the day. Hopefully he'll be back next year for the Queen Mother."

Michael Hourigan's A New Story (25-1) ended Enda Bolger's cross-country domination when landing the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase, while the James Moffat-trained Chief Dan George was another big-priced winner, going in at 33-1 in the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase.

It wasn't all plain sailing for the bookies, however, and the get-out stakes provided a bit of salvation for punters, as Willie Mullins' 6-4 favourite Quevega took the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle for the second successive year under Ruby Walsh with another fine display.