NICKY HENDERSON believes the soft ground at Kempton today could dent Binocular’s greatest asset in the william hill.com Christmas Hurdle.

Henderson has long since praised the champion hurdler’s jumping prowess and believes he whole well-being can be traced to how well he jumps.

A schooling session on Thursday under champion jockey Tony McCoy filled Henderson with confidence but he does suggest Binocular’s whole season is being built around the defence of his Champion Hurdle crown.

“Very soft ground doesn’t really help Binocular bring his strength out, and that is his jumping,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“AP schooled him yesterday and it is electrifying (to see). It’s very exciting. I think AP and the horse enjoy it, but it’s terrifying for me to watch!

“He’s lighter than he was three weeks ago. He’s big and well still, but it’s still a long way until March and I think we are all aware of that. There is one major target, but we’d like this along the way if we could get it.

“Kempton is a speed track and there are a lot of hold-up horses in this race and it’s going to come down to speed. It’s not that he’s slow by any manner of means, he just wants a really strong run race. That’s why Cheltenham suits him.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies is excited about getting Khyber Kim back on a racetrack.

Now a nine-year-old, he was a model of consistency last season when winning the Greatwood Hurdle, the International and the Aintree Hurdle, as well as finishing second to Binocular in the Champion Hurdle.

Kept off purposefully in the first half of the season, Khyber Kim used to be at his best first time out, but his trainer now believes it is now unfair to level that claim at him.

“He’s literally champing at the bit to get out and we are very excited about it,’’ said the Naunton handler.

“He’s been great at home, he was ready three weeks ago but the delay hasn’t bothered him at all, we’ve not really had to keep a lid on him.

“Nobody can say first time out is the time to catch him now, he held his form right the way through the whole of last season and he seems in really good form now. Some of them wouldn’t want it soft, but it doesn’t bother him what the ground is – he goes on anything so we have no worries on the ground front.

“If Overturn wants to go on and make it (the running) that will suit us as he loves to come off a fast pace, that would be very handy.”