CHELTENHAM clues abound today, especially for the Champion Hurdle, with not one trial but two.

At Sandown, last year’s winner of the blue ribbon event, Binocular, has his last run en route to trying to regain his crown, when facing three inferior rivals in the Totesport Contenders Hurdle at 1.55pm.

For me, the Champion Hurdle is building up to be the race of the Festival this year and Nicky Henderson’s Binocular is the one they all have to beat next month.

I don’t think today’s race is going to be that informative and he will be a short price.

Henderson also has a great chance of lifting the William Hill Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las this afternoon with Oscar Whisky, who is also heading for Cheltenham, if everything goes according to plan today.

Oscar Whisky is owned by Dai Walters, who also owns the racecourse, so this has been a long-term plan for the seven-year-old and Henderson is looking forward to watching Oscar Whisky, who has only tasted defeat once in six starts, in action.

He said: “We will find out if he’s a genuine two-mile Champion Hurdle horse.

There are others in there well capable of testing him. He was very impressive over twoand- a-half, which does make you wonder has he more stamina than I thought he had?

“He shows us plenty of speed at home and I was nervous on the day of actually going that far with him at Cheltenham, but the way he did you’d have to wonder does he want that bit further?

“We’ll switch back to two on Saturday though, and this has always been the mega target from Dai’s point of view.”

Sometimes these trials can be quite messy and don’t appeal as great betting mediums.

That is something you can’t say about the Totescoop6 Heroes Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

Some 21 runners face the starter and, yet again, champion jockey A P McCoy has a great chance of taking the prize with Mister Hyde.

The six-year-old is lightly raced and ran out a ready winner last time out at Plumpton.

He looks the type to continue improving and the Jonjo O’Neill gelding can prove a step ahead of the handicapper.

Closer to home, Wetherby also race and the small field theme is back again in their feature race, the Totesport.com Towton Novices’ Chase, at 3.15pm.

Only four line-up in this Grade 2 contest but there’s plenty of quality on show, including the Ian Williamstrained Wayward Prince.

A winner at the Aintree Festival last season over hurdles, Wayward Prince is unbeaten in two starts over fences this term.

His jumping appears to be very solid for a novice and, the in-form, Dougie Costello takes the ride again.

If everything goes to plan, the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is the target, a course and distance he has already been successful at this year.