Paul Nicholls has not saddled a Grade One winner since the Ascot Chase 12 months ago – his longest lean streak at the top level for 20 years – but Pic D’Orhy’s return to the same race on Saturday is an excellent chance for the 14-time champion trainer to add a confidence-boosting 148th Grade One win to his record ahead of next month’s festival at Cheltenham.
Pic D’Orhy’s one and only trip to Cheltenham was in March 2019, when he made his debut for the Nicholls yard in the Triumph Hurdle and finished 10th of 14 behind Pentland Hills.
But while Cheltenham is simply not his happy place, the track, distance and timing of Saturday’s race are all ideal for Pic D’Orhy (3.37), who is four-from-five in chases at Ascot and has won three of his four starts over the trip.
L’Homme Presse, the beaten favourite behind Pic D’Orhy last season, is back for another crack at Nicholls’s gelding but two-and-a-half miles is very much a minimum for Venetia Williams’s runner these days, a comment that also applies to Emmet Mullins’s Corbetts Cross, the winner of the three-and-three-quarter mile National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last season.
The drying ground is also a concern for supporters of Corbetts Cross, and the eight-year-old could yet be a late scratch if the going – which is already good in places – is good all over by Saturday afternoon.
Blue Lord, a Grade One winner in the 2022-23 season, is an interesting runner for Willie Mullins as he prepares for his annual assault on the spring festivals, but his more recent form is less than convincing and Pic D’Orhy is a rock-solid 7-4 shot to get his stable back into the Grade One habit.
Ascot 1.15 Having improved for the step up to two-and-a-half miles on her past two starts, Greyval could be overpriced at around 12-1 as she tackles three for the first time.
Wincanton 1.36 Burdett Road ran a fine race behind Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle and should prove too strong for Golden Ace, last year’s Mares’ Novice Hurdle winner at Cheltenham in March.
Ascot 1.50 Jingko Blue and Lowry’s Bar, the first two home in last month’s Hampton Novice Chase at Windsor, dominate the betting for the Reynoldstown but Peaky Boy ran to a similar level when third at Cheltenham in December and is an eye-catching price at around 8-1 after a switch to Jonjo and AJ O’Neill.
Haydock 2.05 Kerry Lee’s stable is slowly returning to form after a difficult 2024 and Eaton Collina is back to his last winning mark for his first run in veterans’ company.
Ascot 2.25 A step back up in trip coaxed a career-best performance from Altobelli over course and distance last time, and a 5lb rise is manageable.
Carlisle 1.20 My Lady Elektra 1.50 Butch 2.20 Malicash 2.50 Geryville 3.20 Joltin N Jiving 3.55 Mavis Pike 4.30 Tommy Combats (nb) 5.05 Broughshane
Southwell 1.35 Illogical Logic 2.05 Kayce Dutton 2.35 Nazare 3.05 Wolf Moon 3.40 Born In The West 4.15 Asa 4.45 Gotthereintheend
Wolverhampton 4.25 King’s Code 5.00 Overnight Oats 5.30 Bryant 6.00 Blinky (nap) 6.30 Marioento 7.00 Nordic Glory 7.30 Due Date 8.00 Angel Of England 8.30 Brian The Snail
Haydock 2.40 The versatile Beauport could well line up for the Grand National in less than two months but he was within two lengths of the winner in the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle when reverting to the smaller obstacles before Christmas and has an obvious chance on that form dropping in grade.
Ascot 3.00 Course-specialist Victtorino was only fourth in this race behind Threeunderthrufive last year but Venetia Williams’s yard was enduring a difficult spell back then. The stable is in much stronger form this time around with a 22% strike‑rate in February so far and Victtorino has been raised only 3lb for a cosy success over track and trip last time.
Haydock 3.15 Apple Away was a Grade One winner over three miles as a novice hurdler and returns to a marathon trip to make only her second start in a handicap over fences off what could well prove to be a generous mark.
