Betfair Ascot Chase |
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| Grade 1, Ascot 15:37 £175,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 5f 8y, Class 1  |
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1 Pic d'Orhy 9/5
2
Corbetts Cross 7/4F
3
Blue Lord 18/1
6 ran Distances: 10l, 2¾l, 33l
Time: 5m 15.22s (slow by 3.22s)
PIC D'ORHY blows the field away in The @Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase! @PFNicholls / @CobdenHarry #Ascot pic.twitter.com/GAKuozeiUD
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) February 15, 2025
Pic d’Orhy delivered a dazzling display from the front to secure back-to-back victories in the race, stamping his class on the race with a performance full of authority.
The tapes went up to a blistering start, with Pic d’Orhy, Corbetts Cross, and L’Homme Presse locking horns over the first fence, landing as one. But the pressure soon told—first, Corbetts Cross lost momentum with a couple of scruffy leaps, and then L’Homme Presse’s rhythm unraveled altogether, forcing Charlie Deutsch to call it a day.
Out in front, Harry Cobden had no such concerns. Pic d’Orhy was cruising, jumping with fluency, while behind him, Mark Walsh was having to dig deep just to keep Corbetts Cross in contention as they rounded the turn for home. But two more spring-heeled leaps in the straight sealed the deal, Pic d’Orhy powering further clear to win by an emphatic 10 lengths.
It was a significant Grade One triumph for Paul Nicholls, his star chaser joining the likes of Tiutchev, Monet’s Garden, Riverside Theatre, and Cue Card as a dual winner of the race. The champion trainer acknowledged the ups and downs of the season but remained resolute:
“We all have peaks and troughs, but you have to believe in yourself. I knew he was spot on today, and he loves it round here. The key now is keeping him right for Aintree—this was the big one for him today, and he delivered in style.”
Cobden, ever the cool head in the saddle, was full of praise for his partner:
“He put the race to bed early, and once I had that lead, it was just a case of filling him up when I could. Horses like him don’t come along often—he’s won plenty of big ones, and hopefully, we can make it three next year.”
For owner Johnny de la Hey, the win carried extra emotion, capping what had been a testing season:
“This meant the world. It’s been a tricky time for us and for Paul, and a lot of people had written this horse off. I was listening to a podcast last night, and they all said he was finished! But we knew differently. We’ve been patient, we’ve waited for the right moment—and this was our Gold Cup. And we won our Gold Cup.”
Betfair Ascot Chase
6 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Pic d'Orhy 10 11-10 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 9/5
2 10 Corbetts Cross 8 11-10 Emmet Mullins Mark Walsh 7/4F
3 2¾ Blue Lord 10 11-10 W P Mullins J J Slevin 18/1
4 33 Flegmatik 10 11-10 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 100/1
5 17 Le Patron 7 11-10 Gary & Josh Moore David Noonan 16/1
PU L'Homme Presse 10 11-10 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 11/4
