Pic d'Orhy put in a superb front-running display to make it back-to-back victories in the Betfair Ascot Chase.
The race got off to a flashy start, with Pic d’Orhy, Corbetts Cross and L’Homme Presse racing into the first fence and jumping it three abreast.
However, first Corbetts Cross put in a couple of slower leaps to fall back and then L’Homme Presse’s jumping fell apart, leading to Charlie Deutsch pulling him up.
Harry Cobden and the Paul Nicholls-trained Pic d’Orhy (9-5) encountered no such problems out in front and Mark Walsh was hard at work to keep Corbetts Cross in touch turning for home.
Two more fine jumps down the straight helped the 10-year-old leader to first maintain his advantage and then stretch further clear to prevail by an emphatic 10 lengths.
It was a welcome first Grade One win in 12 months for Nicholls, as Pic d’Orhy joined Tiutchev, Monet’s Garden, Riverside Theatre and Cue Card as a dual winner of the race. He said: "We all have peaks and troughs but you have to believe in yourself.
"I knew he was dead right today, he loved it round here. When he won here earlier in the season, he didn’t beat much, but now the challenge is to keep him right for Aintree and make sure he’s in top order.
"Some of my horses haven’t been right since Christmas but we are on top of that now, we just lack a few horses like him at home.
"I’ve been incredibly lucky to win 14 championships but it’s hard, and you can’t stay at the top forever.
"Dan (Skelton) is a good mate with a huge number of horses and it won’t be a surprise if he wins the championship. What we have to do is build it up again, and I love the challenge."
Cobden added: "He put it to bed fairly early and when you are that far clear, I just had to fill him up when I could.
"It was very easy for me to keep pressing when I did. Horses like him are so hard to find, he’s won so many big races – let’s hope he can make it three next year.
"This is massive. We’ve had a slow start but these horses are coming right now and I think we’ll have a good spring."
An emotional owner Johnny de la Hey commented: "It meant an awful lot. It’s been a little tricky season for ourselves and Paul, to be fair, and a lot of people wrote this horse off.
"I was listening to a podcast last night and everyone said the horse was gone; we didn’t think that but we’ve been really patient with him, we were going to run him at Windsor but we thought the ground was too soft, and this was our Gold Cup – and we won our Gold Cup!"
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
The Changing Man ran his rivals ragged to claim a wide-margin victory in the Grade Two Ebony Horse Club Reynoldstown Novices' Chase at Ascot.
After odds-on favourite Jingko Blue parted company with Nico de Boinville early on, Brendan Powell set a strong gallop on The Changing Man and gradually established a sizeable advantage.
Peaky Boy cried enough before the fourth-last and although Leave Of Absence tried to chase down the runaway leader, he never looked like landing a telling blow.
The Changing Man, who had been second in each of his last three races, kept up the gallop to run out a 24-length winner at 7-2.
Winning trainer Joe Tizzard said: "This race was talked about for some time and we’ve done the right thing. He’s only a novice for the next couple of months and he will be entered for the Brown Advisory.
"He deserves to take us to the big days out and he’s become sure-footed and assured.
"He made some silly mistakes last season and again in the Badger Beer, but he couldn’t have done it more impressively here. It was a novice chase and you have to jump round."
Winning by an impressive margin, THE CHANGING MAN, ridden by @brendanp1995, claims victory in The Ebony Horse Club Reynoldstown Novices' Steeple Chase.#Ascot pic.twitter.com/DfjjrimKVD
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) February 15, 2025
A dejected Nicky Henderson suggested Jingko Blue could possibly make a swift reappearance at Kempton next weekend, adding: "It’s frustrating to say the least.
"We thought we had a great chance but we also hoped it would tell us where to go. Kempton is the only place I can think of, we’ll see how he is. It’s still a bit raw."
In contrast to his Seven Barrows counterpart, it was an afternoon to remember for Tizzard, with the Powell-ridden First Confession (2-1) taking the Betfair Racing Podcasts Novices’ Hurdle.
Tizzard said: "We went to the Challow hoping for a place, but he never went a stride. He’s a different horse now and what I like about him is there’s nothing flashy, he’s a no-nonsense horse who gets on and does it.
"I’m going to use that old cliche of 'I can’t wait to put him over fences’ – and you never know, he could be back here for the Reynoldstown in 12 months.
"Right now, I see no reason why we shouldn’t run him in the Albert Bartlett (at Cheltenham). It will be a nice day out for his owners."
WOW! What a finish! VICTTORINO wins a thrilling @Betfair Swinley Handicap Steeple Chase!#Ascot pic.twitter.com/mNgLLefhDz
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) February 15, 2025
Victtorino continued his love affair with Ascot when courageously shading a thrilling finish to the Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase.
The Venetia Williams-trained seven-year-old was pushed all the way up the run-in by top-weight Threeunderthrufive, with both horses taking it in turn to bob their heads in front.
However, it was Victtorino who put his head down when it mattered most and the 7-2 winner was a nose ahead on the line under Charlie Deutsch, giving him a fourth win at Ascot from five visits.
Williams said: "It was a strong pace on loose ground, but I didn't think it was too testing. I thought we would get outsprinted, and that we were beaten. I didn’t know he had won and we were yelling our heads off.
"We will take it one race at a time, but with his good record round here, we just might keep coming back."
Altobelli turned what looked a competitive Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle into a procession down the home straight.
Successful in a course and distance contest four weeks earlier, Harry Fry’s charge was sent off the 11-4 favourite for this event over two miles and three furlongs and cruised to the front under Bryan Carver between the final two flights.
Despite wandering around a touch once clear, Altobelli was still three and three-quarter lengths ahead at the line.
Fry said: "He loves it here and it’s a shame we don’t have a festival here in four weeks.
"He was 5lb higher, but looked even more impressive today. He’s relished the step up in trip. It will be exciting to see where he ends up and he’s three from three at this distance.
"He’ll be entered in the Coral Cup and we’ll take it from there. I’m looking forward to putting him over fences next season."
Ben Jones conjured up a powerful late surge from Samuel Spade in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle, with Ben Pauling’s charge making light of his 12st burden to prevail by four and three-quarter lengths at 14-1.
Pauling said: "That was a good ride. He’s a bit of an enigma because when he’s good, he’s good, but when he doesn’t want it, he just won’t go.
"Today, Ben pinched yards and picked up ground at most of the hurdles, he was very good.
"He’s the type of horse that could go to Punchestown, as he’s not good enough to win the Coral Cup."
