PIC was D’Or-some in the Ascot Chase as he provided under-pressure Paul Nicholls with a massive boost.
The 14-time champion trainer needed a big result in the £175,000 Grade 1 and the reliable Pic D’Orhy didn’t let him down.
Pic D’Orhy was an easy winner of the Grade 1 Ascot Chase[/caption]
The 10-year-old is absolute mustard around Ascot and, just like he did in this race 12 months ago, he jumped like a buck on his way to a dominant win.
Nicholls’ struggles have been well-documented this winter and last weekend was a particularly difficult one for the yard, with just one winner from 24 runners.
And if his croaky voice was any guide, Nicholls clearly let out all of his frustrations when shouting his Ascot hero home.
He said: “I f***ing enjoyed that! He was awesome today, he really put them to the sword and I’d say that was a career-best performance.
“I know we’ve had some stick but I don’t take any notice of it, everyone has peaks and troughs it’s very hard to sustain the top form over the years.
“A few of ours were quiet after we gave them their flu jabs but we’re on top of that now and you just can’t push things.
“You’ve got to be patient and believe in what you do, we just lack a few horses like this at the moment but it will come back.
“I love this game, I love the challenge, days like this and horses like this make it all worthwhile.”
Pic D’Orhy’s task was undoubtedly made easier when the pulled-up L’Homme Presse, who was said to have lost his confidence after a bad blunder, exited stage left in the early stages.
But it would have taken a monstrous performance to master Pic D’Orhy in this sort of mood, and he had too much speed and class for one-paced runner-up Corbetts Cross.
Harry Cobden barely moved a muscle as he coasted across the line in splendid isolation, and Nicholls will now get him ready for a trip to Aintree in April for the Melling Chase.
He added: “We’ve never had him down as a Cheltenham horse, he prefers tracks like Ascot and Aintree where he isn’t going up and down hills.
“It’s a great result for the team because we’ve all been feeling a little bit of pressure, this was a big day and I’m over the moon with this horse.”
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