For the Cheltenham Festival, Hugh will publish his tips each evening between 5.30 and 6.00
PIC D’ORHY had some high-class form in French 3yo hurdles last year and looks a valid alternative to hot favourite Sir Erec in the Triumph Hurdle on the opening race on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival (1.30).
His last run came in November, joining Paul Nicholls in the interim, but he has racked up plenty of experience since making his hurdles debut just under a year ago. He won three of his first four starts over hurdles, then fell at the second fence on his chasing debut.
On his two most recent starts, he ran into Beaumec De Houlle, who was the star of the French juvenile hurdlers this season but was recently retired to stud to replace his own sire, Martaline.
Pic D’Orhy had actually finished in front of Beaumec De Houlle in a Grade 3 event last June, but both were seen to better effect in a Grade 1 contest at Auteuil on their most recent starts. This race was run at a strong gallop, and although I can’t claim that a set of sectional par times for Auteuil feature in my punting armoury, a hurdle-by-hurdle breakdown of the other four races run over the same course and distance that day suggests that Pic D’Orhy might have overdone things when sitting close behind pacesetter Pat Du Pont, who ran in the same ownership and set a strong gallop before falling two out when starting to fade.
Pic D’Orhy and the winner pulled clear of the remainder in a race that produced the fastest time of the five course-and-distance races run that day, and although the clock doesn’t suggest that he’s a superstar, he’s a tough and battle-hardened performer who should give a good account if he’s in anything like the same form on his debut for his new yard.
