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THE Cheltenham Festival may only be a month away but there is some top class racing on view this afternoon with a grade one and a grade two alongside a premier handicap at Ascot and a couple of grade two events at Haydock Park, supported by the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase. Add in the grade two Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton and a further two graded races at Gowran Park in Ireland and we have a superb afternoon of national hunt racing ahead of us.

First run as recently as 1995, Pic D’Orhy is going for an unprecedented hat-trick of victories in this extended two miles and five furlongs Ascot Chase with Tiutchev (2001, ’03), Monet’s Garden (2007, ’10), Riverside Theatre (2011, ’12) and the mighty Cue Card (2013 and ’17) all dual winners.

This time around the circumstances are very different for the Paul Nicholls ace as his star is seemingly on the wane and he has that brilliant advertisement for National Hunt racing longevity, Jonbon, standing in his way.

The last named picked up the mightily progressive Thistle Crack at the Berkshire track four weeks ago to readily land the Clarence House Chase by four lengths and in the process suggest that this extra yardage would be in his favour, the furthest distance the 10-year-old has run over since landing his sole point to point over three miles in December 2020!

Although the Nicky Henderson-trained runner ultimately ran out a clear-cut winner that day, he wasn’t at his smooth as silk best and with Pic D’Orhy seemingly not the horse he is I think that this feature event is ripe for a big surprise.

Blow Your Wad is a long way off the main players here in the official ratings, but he is a fascinating player coming back down to three miles and along with Classic Maestro, he will bid to put plenty of pace into this race to try and run the finish out of Jonbon.

But I just wonder if those tactics will play into the hands of the old boy of the party EDWARDSTONE (3.35). He showed that there is plenty of life left in his legs when landing the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton Park last month from Master Chewi and although the runner-up has since let the form down, that came in the two-mile Game Spirit Chase when he forced way too strong a gallop. The selection is sure to be held up by Tom Cannon and if putting in a clear round could cause a minor surprise at the grand old age of 12.

The Jukebox Kid will have to jump better than he has done of late to take advantage of the 3lbs he is set to receive from THOMAS MOR (1.50) in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase, while FIERCELY PROUD (2.25) could be the each-way play in the Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles. A winner over two miles here, I think that Ben Jones rode him too prominently last time out when he dropped away in the closing stages to finish tailed off behind Wilful. I am hoping that one of the jockeys of the season will just be a little bit more patient on the bag gelding before forcing his way into contention down the home stretch.

The Swinley Handicap Chase features a brilliant mix of old timer handicappers against some improving youngsters in a field of 11 over the three mile distance and I am really sweet on the claims of INVINCIBLE NAO (3.00). Gary and Josh Moore’s charge has just found the trip in excess of three and a half miles beyond him of late, without being disgraced behind O’Connell in the London National at Sandown and Aworkinprogress at Lingfield Park.

Of course he will need to make this three miles a relative test of stamina, but I am hoping that Caoilin Quinn will just ride him in fourth or fifth and then make his move coming out of Swinley Bottom for the final time to bring that guaranteed stamina into play.

Of the other races on the card I am most looking forward to seeing OH MY JOHNNY (4.10) run over three miles again. Hampered at the first and then simply not going at yard in horrible ground at Wincanton last time out, he has been dropped to a very viable mark of 116 and probably has most to fear from the hat-trick seeking Heart Over Head and Walden. The last named steps up to this distance for the first time and was maybe appeared too quickly at Ludlow last time out after winning at Huntingdon 10 days earlier.

The ground at Haydock Park could well turn out to be rather gluey for the Grand National Trial over three and a half miles and we will get a definitive reading on whether Myretown is a proper candidate for Aintree after this, following a bad mistake three fences from home which scuppered his chance in the Peter Marsh Chase here four weeks ago. That one fallibility in his armour may well come to the surface again and in any case, I think he could well set this up nicely for the still relatively lightly raced 10-year-old mudlark GIT MAKER (3.15).

On ground that was far too quick for him in the Welsh National at Chepstow last time out, he was always out of his comfort zone, but this is much more his set-up and I thought that the handicapper overreacted to that run by dropping him 4lbs to a mark of 129. That was some 4lbs below his mark when third in the 2024 Scottish National and lightly raced since (only five runs throughout 2025), the 10-year-old could be thrown in here if coming back to anywhere near his best with the blinkers enlisted for the first time in his 18-race career, only his 12th start over fences.

The eerily named Throatlash may well be denied a fourth time in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase on the card by THE BLUESMAN (1.28). The selection looked sure to double up at Leicester last time out, but couldn’t get to Heeztheboy in the closing stages up the hill, but a stronger pace here down the long home stretch should suit his run style better.

KABRAL DU MATHAN (2.05) may be able to pick off Beauport close home in the Rendlesham Hurdle on route to Aintree, although an impressive winning performance here could well nudge connections to possibly supplementing him for the Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham. I am also hoping that the experiment of stepping TASHKHAN (2.40) up to three miles could pay dividends.

ALEXEI (1.35) will be much better suited to conditions than Wincanton specialist Rubaud in the Kingwell Hurdle, while WORKAHEAD (Gowran Park, 1.20) may salvage his reputation in the Red Mills Hurdle. 

I expect CLASSIC GETAWAY (3.40) to put it up to stable mate Impaire Et Pass in the feature Red Mills Chase. The last named would be a huge springer in the Festival Trophy market should he win here, but the tip is no mug in his own right, despite two moderate recent runs here and at Tramore.