Pic d'Orhy seeks repeat in Melling Chase

AINTREE, England – Pic d’Orhy, the veteran gelding who starts in Friday’s Grade 1 Melling Chase at 2 1/2 miles at Aintree Racecourse, has a career record in steeplechases separated by a breathing operation in the summer of 2022.

Before the operation, Pic d’Orhy was winless in two Grade 1 races in Britain. Since then, the 9-year-old has won two Grade 1 races and finished second in another.

The more recent success puts Pic d’Orhy at the fore of the Melling Chase field. As of Wednesday, Pic d’Orhy was the 10-3 co-second choice with recent Grade 1 winner Protektorat. Jonbon was a lukewarm 5-2 favorite.

The Melling Chase drew seven and is a rare Grade 1 at the Grand National meeting at Aintree this week without an Irish-trained runner among the top contenders. The three-day meeting ends Saturday with the famous Grand National.

Last April, Pic d’Orhy won the Melling Chase, which was known as the Marsh Chase through a sponsorship, after an eight-week break following a second in the Ascot Chase at 2 5/8 miles. This year, Pic d’Orhy won the Ascot Chase in February and was again held out of the prestigious Cheltenham meeting in March in favor of Friday’s race.

Jonbon did not start at Aintree after trainer Nicky Henderson scratched many of his leading hopes because of an illness that hit his world-class stable. Jonbon won a two-mile novices’ chase against three rivals by 43 lengths at Aintree last April and has since won three of his last four starts.

Protektorat was the outstanding winner of the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at 2 9/16 miles at Cheltenham last month. He tends to race near the front and will have an easy target with Pic d’Orhy as the expected pacesetter.

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Ireland’s best chance is Envoi Allen, who was second by four lengths in the Ryanair Chase as the 9-4 favorite.

The $314,125 Melling Chase is the richest of four Grade 1 races on Friday at Aintree. The seven-race program begins at 8:45 p.m. Eastern. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Friday’s other three Grade 1 races are for novices over fences or hurdles.

In the first race, Inothewayurthinkn, the eight-length winner of a handicap steeplechase for amateur riders at 3 1/4 miles at Cheltenham last month, will be favored at about 5-2 to win a $152,160 novices’ chase at the same distance. This time, Inothewayurthinkn will be ridden by professional jockey Mark Walsh for Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell.

Chianto Classico, winner of handicap chase at 3 1/8 miles on March 12 at Cheltenham, will be about 4-1 to win for the fourth time in five starts since he underwent a breathing operation last summer.

On Friday, Walsh rides the highly-regarded Mystical Power in a $126,800 novices’ hurdle at 2 1/16 miles, the 5-year-old gelding’s first appearance since he lost for the first time in his fourth career start when second by 1 1/2 lengths in a novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham. Mystical Power raced in traffic briefly with about a half-mile remaining in that race.

In Friday’s longest Grade 1 race, The Jukebox Man leads a highly competitive field of nine in a $126,800 novices’ hurdle at about 3 1/8 miles. At Cheltenham on March 15, The Jukebox Man led over the final hurdle at 18-1 before losing by a head in a similar race.

Reading Tommy Wrong, a Grade 1 winner at 2 1/2 miles in Ireland in January who was pulled up after fading rapidly from contention in the same race at Cheltenham as The Jukebox Man, and Shanagh Bob, unraced since a win in a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at three miles at Cheltenham in December, have the credentials to beat The Jukebox Man.

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