Blueking d’Oroux serves up Select success

Harry Cobden may have relinquished his champion jockey title but he excelled when making almost all the running on Blueking d’Oroux in the bet365 Select Hurdle at Sandown.

Cobden has shone in recent weeks, particularly when winning the Scottish National on Willie Mullins’ Captain Cody, and dictated matters perfectly.

Having looked a sitting duck on the run to two out, both Dan Skelton’s runners Take No Chances and Gwennie May Boy dropped away and Mullins’ favourite Kitzbuhel got caught flat footed.

It was Gary and Josh Moore’s Salver who briefly headed Cobden, looking to give the stable a treble on the day, but Blueking d’Oroux (10-1) battled back to give Paul Nicholls a fifth win in the race by a head.

Nicholls said: “He deserved that and he’s a decent horse who loves good ground. He struggled a little bit in the winter but he only just got beat at Ascot, Fontwell and Windsor the ground was against us, so in the future we’ll just have to pick our battles depending on ground.

“It was a great ride from Harry from the front and he dug deep and kept finding. I’d saved him for today and it was the obvious race for him – there was no point running in handicaps with his mark and this was the obvious race for him before he goes chasing.

“He wants good ground and that is key, but I think he will be a better chaser than hurdler. He jumps well and stays nicely and I think he will be a very fun horse. To me he is a mirror of Pic D’Orhy and if he is anywhere as good as him, you would be happy with that.

“I thought I had this lad and Pic D’Orhy in the form of their lives today and it just shows you how different 30 minutes can make in racing – thankfully Pic D’Orhy is perfectly all right and will be back.”