Ascot-Chase on The Race Lab

Jonbon's 12th Grade One: Only Kauto Star Stands Above Him Over Fences

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Jonbon broke hearts on Valentine’s Day — specifically, Pic D’Orhy’s.

The pair jumped the last together in the Ascot Chase, and for a stride or two Harry Cobden’s drive on the defending champion looked like it might be enough. It wasn’t. Nico de Boinville dug deep on the 4-9 favourite and Jonbon pulled clear to win by a length and a half, clinching a 12th Grade One victory over fences.

Pic D'Orhy's Ascot Love Affair Makes Him the Danger to Jonbon in Saturday's Grade 1

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Jonbon is the story everyone wants to tell on Saturday. With 11 Grade One victories already in the bank after his remarkable Clarence House revival last month, Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old is chasing history at Ascot.

But history has a habit of repeating itself in jump racing — and at Ascot, the history belongs to Pic D’Orhy.

The Ascot Specialist

Paul Nicholls’ ten-year-old has turned the Ascot Chase into his personal fiefdom. He’s won it twice — in 2024 at 13/8 and again in 2025 at 9/5 — and the manner of those victories tells you everything.

Pic D'Orhy's Ascot Chase Hat-Trick Bid: A Race Against History

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Pic D’Orhy returns to Ascot this Saturday with history in his sights. Paul Nicholls’ nine-year-old is bidding to become the first horse ever to win three consecutive renewals of the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase.

The French-bred gelding has already achieved something rare. His victories in 2024 and 2025 make him the first back-to-back winner since Riverside Theatre completed the double in 2011 and 2012. But a three-peat? That would be uncharted territory.