Paul Nicholls © Photo Healy Racing
Paul Nicholls may yet supplement Betfair Hurdle winner Pic D’orhy for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Pic D'orhy arrived from France with a tall reputation last season, and defied a big weight and odds of 33-1 on Saturday to land one of the most competitive handicap hurdles of the year.
As it stands, though, the five-year-old is not currently entered in next month’s Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Nicholls said: “I’ve been asked whether I would consider supplementing him for the Champion Hurdle, and I probably wish I had put him in — but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
“I’ve not discussed it with Johnny (De la Hey, owner) and we don’t have to make a plan yet. He would probably have one or two (more) runs at most this season, because we are looking forward to the day he goes chasing.
“I could see him running tidy in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One at Aintree, because that flat track would suit him well. There are not too many more options for him, and we could even go to France with him.”
The Champion Hurdle is not out of the question, however.
Nicholls added: “It is not a thing you can make a quick decision on.
“I will keep our options open. He is a horse for the future.
“The other day was the first time I had him really right, because that was only his fourth run. He is a really exciting chaser for next season, and we have to have that in mind.
“Another option is the Scottish Champion Hurdle. The main thing is we are not going to hurry with him. He loved that better ground the other day.”
