Otto Des Pictons

Otto Des Pictons put in a performance that was full of promise in the two-and-three-quarter-mile handicap hurdle at Sandown on Saturday. Kept wide by Ruby Walsh throughout – not usually Walsh’s style, but fairly understandable given that the son of Grand Tresor had only raced five times over hurdles previously – Otto Des Pictons made significant ground from an unpromising position at the top of the home straight to take fourth place, just three lengths behind the winner.

It is significant that Paul Nicholls said in his Saturday column in the Racing Post that, while he expected Otto Des Pictons to run well, he also expected that he would improve for the run. Off the track for the whole of last season, this was just the seven-year-old’s second start this term, and his profile is hugely progressive. The handicap mark off which he competed on Saturday of 124 could significantly under-estimate his ability, and the Coral Cup could be the race for him at Cheltenham.

31^st January, 2009