Occasionally you see a price chalked up that is just too good to refuse. Admittedly the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham is still the best part of three months away but Sportsbet are still showing 25-1 about Tingle Creek and Desert Orchid Chase winner Sire De Grugy.
Of course the market has been left wide open by the doubts over Sprinter Sacre who was pulled up with an irregular heartbeat at Kempton over Christmas. We are all hoping that he recovers fully and is able to defend his title but there must be some doubt as to whether Nicky Henderson will risk running him again this season.
The latest prognosis was that the problem had righted itself after the race but that the horse will undergo stringent tests before any decisions are made. The welfare of the horse will be the first priority and if Henderson has any doubts at all he will surely not risk his champion chaser.
Gary Moore, trainer of Sire De Grugy, had previously doubted the wisdom of taking on Sprinter Sacre at Cheltenham but his horse is currently the best around over two miles. He did not receive the acclaim that he deserved for winning at Kempton but he looked a class act when winning The Tingle Creek at Sandown and it usually takes a good horse to win that event.
The most famous case of an irregular heartbeat in recent times was Denman who returned to run some magnificent races so all is not lost. I would be surprised if we see Sprinter Sacre this season and that makes the 25-1 a ridiculous price for Sire De Grugy.
His comprehensive defeat of Somersby and Captain Conan at Sandown was on ground faster than ideal, although he does seem far better on a flat track. He did seem to tie up disappointingly when beaten by Kid Cassidy but he had put in some awkward leaps that day and may simply have tired after the last.
Moore had been tempted to miss Cheltenham altogether and perhaps take his horse over to France but he must surely reassess that opinion in light of Sprinter Sacre’s likely absence. At one-quarter the odds a place 1,2,3, this is surely worth a punt. I am sure that those odds won’t last long so take it as a late Christmas present from Sportsbet!
Sire de Grugy at 25-1 Sportsbet.com.au
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