Tag: Sire De Grugy

Clarence House Chase Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The two-mile Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday provides Sire De Grugy with a great opportunity to bag a second Grade 1 this season. Gary Moore’s chestnut won the Tingle Creek at Sandown in good style and has since followed up in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.

His victory in the latter was overshadowed by the unfortunate end to the winning run of Sprinter Sacre who was pulled up with an irregular heartbeat. Fortunately the signs are encouraging that this was an isolated episode and Nicky Henderson’s stable star could well return to action in time for Cheltenham. Of course, should the Lambourn trainer have any concerns about his horse, he will not hesitate to give the festival a miss and start afresh next season.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase must surely be on the agenda for Sire De Grugy with doubts surrounding the odds-on favourite. He was beaten at Cheltenham by Kid Cassidy earlier this season but I’m convinced that his defeat was down to his erratic jumping that day. He ballooned a couple and virtually pulled himself to the front before tiring in the closing stages.

Gary Moore believes that the course does not suit him and that he is a better horse on a flat track. Ascot should not pose any problems on Saturday and his jumping has been much better in his last two races. He had four lengths to spare over Somersby in the Tingle Creek and ought to confirm the form on the same terms. Any ease in the going will be in his favour although Somersby did win here in 2012 and will keep battling to the line.

Oiseau De Nuit finished second at Kempton but was possibly flattered by his proximity with Sire De Grugy going on much earlier than intended. The winner jumped to his left over the last three fences and was probably idling in front. Jamie Moore will be looking to get a good lead into the race on Saturday and deliver his challenge between the final two fences.

Strictly on the ratings, the Irish raiding party of Hidden Cyclone, Days Hotel and Special Tiara have 10lbs and more to find with the favourite. Hidden Cyclone finished in front of some top notch two-milers at Leopardstown last time out but he was previously well beaten in a Cheltenham handicap and needs to improve.

Kid Cassidy ran no race at all in Ireland and seems to reserve his best for Cheltenham. The one horse that concerns me slightly is the novice Fox Appeal. He won very easily at this course last time out from Raya Star although it is possible that the runner-up did not give his true running. Alan King’s horses have been under the weather of late.

Fox Appeal is undoubtedly useful having been slightly unlucky to be caught by Wonderful Charm at Wincanton on his previous start. Trainer Emma Lavelle did us a big favour when pitching the novice Shotgun Paddy against more experienced rivals last weekend and this fellow is no slouch either. Whether he is quite ready to take on Sire De Grugy at levels I’m not sure.

Sire De Grugy at 13-8 888Sport (6-4 Bet365)

Sire De Grugy 25-1 for Champion Chase

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Champion Chase Ante-post Preview

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

Tingle Creek Chase Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase was meant to be the starting point for Sprinter Sacre this season but he has been ruled out after tests suggested that he was less than 100%. Obviously nobody wants to see Nicky Henderson take any chances with the highest rated chaser in training but it is disappointing for the Sandown crowd.

Henderson has diverted Captain Conan to take his place and he is no mean deputy. He was only beaten once last season as a novice and that was at the Cheltenham Festival in March. I had not rated him particularly prior to that run but I thought he stuck on gamely at Prestbury Park and he got his just reward by winning at Aintree subsequently.

I seem to remember jockey Barry Geraghty emphatically saying that Captain Conan was a two and a half mile horse so this is going to be interesting. If he proves good enough to win here, it will be difficult to find any opposition to Sprinter Sacre come March.

My idea of the winner on Saturday is Sire De Grugy. I first put him in my notebook after he ran a cracker in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury won by Zarkandar. He lugged some big weights over hurdles and was always going to make a smart chaser. He was not quite right early last season but showed his true ability when beating former two-mile champion Finian’s Rainbow at Sandown in the Celebration Chase.

I fully expected him to follow up at Cheltenham last time but he was caught by Kid Cassidy up the final hill. His jumping can be a little worrying at times and he took off a little early on a couple of occasions there. I’m convinced that he is a horse that is always going to be better on the so-called park courses and he looks a cracking bet at 9-4 with Bet365.

I have plenty of respect for Somersby who seems to have been around forever but is actually only nine years old. He is now trained by Mick Channon and won the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter when holding off Module in a driving finish.

Cue Card finished third that day but it would be foolish to take that form literally. Clearly Cue Card was a lot fitter when he contested the Betfair Chase and galloped his way into the Gold Cup picture.

Sire De Grugy 9-4 Bet365