Tag: Sire De Grugy

Sire de Grugy even money for Game Spirit

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Sire de Grugy began last season as a 25-1 outsider for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham. The betting for the race was turned upside down when Sprinter Sacre was pulled up in the Desert Orchid Chase and Gary Moore’s chestnut went on to win both races.

The much-awaited clash between the two could take place at the festival in March following Sprinter Sacre’s return at Ascot last month. If Sprinter Sacre was in a different league to his rivals in 2013, Sire de Grugy was a pretty good substitute. He was unbeaten in his last five races, winning the Clarence House Chase and the Celebration Chase without being seriously tested. All ground seems to come alike to the nine-year-old but he has also had his training problems.

A minor injury has kept him off the track since April and there is bound to be some anxiety as he steps out for his prep race in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday. Moore has issued an up-beat bulletin and expects him to run well on Saturday, although he admits that he has left something to work on. He has 11lbs and upwards in hand of his rivals on official ratings and Betfair have installed him as the even money favourite.

I opposed Sprinter Sacre on his comeback with Dodging Bullets and fitness proved decisive for the Paul Nicholls-trained runner. The Ditcheat trainer has Mr Mole and Vibrato Valtat entered on Saturday but I’d be very surprised if the latter took his place in the field. He is also entered in the Kingmaker Chase at Warwick and I believe that Nicholls would rather keep him in novice company on his way to the Arkle Chase at the festival.

Mr Mole has improved this season and won a handicap at Sandown off a mark of 147, beating subsequent winner Brick Red by two and a quarter lengths. The handicapper now rates Mr Mole at 155, some 17lbs below Sire de Grugy.

Uxizandre would look the most likely threat on his Cheltenham form in November when beating Simply Ned by a length and a quarter. Dodging Bullets was a head away in third but it was a combination of fitness and the Cheltenham hill that found him out that day. Uxizandre blotted his copybook when jumping out to his left on several occasions last time out. Upsilon Bleu is on a hat-trick for Pauline Robson but is only rated 150 while Karinga Dancer looks outclassed.

Sire de Grugy 3.00 Newbury Saturday @Evens Betfair

Betcirca bashes bookies at Cheltenham!

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Followers of this column were in betting heaven on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival with the first four winners! Ante-post tips Faugheen (10-1), O’Faolains Boy (16-1), Whisper (18-1) and Sire De Grugy (25-1) left the bookies reeling. Punters who linked the four together would have been celebrating an accumulator paying over 92,000-1!

The ante-post selections were placed over a period of time stretching back to December when Sire De Grugy was considered no more than an outsider for the Champion Chase. On Tuesday he confirmed his status as the leading two-mile chaser in Britain and Ireland with a comfortable victory.

Faugheen was red-hot favourite for the opening Neptune Hurdle and duly obliged having been picked out at 10-1. O’Faolains Boy then battled to victory in the RSA Chase for Barry Geraghty before Whisper got the verdict in a photo-finish for the Coral Cup.

Thursday’s card can only be an anti-climax after a day like that! Our only ante-post advice going into day 3 is Cause Of Causes at 12-1 in the Kim Muir at 4.40. Nina Carberry has the ride and must have a decent chance. The horse had no less than seven entries at the meeting but connections have elected to go for the three-mile race with the going firming up.

The big race is the World Hurdle which has been billed as a clash between four-time winner Big Buck’s and the unbeaten Irish mare Annie Power. As much as I respect both horses, I feel that the value bet has to be each-way on Zarkandar at 14-1. He’s as tough as old boots and has been crying out for this trip all season.

Nicholls elected to give the Champion Hurdle a miss this season after he appeared to be outpaced at crucial stages of the race for the past two seasons. It is slightly odd that he hasn’t actually found out if Zarkandar stays but I feel it is highly likely.

The Ryanair has failed to capture my imagination at all this season and I’ll be avoiding it. Dynaste was among my ante-post bets for the Gold Cup but ran poorly in the King George. If he’s back to his best he will be tough to beat but there is little value left.

Thursday

Zarkandar (World Hurdle) at 14-1 Paddy Power

*Ante-post – Cause Of Causes at 12-1 (4.40 Cheltenham)

Cheltenham Day Two Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Day One of the Cheltenham festival did not exactly go to plan! Irving carried our hopes in the first but never looked like getting involved at any stage. It looked as though Glens Melody was going to save the day for us when striking for home in the Mares’ Hurdle but Quevega would not be denied a sixth consecutive victory in the race.

The low point of the was the tragic death of Our Conor following a heavy fall in the Champion Hurdle. I hope there is no repetition of this during the week as the ground dries out. For ground officially given as good to soft, it seems odd that a new course record was set by Vautour in the first. There was always a risk that the form book would be turned upside down after the horses have been running on soft ground for months.

We are already heavily involved in day two and Sire De Grugy’s performance in the Champion Chase could determine whether we are in profit this week. We snapped up 25-1 months ago about him and he is likely to off at around 5-2. I really don’t fancy anything else in the race so let’s hope he can keep his form.

We are also on at big odds in the opener with Faugheen at 10’s and Red Sherlock at 20’s. Either would give us a tidy profit. Space Ship didn’t get into the Fred Winter but we have our stake returned on the NR – no bet terms. That race looks impossible but we’ll re-invest in the Coral Cup.

Calculated Risk gives us a long shot at 40-1. The going has gone against Kaylif Aramis but I’m optimistic for the chances of Whisper. Nicky Henderson had three runners-up on the opening day and a third so his horses are obviously in flying form. A bit of each-way on Whisper with Nico de Boinville taking off 5lbs seems a wise move.

Modus takes on team Mullins in the Champion Bumper at 5.15. He should improve for the better ground and should also give us a good run.

Wednesday

Coral Cup – Whisper at 18-1 Bet365

Ante-post

Neptune – Un Temps Pour Tout 25-1, Red Sherlock 20-1, Faugheen 10-1

RSA Chase – O’Faolains Boy 16-1

Coral Cup – Calculated Risk 40-1

Champion Chase – Sire De Grugy 25-1

Fred Winter – Space Ship 16-1

Champion Bumper – Modus 10-1

Cheltenham Ante-Post Roundup

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s time for a final run-down of our ante-post portfolio for next week’s Cheltenham festival. We will be previewing each day in our regular blog with the best bets of the day but here is the state of play.

The tone of the meeting could be set by Irving in the opener. I’ve been an enthusiastic follower since he won at Ascot earlier in the season and he’s now as short as 5-2 in places.

Day two is probably the most important day of the week for our portfolio with 25-1 Sire De Grugy carrying our hopes. If he runs as he did at Ascot he will win but he has not shown his best form at the track in the past and we won’t be able to breathe easily until he’s battled up the famous hill! He is the highlight of a busy day’s betting with three in the Neptune (possibly down to two if Pipe opts for a handicap for Un Temps Pour Tout).

Thursday is the weakest day of the week although it has received a boost with the news that Annie Power is set to clash with Big Buck’s. Friday’s Gold Cup has plenty of interest for us with three likely starters (Rocky Creek and Dynaste may be taken out). King’s Palace is one of our banker bets in the Albert Bartlett and Le Rocher should give us a bold run in the Triumph. Activial is still not a certain starter but we are on NR – No bet.

Good luck with all your Cheltenham bets and join us on Monday for our preview of Tuesday’s card!

Tuesday

Supreme – Irving 16-1

Arkle Chase – Dodging Bullets 6-1

National Hunt Chase – Foxrock 9-1

Wednesday

Neptune – Un Temps Pour Tout 25-1, Red Sherlock 20-1, Faugheen 10-1

RSA Chase – O’Faolains Boy 16-1

Coral Cup – Calculated Risk 40-1

Champion Chase – Sire De Grugy 25-1

Fred Winter – Space Ship 16-1

Champion Bumper – Modus 10-1

Thursday

Byrne Group Plate – Cause Of Causes 12-1

Friday

Triumph Hurdle – Le Rocher 14-1, Activial 10-1

County Hurdle – Dell’ Arca 16-1, Cheltenian 14-1

Albert Bartlett – Kings Palace 5-1

Gold Cup – Last Instalment 14-1, Silviniaco Conti 9-1, Dynaste 25-1, Triolo D’Alene 40-1, Rocky Creek 33-1

Cheltenham Ante-Post Update

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With just two weeks remaining, it’s a good time to take stock of our Cheltenham ante-post portfolio. The news that Sprinter Sacre will not run in the Champion Chase is not really a surprise, given the enormous pressure that Nicky Henderson must have been under.

A horse can almost become too popular so that the public feel as though they own a share in it. I know that David Elsworth always wanted to run Desert Orchid in the Grand National but the risks were just too great with such public property. Hopefully Sprinter Sacre will return safe and well next season.

The plus side is that we advised Sire De Grugy at 25-1 in this column several weeks ago and he is now trading at around 2-1. We also suggested that Le Rocher (Triumph Hurdle) was too big at 14-1 (now 6-1) and the same applies to Last Instalment 6-1 from 14-1 (Gold Cup). Our long-range Gold Cup tips were Silviniaco Conti at 9-1 and Dynaste at 25-1 so we should be in the money somewhere.

Kings Palace 7-2 from 5-1 and Irving (7-2 from 16-1 advised) give us some great chances in the novice events while we have Un Temps Pour Tout (25-1), Red Sherlock (20-1) and Faugheen (10-1) in the Neptune.

The Champion Hurdle has never really captured my imagination this season with My Tent Or Yours, The New One and Hurricane Fly pretty well dominating the market. I like double-figure prices for most festival races and there hasn’t been any great value.

The handicaps are yet to be assessed and I don’t think it is worth spending too much time on them just yet with over 1,000 entries! I have a number of horses in mind but will wait to see how the handicapper treats them. I’ll then be seeking some early value to bolster our healthy looking ante-post book.

Bet365 are already offering NR No Bet on all 27 festival races and I think that is tremendous value. I hope the other firms follow suit shortly!

Champion Chase – Sire De Grugy 25-1

Gold Cup – Last Instalment 14-1, Silviniaco Conti 9-1, Dynaste 25-1

Albert Bartlett – Kings Palace 5-1

Neptune – Un Temps Pour Tout 25-1, Red Sherlock 20-1, Faugheen 10-1

Supreme – Irving 16-1

Triumph Hurdle – Le Rocher 14-1

National Hunt Chase – Foxrock 9-1

Racing Preview Saturday 18th January

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Ascot and Haydock provide the pick of the action this weekend. I have already previewed the Clarence House Chase and the Peter Marsh Chase but there are plenty of other tempting races to bet on.

A three-mile hurdle is going to take some getting tomorrow and I’m siding with Carole’s Spirit in the 1.50 at Ascot after seeing her battle back at Haydock. She looked beaten two out but just refused to give in and fought back to win well. She absolutely bolted up at Plumpton in similar ground and can upset the favourite Mickie.

I was very impressed with Ptit Zig’s effort when he carried 11st 12lb into second place in the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Ascot. The form hasn’t really been put to the test yet but he should be too good for Melodic Rendezvous in the Haydock Champion Hurdle Trial on Saturday.

Paul Nicholls is eager to send him over a fence so he would have to win comfortably to be allowed to run in the Champion. Soft ground is also a pre-requisite and that is not guaranteed in March, even if it does sometimes feel like the rain is never going to stop! I think the 50-1 will be cut in half if he wins well tomorrow so I’ll risk a small each-way bet.

Over at Ascot, I’m going to take a chance on Citizenship in the handicap hurdle for Venetia Williams. The stable continues in fine form and this horse was a very smart hurdler a couple of years ago for the Harrington stable in Ireland. He picked up a £50,000 prize and then ran in the County Hurdle but was never sighted in a muddling race.

He lost his way subsequently but looked in rude health when winning at Exeter and has been diverted here from the Lanzarote Hurdle. I’m slightly concerned that the heavy ground was the reason for his withdrawal but he has a couple of furlongs less to travel here and is worth a bet at 9-1.

Williams and Treadwell could land a big race double as Renard has decent claims in the next. He won well at Chepstow in similar ground and will handle it better than most of these.

Ptit Zig 2.40 Haydock at Evens William Hill

Ptit Zig (Champion Hurdle) at 50-1 each-way Stan James

Carole’s Spirit 1.50 Ascot at 4-1 Bet365

Citizenship 2.25 Ascot at 9-1 Coral

Renard 3.00 Ascot at 5-1 Stan James

*Sire De Grugy 3.35 Ascot 6-4

*Merry King 3.15 Haydock 11-2

*Chance Du Roy 3.15 Haydock 10-1 (each-way)

*Ante-post