Connections face a forked road with Sire de Grugy

Trainer Gary Moore is targeting one more run this season for Sire De Grugy but is keeping his options open.

Sire De Grugy has been absent for much of the campaign through injury and failed to deliver on his return to the track in Newbury‘s Game Spirit Chase, won by Mr Mole.

Despite appearing to be getting back to something near his best at Chepstow, the nine-year-old struggled on his return to Cheltenham and never looked like defending his Queen Mother Champion Chase crown, finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Dodging Bullets.

There appears to be one more race left in him this season with Moore looking at Aintree, Punchestown and Sandown.

Moore said: “He’s come of the race fine. The ground was just a bit quick for him and maybe I ran him back too quick after Chepstow. The Chepstow race probably took more out of him than we initially thought, but we had to go (to Cheltenham).

“We’ll enter him for Aintree and Punchestown and I’ve also got the Celebration Chase at Sandown at the back of my mind. If he goes to Aintree he would obviously have to step up to two and a half (miles), so we’ll just wait and see. It will definitely only be one of the three.”