Sire De Grugy‘s planned appearance at Aintree on Sunday could be shelved if the ground is not suitable, trainer Gary Moore has said.
The 10-year-old was pulled out of a Chepstow run earlier in the month as the going was deemed to be too quick for the Tingle Creek winner and there could be a repeat scenario in Liverpool this weekend.
Moore says he wants a preparation outing ahead of this season’s Tingle Creek in early December but he might have to go over hurdles if Aintree is bypassed.
He said on his Betway blog: “I’m very keen to run him in the Old Roan Chase. However, the only potential problem is the ground as we are in desperate need of some rain. In reality, good to soft would be fine, but any quicker than that would be a worry.
“The one thing I really don’t want to do is drag him all the way up there, like we did at Chepstow, only to pull him out last minute.”
Moore added: “I’m just really keen to get a run into him before Sandown as it worked last year and will hopefully work again.
“If we didn’t go to Aintree, then I certainly wouldn’t rule him out of having a run over hurdles to prep him for Sandown.”
