Sire seeks to follow Sprinter Sacre path

Sire De Grugy is all set for his date with destiny as he assumes the mantle of favourite for the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase.

With Nicky Henderson’s reigning champion Sprinter Sacre the biggest absentee of the week from this year’s Festival after suffering a heart condition earlier this season, the two-mile chasing division has gone from being a one-horse show to a wide-open affair.

The Gary Moore-trained Sire De Grugy has undoubtedly taken up the mantle as the one to beat following victories in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton and the Clarence House Chase at Ascot, with each effort more impressive than the last in the hands of the trainer’s son, Jamie.