The Betway ambassador and trainer says that he plans to run the 10-year-old this weekend and at Sandown in a fortnight...
I wanted to begin today’s blog by sending my thoughts to the team at Seven Barrows.
What an awful few hours the stable had at Cheltenham last Sunday.
Not only did they have to cope with the retirement of Sprinter Sacre, they also ended up losing Simonsig in the Shloer Chase a few hours later.
This can be a very tough game at times and we know how they are feeling right now.
As for Sprinter Sacre, he was a truly wonderful horse and fully deserves a long and happy retirement.
Sire De Grugy set for Ascot on Saturday
Many of you will have noticed that I entered Sire De Grugy in the valuable Shawbrook Handicap Chase (3.15pm) at Ascot on Saturday, and the plan is very much to run.
They had a nice bit of rain there on Wednesday.
We could have run at Cheltenham last weekend in the Shloer Chase, but the track at Ascot may just suit him that bit better.
It won’t be an easy task as he has to give a hell of a lot of weight away to some good horses, but he seems in great form and we have to let him take his chance.
The only thing about running him is that it only gives us a couple of weeks to the Tingle Creek, but we’d be mad to miss an opportunity like this when he is fit and well.
We’ll see how he is after the weekend, but the plan is still very much to head to Sandown again in a fortnight.
Ar Mad in great form ahead of Tingle Creek
As for Ar Mad, he is very much still on course for Sandown and is in great form at home.
He did a good bit of work on Tuesday and needed it as he had a little blow afterwards.
He schooled for the first time the other morning and he was good – I couldn’t be happier with him.
The Tingle Creek will tell us a lot more about him – whether we stay at two miles or step him up.
I’m really looking forward to seeing him back on the racecourse.
Race against time with Traffic Fluide
I had hoped to get Traffic Fluide back for the Tingle Creek, but that’s not going to happen now as time is against us.
He hasn’t had a saddle on his back for a long time.
The reality is that although he is back in exercise, we’re behind and we won’t see him back in action until the New Year – probably February, in reality.
That means we are up against it to get him back in time for a tilt at a race like the Betway Champion Chase.
