Grumeti Two More Runs Before Triumph Hurdle

Grumeti, the horse who advanced to share ante-post favouritism for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March despite falling on his most recent outing, is set to have a couple more runs before taking his chance in the two-mile juvenile hurdle cavalry charge on the fourth day of the festival meeting, writes Elliot Slater.

The fair middle-distance handicapper has looked a real find in the hurdles sphere since switching codes in December where he received rave reviews following his debut over timber when slamming the useful Ted Spread by 14-lengths in a Taunton novice hurdle. It would have made people looking at the 2012 Cheltenham betting sit up and take notice.

On the back of that success and following heavy ante-post support that saw him jump to very close to the head of the market for the Triumph Hurdle on the basis of that one effort, King’s four-year-old headed to Newbury in mid-January where he was sent off a warm order for the Berkshire Stand Bookshop Juvenile Hurdle, a race that appeared to be well and truly in safe keeping as the son of Sakhee was still eight-lengths clear and travelling powerfully when stumbling on landing at the second last flight before slithering to the ground.

It seems those looking ahead to the Betfair Cheltenham festival 2012 were not too worry and despite that odds-on loss, punters were quick to support Grumeti again and he is now co-favourite at 8/1 in some lists for Cheltenham along with Baby Mix and Sadlers Risk. King is keen to get a couple more runs into Grumeti before sending him to Prestbury Park to go for the big one and could well run him at Cheltenham on January 28 in another novices’ event before finding a race a few weeks later to put the finishing touches to his preparation. The Barbury Castle based handler is clearly to keen to ensure that Grumeti’s confidence will be fully restored before asking him to try and win one of the toughest races of the while National Hunt season.