Grugy among top class Melling field Sire De Grugy will bid to put his Cheltenham disappointment behind him when stepping up in trip for the Betfred Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday. The nine year old, who finished fourth in the Queen Mother Champion Chase last month, is to have his first attempt at tackling two-and-a-half miles when lining up in what looks to be a high-class renewal of the Grade One event. Both the Paul Nicholls-trained Al Ferof and the Colin Tizzard's Cue Card will have their first outings since finishing third and fifth respectively in the King George VI chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day. Champagne Fever, who missed his intended outing at the Cheltenham Festival, will represent last year's winning trainer Willie Mullins, while Don Cossack and Balder Succes, who finished third and seventh respectively in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham will lock horns again. Sire De Grugy is not the only runner out to better his run in the Queen Mother with the fifth home Simply Ned set to fly the flag for Nicky Richards. The field is completed by 2012 runner-up Wishfull Thinking, the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Johns Spirit and Croco Bay who represents Ben Case.
