Super Sire puts on Ascot best Sire De Grugy continued his domination of the two-mile division in the absence of the brilliant Sprinter Sacre with a superb display in the Sodexo Clarence House Chase at Ascot. Winner of the Tingle Creek and the Desert Orchid on his last two starts, Gary Moore's stable star was sent off the 5-4 favourite to add a second Grade One event to his impressive CV and always travelled well for Jamie Moore as Kauto Stone set the pace. He took over the lead in company with Hidden Cyclone on the bend leading to the home straight and after seeing off his Irish rival, galloped clear to score by an impressive 11 lengths. There was no emotional triumph for Somersby as the 2012 winner unseated Dominic Elsworth with the race barely at halfway. Jamie Moore said: "This is all about the horse - some of the jumps he put in were spectacular. He was magic today, all credit to the horse. Today he felt as good as he has ever felt. Sprinter Sacre is a great horse, but today was his most impressive performance. I'm not saying he'll beat the other horse, but he could do." Sire De Grugy was roundly cut in the betting to around the 2-1 mark about winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, though Sprinter Sacre remains the odds-on favourite. The winning trainer said: "He has got his quirks because he's French. When he first came to us he was a very free horse. Jamie's done a great job and settled him now. He has a cross noseband on because he's quirky. We could probably do away with that now, but we won't. "He's settled down lovely and he switched off great. His great asset is his jumping. I don't think the ground is as heavy as people thought. They've gone a good gallop and made it a true-run race. Fair play to the horse. This is only his second season as a chaser, at the end of the day. He was a novice last year. "He's got to go for the Champion Chase. I think he's an improving horse and I've got nearly two months to freshen him up. I'll give him a nice break for a couple of weeks then we'll bring him back purposely for the Champion Chase. He deserves to be in it."
