Grumeti will be fine in 48 hours, says Alan King
Trainer Alan King is confident that his star gelding, Grumeti, will be completely fine in next 48 hours. The four-year-old was reported lame by the trainer, who is convinced that the dashing runner will be fully fit in a couple of days.
King talked to racingpost.com on Tuesday, saying that he is quite hopeful for Grumeti’s hundred percent fitness ahead of the JCB Triumph Hurdle, for which he is 5-1 favourite with Bet365.
"Last night he spread his right fore shoe and the toeclip has gone into his foot. He's been poulticed but he's lame this morning. It will probably take 48 hours to recover but time is on his side and he should be okay,” said Alan King.
He added:
"I certainly wouldn't have wanted it to happen this time next week. I thought it better the news was out in the open."
The Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle is scheduled to take place at Cheltenham on March 16, 2012. The four-year-old is among 77 possible runners, who are determined to notch up the top slot.
Grumeti is being considered as hot favourite, following his recent great work. King’s trainee is in sublime form at the moment, as he has sealed a couple of back to back wins so far in the ongoing calendar year.
His latest triumph came on February 25, when the McNeill Family-owned dominated the show in the Grade 2 williamhill.com Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at Kempton.
He was given a real hard time by Paul Nicholls’ trainee, Dodging Bullets, but the champion runner managed to secure first position by one and a half lengths.
His compressive victory promoted the bookies to cut him for the Cheltenham Festival. Prior to his fantastic performance at Kempton, Grumeti showed his class in the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham.
It was a neck to neck contest between Grumeti and Pearl Swan, but the Alan King-trained was eventually declared winner by a short head distance.
With such a terrific track record under his belt, Grumeti is all set to land JCB Triumph Hurdle. However, the superstar runner will have to prove his fitness before the imminent extravaganza.
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