Godsmejudge primed for Sandown curtain call following defections

Alan King’s 2013 Scottish National winner Godsmejudge is vying with Phllip Hobbs’ Roalco De Farges for market supremacy at 10/1 in Sandown’s Gold Cup, after only just failing to retain his crown at Ayr last time out.

Jockey Aidan Coleman couldn’t get the eight-yr-old back up to challenge eventual winner Al Co after a slight mistake when prominent five fences from the winning post, with Peter Bowen’s chestnut beating King’s champion into second by a length and a half.

Bowen stated after the Scottish National that he expects Al Co to go for Aintree’s equivalent in 2015, but after his sixth race of the campaign the nine-yr-old will play no further part in it, whereas lightly-raced Godsmejudge looks set to take his chance at the Surrey track’s season-ending showcase.

In his three starts this season prior to Ayr’s showpiece, Godsmejudge finished fifth, on reappearance, before pulling up twice ahead of an expected tilt at the Grand National that never materialised.

However, the vibes coming out of King’s yard at the start of this month were somewhat better and the son of Witness Box went off at a hopeful 16//1 on the south west coast of Scotland before bringing in a decent return for his each-way backers.

Another big run is expected from King’s inmate at Sandown, where champion chaser Sire De Grugy could renew rivalries with the second and third placed horses behind him at Cheltenham, Mick Channon’s Somersby and Tom George’s Module.

Sire De Grugy was only overtaken at the top of this season’s earnings list after Pineau De Re banked over half a million by winning the Grand National.

After his six-length defeat of Channon’s veteran, all eyes will be on Gary Moore’s gelding, who’s fought hard to become arguably the surprise star of the 2013/14 National Hunt campaign.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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