Sire De Grugy (21 June 2006 – August 2023) was a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.
Sire De Grugy was a chestnut horse with a broad white blaze bred by La Grugerie stud at Pouancé, Maine-et-Loire in France.
Preston approached the trainer Gary Moore who agreed to pay 25% of the purchase price providing that he was allowed full control of the horse's career.
He made his debut over obstacles in a novice hurdle two weeks later at Kempton Park in which he finished second to the future Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth.
In the 2012/2013 National Hunt season, Sire De Grugy raced in novice steeplechase, making a successful debut over larger obstacles at Kempton on 21 October.
He recovered from several jumping errors to take the lead at the second last but was overtaken fifty yards from the finish and beaten by the Nicky Henderson-trained Kid Cassidy, who was carrying ten pounds less.
[10] On 27 December, Sire De Grugy was matched against the outstanding two-mile chaser Sprinter Sacre, winner of his last ten races, in the Grade II Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.
As in some of his earlier races, he jumped to the left at several fences but took the lead approaching the second last and went clear of his rivals to win by eleven lengths from the Irish-trained Hidden Cyclone.
[12] Sire De Grugy made his first appearance at the Cheltenham Festival when he was one of eleven horses to contest the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
[15] Sire De Grugy, who had already been named British jump racing's Horse of the Year, ended his season by repeating his 2013 success in the Celebration Chase at Sandown.
"[16] Sire De Grugy was expected to return at Cheltenham in November, but was found to be lame shortly before his scheduled comeback: subsequent veterinary tests revealed a hip injury.
On 11 March, Sire De Grugy attempted to repeat his 2014 success in the Queen Mother Champion Stakes in which he was opposed by two previous winners of the race in Sprinter Sacre and Sizing Europe.
Sire De Grugy made a disappointing seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup where after a bad error at the fourth fence he failed to keep up with the leaders and was eased in the home straight to finish last of the five runners,[17] but returned to winning ways in his next start on 5 December regaining the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase by three parts of a length from Special Tiara with which he had a mid-air interference at the last fence forcing the race to go through a stewards inquiry but the winning result stood with his jockey Jamie Moore reporting: "He always jumps left, he's jumped a bit left again at the last".
After closely tracking the leader Somersby, he took control at the 7th fence but made a costly mistake at the final obstacle at which he surrendered the lead and just failed by three-parts of a length at the line, finishing second to Sprinter Sacre.
Sire De Grugy chased him for the entire race but after looking like a threat at the second-last fence he failed to make any impressions and finished tired, five lengths away in second spot with his stablemate Traffic Fluide just a short head in third.
[20] Contesting the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival for the third time, Sire De Grugy came last of the eight finishers, beaten 67 lengths by Sprinter Sacre.
[21] He spent two months the following summer learning to be a riding horse at the Retraining of Racehorses stables at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, before returning to the Moore family for the remainder of his retirement.