Jasmin De Grugy grinds out dominant Grimthorpe victory
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Sat 28 Feb 2026
Jasmin De Grugy won an attritional renewal of the Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at Doncaster.
A total of 13 horses were declared, but five were taken out on account of the ground being much softer than anticipated and in the end only three finished.
That was partly because Some Scope set about finding any weakness in his rivals and had soon built up a huge advantage, with the field strung out at healthy intervals.
Only Anthony Honeyball’s Jasmin De Grugy (5-1) was able to catch him, with the perfect man on board for a patient ride in Richie McLernon, eventually pulling 33 lengths clear.
“It was a funny race in the end because the horse out in front really set it alight,” said Honeyball, who is finding Town Moor a happy hunting ground of late.
“You can’t let them get too far ahead, but equally you don’t want to go off and do something silly.
“Richie timed it perfectly, people might say he got there too soon, but on that ground you’ve got to keep the leader in sight as is it hard to make up the ground.
“He’s been a little bit of an enigma since he won his five races in a row, he was second at Punchestown but he made hard work of it and we’ve never been quite sure what his best work might be.
“I thought the ground had gone, but we were always going to run and give him a chance. I really fancied Dartmoor Pirate (Great Yorkshire Chase winner), but he was unlucky to unseat at the last (when challenging for second place).
“I didn’t expect those conditions to suit, but now we’ve found that they do we’ll have a good look at the programme.”
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