Henry De Bromhead’s Cheltenham career has blossomed later than our other trainers under the spotlight. He began training just before the millennium and landed his first winner with Fidalus on the first of January 2000, totalling a promising 17 winners that season to kick start his career. The County Waterford man’s early career was akin to that of a dormant volcano, as his combined winners in the three successive seasons were only one short of that initial success.
All of the top trainers generally had one horse that elevated them into the limelight, and for Henry De Bromhead, his was Sizing Europe. After landing an across-the-sea raid in the Greatwood Hurdle in 2007, De Bromhead firmly set his sights on the festival with his son of Pistolet Bleu and after a disappointing effort in the 2008 Champion Hurdle, he returned to Prestbury Park two years later for the yards inaugural festival winner when landing the 2010 Arkle at 6/1. Chasing had evidently improved him, and he joined the prestigious roll of honours of horses to land the Arkle/Champion Chase double when defeating Big Zeb at 10/1 in 2011 in a developing era of star studded two milers.
Along with Sizing Australia’s Cross Country victory 2011, Sizing Europe was something of an anomaly at this stage in De Bromhead’s Cheltenham credentials, as it wasn’t until 2017 that he notched up his fourth Cheltenham Festival winner with Special Tiara’s defeat of Fox Norton in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, taking advantage of the no showing of 2/9F Douvan on account of lameness.
Balko Des Flos was his only winner in 2018 when landing the Ryanair Chase, but it was 2019 that foreshadowed a subsequent stellar career at the pinnacle of the sport’s greatest four days. Minella Indo and A Plus Tard were triumphant in the Albert Bartlett and Centenary Novices’ Handicap respectively, and that pair later became responsible for Henry De Bromhead’s historical back to back Gold Cup victories in 2021 and 2022, who reversed the form with each in their individual feats – a strong testament to the sheer quality of Henry De Bromhead’s training capabilities.
Henry De Bromhead became the only trainer to win the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and the Gold Cup with Honeysuckle, Put The Kettle On and Minella Indo, and just for good measure, he landed the forecast in the Aintree Grand National a month later. Within the space of four weeks, Henry De Bromhead had packed more success into his training career than ever before, firmly cementing himself as one of the leading operators in the game. Not only that, but he became the first trainer since Vincent O’Brien in 1950 to land back to back Champion Hurdles and Gold Cups.
The yard have accumulated 23 Cheltenham Festival winners, with a super six winners in 2021 (Bob Olinger, Honeysuckle, Minella Indo, Telmesomethingirl, Put The Kettle On, Quilixios), with a remarkable 19 Grade One’s to boot, four more than Gordon Elliott. Despite receiving relatively limited ammo compared to the two big guns in Ireland, he masterfully campaigns his arrows to get a winner on board and his underdog success often tug on the heartstrings of the racing public, who’d love nothing more to pluck his praises this time around after a quiet campaign of late.
July Flower – Pastorius x Aurelle D’Arthel (Astarabad) – Mares’ Hurdle
The mare July Flower is one of just two single-figure SP’s of Henry De Bromhead’s Cheltenham team at this stage and while she may have the likes of Brighterdaysahead, Jade De Grugy and Lossiemouth to contend with, his exceptional talents in training fillies and mares suggest she shouldn’t be underestimated. The daughter of Pastorius had just one run for the yard in 2023 when midfield in the Aintree bumper, but either side of that she was a grade one bumper winner in France and later finished second to the high class Lossange Bleu in grade one company at Auteuil. She bombed out again at Aintree, but finished off her final effort on French shores with another two length defeat to Lossange Bleu in the French Champion Hurdle in May, a length behind Hewick and ahead of the likes of Mahler Mission, Home By The Lee and Irish Point despite just a five-year-old. We’ve only seen her once since being reunited with Henry De Bromhead, under new ownership, and it was a facile four length success in a G3 Mares contest at Leopardstown in December when defeating Kala Conti, with the sixteen length third franking the form next time out in G2 company at Doncaster. She remains in the ‘could be anything’ category as she still has to prove she’s capable of backing up her smart French form, but the speed she showed when kicking clear at Leopardstown could hardly have been any more impressive.
The Big Westerner – Westerner x Augusta Bay (Oscar) – Albert Bartlett
Put The Kettle On defied the odds to become the first mare to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2021, and no man is better equipped to break the mares’ duck in the Albert Bartlett with The Big Westerner. Patiently campaigned in typical De Bromhead fashion, the aptly named daughter of Westerner is unbeaten in three starts thus far, beginning with a Ballycahane point win last March. She lowered the colours of the Willie Mullins trained Argento Boy in a Punchestown maiden hurdle over 2m5f in November where she was powerful at the line, and she shot to the fore of the Albert Bartlett market when a comfortable winner of a Limerick G2 over 2m7f, a race that last seasons second, Stellar Story, subsequently went on to win the Albert Bartlett. Henry De Bromhead won the race with Minella Indo in 2019, and this stoutly bred mare is a half sister to Stay Away Fay, who took the Albert Bartlett in 2023.
Workahead – Workforce x Clean Easa (Accordion) – Supreme
Henry De Bromhead broke his Supreme duck with Slade Steel last season and has been positive regarding the chances of Workahead to land successive renewals. The Cragmore point winner is stoutly bred on the damside, being a full brother to Bronn from the family of 2003 Stayers 4th Classified, and it looked as if he needed further when a nine length third to Champion Bumper winner Jasmin De Vaux at Navan in December. However he showed he had the speed for two miles when making all in emphatic style at Leopardstown on Boxing Day to win by seven lengths. He was only shaken up after the last and the relentless nature with how he stayed on would prove key around Cheltenham. The form has worked out well, with the highly regarded William Munny finishing second to Kawaboomga next time out before going on to win in listed company now rated 142, the 20 lengths third has won twice over fences since now rated 138, and the 28 lengths fifth has also won twice since, latterly in G3 company now rated 133. On collateral formlines, Workahead has the potential to be the 150s type required to win a Supreme, and at 12/1, could rate a smart each way bet.
Monty’s Star – Walk In The Park x Tempest Belle (Glacial Storm) – Gold Cup
In the Minella Indo colours, Monty’s Star can still rate a chief threat to Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup having stepped up on his reappearance at Tramore on seasonal debut. The tight, right handed nature of Tramore didn’t appear to suit in January, a race successfully used by the likes of Al Boum Photo and Minella Indo en-route to Gold Cup success, but in hindsight it mightn’t have been a bad effort given he evidently needed it and the 3rd, 4th and 5th have all gone well since. He then contested the Irish Gold Cup and despite going into the race as the lowest rated runner in the eld at 153, he was only beaten seven lengths in to fifth by Galopin Des Champs, reversing the Embassy Gardens form in doing so despite being 6lbs worse off. He was only three lengths behind Fact To File who was possibly flattered having own past beaten horses late on, and I thought Monty’s Star fared better than the bare result given he was the one tracking Galopin Des Champs throughout. I was impressed with how he stuck on despite being collared by four at the last, and given the way in which De Bromhead primes his horses for Cheltenham, I still don’t think he’d have been 100%. While he’s undoubtedly a national horse for next season, or potentially even this one, he can give a good account of himself in the Gold Cup this term.
Taponthego – Champs Elysees x Presenting Proform (Presenting) – Martin Pipe
Henry De Bromhead only has two Cheltenham Festival Handicaps to his name but at 14/1 and a handy weight of 11-2, Taponthego rates an interesting contender to bolster that record. He was out early in the season to finish second to Fleur In The Park for Andrew Slattery who’s potentially overpriced himself for the Martin Pipe after four subsequent credible efforts in graded company. Taponthego then went one better next time out, beating McLaurey some nine lengths at Tipperary with that one franking the form since with a valuable success in a 74k handicap at Leopardstown now rated 133 and in contention for both the County and the Martin Pipe. De Bromhead’s charge was second to Ol Man Dingle next time out who finished close up behind McLaurey at Leopardstown, and his two subsequent efforts smacked of a bigger day ahead when in rear behind James’s Gate and William Munny. He qualified for a handicap with that last effort and stayed on well toward the end over an inadequate trip, and he looks to be the yard’s strongest chance of a winner in the handicaps.
Though Henry De Bromhead doesn’t have any obvious candidates this time around, Slade Steel nor Captain Guinness were obvious types at this stage last season either and the Waterford wizard will have his string primed for a strong festival. After a dismal winter/Christmas period where the yards horses were evidently not at their optimum, he’s inevitably going to have them fit, and well handicapped come March, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some surprises unearth themselves in the winners enclosure for one of the most underrated operators around Prestbury Park.
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