Ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, punters inevitably pour over the entries hailing from the Closutton operation of Willie Mullins – he is, after all, the most successful trainer in the history of the meeting.
Admirable as Mullins’ exploits are, however, he isn’t the only trainer from the Emerald Isle to know what it takes to register a famous March success. Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell can never be overlooked at Prestbury Park, and neither can Knockeen-based Henry De Bromhead.
Immensely popular with racing fans on both sides of the Irish Sea, De Bromhead has picked up 23 wins at the Cheltenham Festival, including two in the Champion Hurdle, two in the Gold Cup, and four in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Given that record, De Bromhead is always on the radar of Cheltenham Ante Post punters. That is again the case in 2025, but those looking to support the 52-year-old handler may be more than a little concerned about the recent form of the yard.
Flying in 2024, Flat in 2025
The 2024/25 National Hunt campaign began well for De Bromhead. Focussing on events in his homeland, the trainer registered an excellent 25% strike rate for October and left that figure in the shade with a 31% strike rate for November.
A dip was perhaps inevitable following such an electric start to the season and duly came in December, which saw nine of 92 De Bromhead runners win for a 10% strike rate. Worse was to come in January.
De Bromhead sent out 61 runners in the first month of 2025. Of those, only two managed to get their heads in front for a very low strike rate of 3.28%. Cause for concern? Or merely a symptom of the variance contained within the sport?
De Bromhead didn’t seem unduly perturbed about the recent quiet period, suggesting the low figures may be due to many of his better horses having a break.
“We’d put away quite a lot of our horses after Christmas, and there’s a good few back cantering and strengthening up to get them back as fresh and well as possible. When you’re pulling some of your top horses out of competition around that time, it makes it harder, but we very much set our sights on Cheltenham from Christmas.”
As February began, there were early signs that the shoots of recovery may be breaking through at Knockeen, with 66/1 chance Special Cadeau registering a shock success at Thurles.
All Eyes on Prestbury Park
If his past record is any guide, De Bromhead can be relied upon to ensure his squad is fit and firing in a little over a month. As ever, the likeable trainer looks to have built a strong Cheltenham team, including the following:
- Workahead – Point to Point winner who broke his maiden under rules in good style at Leopardstown and is bound for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- The Big Westerner – Unbeaten mare who stayed on well to claim a Grade 2 at Navan in December. Amongst the leading fancies for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle
- Sky Lord – Likely to back up Workahead in the Supreme following a solid outing at Punchestown in January
- Captain Guinness – The reigning Queen Mother Champion Chase hero returns to defend his crown but will need to step up on this season’s efforts
- July Flower – French recruit who impressed on yard debut at Leopardstown in December. Set to follow in the hoofprints of Honeysuckle and tackle the Mares’ Hurdle
- Envoi Allen – Now 11 years old, Envoi Allen has scored nine times in Grade 1 company, including three times at the Cheltenham Festival. Has the Ryanair Chase, which he won in 2023, as his main target this time around
- Monty’s Star – Finished a gallant second to Fact To File in the 2024 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and goes for the Gold Cup in 2025