“We’ve a nice team of horses going over there this year” – de Bromhead
Knockeen trainer Henry de Bromhead is looking forward to his old favourites running at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Photo: INPHO
Knockeen trainer Henry de Bromhead is sending a nice team of horses to the Cheltenham Festival, where he’ll be hoping old favourites like Bob Olinger, Envoi Allen and Quilixious run their races in the feature races on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Assessing the chances of his Cheltenham Festival contenders ahead of the four-day festival, de Bromhead said: “We feel we have a nice team going there this year, and we always try to give them every chance to be the best version of themselves on the day.
“We feel letting them have a break after Christmas to the spring really crowns some of them and allows them to freshen up.”
We’re probably leaning towards the novice, I’d say, but it’s nice to have options (currently entered in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase). We’ll see what way the ground is and what the opposition is like, but I suppose ultimately you have to think for your horse.
We’ve sort of built him through the season. He improved plenty from his first to his second and then improved again from his second to his third. He’ll probably have an entry in the novice handicap in case the ground comes up soft, but I’d say we’re leaning towards the Brown Advisory.
He’s class, and he always has been so he’ll go back to try defend his Stayers hurdle crown. Obviously, we lost him for about a year, a year and a half, which was probably our fault, but it’s great to have him back, and he loves Cheltenham as well.
He had a lovely run at Cheltenham. Those older lads, you don’t want to be too hard on them for their first run, so he ran a lovely race.
She ran fine at Leopardstown, probably a little bit disappointing. Might have just been that the ground, and looking at the Arkle now, you’d be leaning towards the Mares’ Chase, but we’ll keep an eye on the Arkle and just see.
I thought she actually improved for the drop-down in the trip. I wouldn’t discount three miles in time but at Cheltenham it’s obviously two to two and a half miles.
We have two entries, so I hate committing fully, but I’d say we’re like 85 per cent for the Ryanair. I think we’ll go there and ride him a fraction more positive by the sounds of what Darragh was saying.
He’s hitting that age now, so I’d say he’s definitely improved a little bit. I would hope he would run well.
I'd say it’s unlikely (he’ll run in the Unibet Champion Hurdle). He’s going to run in Gowran on Saturday in the Red Mills Hurdle, and we’ve left him in (the Unibet Champion Hurdle), but I’d say he’ll more likely go for the County Hurdle.
He’s had a couple of setbacks throughout the year, but he’s really good now. If all goes well, we’re there in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase.
He’s in great form, he runs well fresh, and he could be exciting. He worked really well today. It’s a tough thing to do, but it’s been done before.
I think he has a chance in the Gold Cup, I really do. It’s sort of like Bob Olinger last year – you look at all the horses he has beaten, and they are single figures, and then you look at him, and he’s some crazy price!
I thought he was better than ever when he won on his comeback. People said it wasn’t a good race, but you only have to look at the form since – if he stays that extra bit and doesn’t see why he won’t. I am kind of wondering why I haven’t run him in the Gold Cup for the past couple of years.
He has a similar profile to Minella Indo going into the Albert Bartlett in that he was is still a maiden but was third to No Drama This End at Cheltenham in November when he was still very green. He is a really nice horse.
He was third in the two and a half mile Grade One at Naas behind Declan Queally’s horse I’ll Sort That. It looked like they were going to quicken away but he stayed on nicely at the end.
