Donn McClean paid a visit to the top-class yard of Henry De Bromhead where he got the latest on all the stars including Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard and Chris's Dream.
Henry de Bromhead is enjoying a hugely fruitful season so far with a team that is deep in quality.
Here are some of the horses that he is looking forward to now as we look forward to the Christmas festivals and beyond...
A Plus Tard
We were really happy with his seasonal debut in the Fortria Chase, up against an experienced horse in Ballyoisin. It was a nice run. He’ll come on plenty for it. He jumped well and Rachael was really happy with him. It seems as if he’s better on a left-handed track, so our hands are slightly tied in that sense. Ideally you’d love a two-and-a-half-mile race on a left-handed track, but they’re hard to find at this stage of the season. We have plenty to gear towards later in the season, but at the moment we’re aiming towards Leopardstown at Christmas, for the two-mile-one-furlong chase there, and we can see after that. We’re aiming mainly towards the spring, and the Ryanair Chase.
Balko Des Flos
He ran okay in Punchestown the first day, he would have needed the run. He just wasn’t a hundred per cent right, he came back feeling his shins at Thurles the last day, he didn’t run anywhere near his form. We think we have him right now and we’ll aim for Christmas or the new year with him.
Chris’s Dream
He was really impressive in winning the Troytown Chase. He seemed to jump and travel really well, Robbie gave him a super ride. It was lovely the way he saw it all out. He kind of lost his way at the end of last season, he won at Navan, he won the Ten Up Chase, and then he lost his way a bit at Aintree and he was very disappointing at Punchestown. It’s hard to read how good he is. We’re going to try to pick our runs this year, not over-run him. We were thinking either the Thyestes or the Irish Gold Cup, but he’s rated 159 now, so we’re leaning towards the Irish Gold Cup. We might as well dip in and see where we are.
Dommage Pour Toi
He ran well in Navan the other day. I’d say he probably needs further again than that two and a half miles. It’s tough to try and make all at Navan, but he needed a test of stamina as well, so we had to balance it. He ran well, he jumped well, much better than at Punchestown, so he’s finding his feet, but he’s a nice horse and I think stepping up to three miles will be a positive.
Due Reward
He was good over fences at Killarney, and he ran well at Roscommon. He was disappointing the other day at Navan, but I suppose when you think back, that he was primed probably for the Galway Hurdle, possibly the season has caught up with him a bit, so we’ll back off him for a month and get him ready for the spring.
Honeysuckle
We were delighted with her in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle. She looked really good on the day. It was quite a step up for her, and it was brilliant that she did it so well. You dream that they’ll do those kinds of things, but so often it can be the other way. We’ve always known she has plenty of ability, but for her to go and do it the way that she did it, I was surprised. She just keeps doing it, and the more she does it the more impressive she seems to be. We wouldn’t be asking her any crazy questions at home, so you’d never know until you see them on the track. We’re very lucky to have her.
She won a listed hurdle in Thurles over two miles on good ground. She’s been so good over two and a half miles though, she’s won two Grade 1s over two and a half, so I’m not sure if we need to change a whole lot. We want to aim towards the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, so we thought maybe a prep run prior to that, so it’s a good opportunity to back off her just for the next few weeks. There’s the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Red Mills Hurdle and there’s the mares’ two-and-a-half-mile hurdle at Punchestown in February, but the mares’ hurdle is close enough to Cheltenham, so we’ll see. We’ll enter her for the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle, and we’ll have our options then.
Jan Maat
He was busy during the spring, summer and autumn. It was great to see him win the Buck House Chase, he has taken to fences really well, he’s improved a lot. He’s on a break at the moment and we’ll be aiming him towards the spring.
Minella Indo
He was really tough in winning the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham, and then to come on and win at Punchestown. He just seemed to be loving it, and Rachael got a brilliant tune out of him. He stayed at it really well. He just seems to be tough out. He was only probably fully wound up by the time he got to Cheltenham, he takes a lot of work and we were only getting to know him. I thought his first run back this season over fences was good, he jumped well, bar the first. I would say we’ll aim towards the three-mile Grade 1 race at Leopardstown at Christmas, he nearly has to have three miles to be at his best. We’ll aim for that, and then we can decide from there.
Minella Melody
She was game the last day. I was probably a little bit disappointed on the day, which was ridiculous, they were two good mares that she beat. She toughed it out and I would hope that the fact that some of the hurdles were omitted didn’t help. She jumps really well and we felt that the hurdles would benefit her. She’s a mare we hold in high regard and hopefully she’ll keep progressing. She’ll probably go for the Grade 3 race at Fairyhouse at the end of January.
Minella Times
He stayed on really well at Navan the last day to win the Foxrock Handicap Chase over two and a half miles. Rachael was really good on him. He toughed it out. Hopefully a step up in trip will suit him. He’s in the Paddy Power at Leopardstown over Christmas, and if he happened to get into that, I’d say we’d take our chance.
Monalee
He had a disappointing year last year, although he still won the Red Mills Chase, which was great, and he was second to Kemboy in the Savills Chase, so maybe not that disappointing! I was disappointed with him in the Ryanair, but he was tender on his shins a few days later. The ground was so good last year, so I hope that we just didn’t see his true running really. He’s come back really well this year. He seems in good form. He had a nice run behind Douvan at Clonmel, fitness probably just took its toll in the end. He’ll come on plenty for the run, he’s in the King George and the Savills Chase over Christmas, so depending on ground, he’ll go for one or the other.
Moon Over Germany
He’s in good form, he’ll be entered for the Dan Moore after Christmas, and we might even enter him back over hurdles. He’s still off a fair mark over hurdles as well. We’ll see how he goes, but he’s in good form. He had a couple of great wins this year, Aintree was one of them, and there’s still plenty left with him.
Notebook
He just loves jumping fences, he’s very quick. Long or short. He stepped up a good bit from his hurdles mark, but it always looked like fences were going to be his game. We always thought that, if he took to them like we hoped he would, he could develop into a better chaser than hurdler. Thankfully he has, he won the Craddockstown Chase the last day, beating Moon Over Germany, a 150-rated horse of ours. So he’ll aim for the Racing Post Chase at Leopardstown at Christmas. He likes to jump at speed.
Ornua
He had a fantastic novice season, he won the Grade 1 chase at Aintree and he’s a real two-miler. He ran okay at Sandown the last day, I’d say the ground just didn’t help him on the day. He’s in good form though, and he might aim for the Dan Moore Chase at Fairyhouse as well.
Paloma Blue
I was much happier with him the last day at Gowran Park. He jumped way better than he had been jumping last year. He seemed to enjoy jumping his fences. So hopefully we have got to the bottom of him. He might go to Ascot next week, there’s a two-mile-five-furlong graduation chase there. He’ll be in that, and he’s also in the Savills Chase and the Paddy Power Chase.
Petit Mouchoir
He ran a blinder in the Morgiana Hurdle. He’s had his problems over the years, but it’s great to see him, he’s got a great heart for it and I’d say there’s probably still a big one in him. We’ll aim him towards the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas. We’ll keep him over hurdles for now, it seems to suit him.
Plan Of Attack
We were really pleased with his win at Aintree the last day. He will go for the Paddy Power Chase at Christmas. He’s in good form, he put up a really good performance at Aintree, he stays really well and we’re training him for that race.
Poker Party
He was brilliant in winning the Kerry National, we were delighted with that. He is being trained towards the Paddy Power Chase as well. He’s up to 146 now, so he’ll have near top weight, but he seems to be in good form and he goes well fresh. He stayed well in the Kerry National. I think the key is just to let him warm up into his races.
Put The Kettle On
She was really impressive at Cheltenham the last day. She’s a mare who has just kept on improving. Since we went over fences with her she has just turned inside out. I can’t explain how or why, she was always a nice mare, but the performance she put up in Cheltenham was brilliant. She seemed to enjoy the drop back to two miles and just using her jumping. Aidan Coleman gave her a super ride there, and it was brilliant for the syndicate who own her.