Timeform's Adam Houghton profiles the four star names representing Henry De Bromhead at the Cheltenham Festival, including new recruit Envoi Allen.
Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle)
Henry de Bromhead and owner Kenny Alexander resisted calls to run Honeysuckle in last season’s Champion Hurdle, but they’ve been happy to join the chorus this year after she took her unbeaten record under Rules to 10 with a memorable victory in the Irish equivalent at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival.
Honeysuckle also won that race in 2020, but the workmanlike manner of her success swayed her connections towards the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham instead, scrambling home by half a length from Darver Star and failing to demonstrate the fast and accurate jumping technique needed to excel in a Champion Hurdle.
In pure form terms, Honeysuckle then produced a performance in winning last year’s Mares’ Hurdle which would have been good enough to put her right in the mix in the Champion Hurdle earlier on the card, albeit doubts remained as to whether she could run to the same sort of level against the very best around at two miles.
Nearly 12 months and two more Grade 1 wins later, it’s fair to say that those doubts are now well and truly in the past. Crucially, Honeysuckle put up a much more polished display when winning the latest renewal of the Irish Champion Hurdle, jumping fluently and never looking in any danger after kicking clear at the second last, ultimately winning by 10 lengths from Abacadabras and Sharjah.
That was a high-class performance which will make Honeysuckle very much the one to beat if running to the same sort of level at Cheltenham.
For context, she is 3lb clear of defending champion Epatante on Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings, while the likes of Goshen will also need to improve to concede 7lb to a mare of Honeysuckle’s calibre.
Bob Olinger (Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle)
It’s been less than a year since Bob Olinger made his debut under Rules, but he has looked potentially something out of the ordinary right from the very start, easily winning a Gowran Park bumper before making a smooth transition to hurdling this season.
Admittedly, he was beaten by Ferny Hollow on his first attempt back at Gowran in November, but there was no disgrace in that given how talented we already knew the winner to be – Ferny Hollow won last season’s Champion Bumper, after all – and Bob Olinger deserved plenty of credit for immediately running to a useful level over a trip short of his best.
He had little trouble going one place better when stepped up to two and a half miles at Navan the following month, while there was loads to like about the way he then won the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle last time.
Settled just behind the leaders in the early stages, he quickened to lead before two out and was well on top at the finish, beating Blue Lord by six and a half lengths to add his name to an illustrious roll of honour for that Grade 1.
The big question now is whether he can emulate what Envoi Allen achieved last season by following up in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, which is shaping up to be a red-hot contest with fellow Grade 1 winners Bravemansgame (146p) and Gaillard Du Mesnil (142p) featuring amongst the likely opposition.
It’s worth pointing out that, with a Timeform rating of 140p, Bob Olinger hasn’t achieved as much as that pair to date, but he looks sure to go on improving given that his career is still very much in its infancy.
Envoi Allen (Marsh Novices’ Chase)
The circumstances that caused Envoi Allen to be transferred to the care of Henry de Bromhead earlier this week have been well-documented, while you’re unlikely to need much reminding of his racecourse achievements, either.
To sum up, Envoi Allen is the only horse in training with a longer unbeaten record under Rules than his new stablemate Honeysuckle having won all 11 starts for previous trainer Gordon Elliott.
His first two seasons under Rules both culminated with a victory at the Cheltenham Festival, winning the Champion Bumper in 2019 and the Ballymore 12 months later.
The decision was then made to embark on a chasing career this season, which was hardly a surprise given his background (winner of his sole outing in points) and physique (well-made gelding). Three months on from his debut over fences and it’s fair to say that Envoi Allen has taken to chasing as well as could have been expected, winning all three starts – by a cumulative margin of 18 lengths – without needing to come off the bridle.
Envoi Allen is already as short as 11/8-on to bring up a hat-trick of Cheltenham Festival wins in the Marsh Novices’ Chase, and understandably so. He has already shown form that would be good enough to win an average renewal of the Marsh, while the large ‘P’ attached to his Timeform rating denotes that he is still open to significant improvement.
Provided all is well with him after the late switch of yards, then it’s hard to see any other outcome than him winning again at the Festival and taking his unbeaten record under Rules to 12.
A Plus Tard (Cheltenham Gold Cup)
Henry de Bromhead and Cheveley Park Stud – the owners of Envoi Allen – have already teamed up for a Cheltenham Festival victory with A Plus Tard, who ran out an impressive 15-length winner of the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase back in 2019.
Admittedly, A Plus Tard was unable to repeat the feat 12 months later when sent off favourite for the Ryanair Chase, finishing only third behind Min, but he has the chance to make amends when tackling the biggest prize of them all in 2021, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
He features amongst the market leaders in the ante-post betting, too, having comprehensively answered any questions about his stamina for three miles when winning the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last time. It was a performance which screamed Gold Cup if anything, doing all his best work at the finish to reel in Kemboy – who won the Irish Gold Cup on his next start – and Melon after that pair looked to have stolen a march on the final circuit.
A Plus Tard’s strength at the line suggests another two furlongs at Cheltenham won’t be an issue, and he is clearly not just a top-class chaser but a versatile one, too, when you consider that he had the speed to beat Chacun Pour Soi – Timeform’s highest-rated chaser in training – in the Paddy Reward’s Club Chase over two miles at Leopardstown in December 2019.
Still only a seven-year-old, A Plus Tard has plenty of chasing experience for his age and now possesses a Timeform rating of 169. That level of form entitles him to the utmost respect at Cheltenham, even if he still has a bit to find to come up to the level of the dual winner Al Boum Photo (172).