Henry De Bromhead and the Cheltenham Festival

By Donn McClean

Horse Racing

Fri March 06, 2026 · 6h ago

Donn McClean looks back at Henry De Bromhead's remarkable Cheltenham Festival record, dating back to Sizing Europe's breakthrough win.

Sizing starts the story

It was in 2008 that Sizing Europe was sent off as favourite for the Champion Hurdle. Winner of the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham the previous November, Henry de Bromhead's horse had danced in in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown six weeks earlier. Impressive, they said.

And it was all going to plan in the Champion Hurdle. Down the hill and swinging away, Andrew McNamara motionless on his back, the leader Osana in his sights, Katchit coming under a ride from Robert Thornton beside him. It was just before they got to the second last hurdle that the distress signals started. Andrew McNamara had to get lower in the saddle, but it appeared as if there was little response. The rider got more animated on landing over the second last, and still no response. And in the space of five more strides, it was over, the Champion Hurdle dream in tatters in the floor, his trainer's wait for his first Cheltenham Festival winner extended.

He didn't get up the hill, they said. The fact that injury intervened before he even got to the bottom of the hill was not part of the narrative. Nor the fact that he had got up the hill in testing conditions in the Greatwood Hurdle four months earlier.

Sizing Europe won the Greatwood in tremendous style

Unperturbed, Henry de Bromhead got his horse home, got his injury sorted, got him going over fences. Got him back to Cheltenham the following March and, sent off the 6/1 third favourite, Sizing Europe won the Arkle.

That was the start of Henry de Bromhead’s roll at the Cheltenham Festival. Sizing Europe went back to Cheltenham in 2011 and won the Champion Chase, the year that Sizing Australia won the Cross-Country Chase. Special Tiara provided the trainer with his second Champion Chase in 2017, and Henry de Bromhead has had at least one winner at every Cheltenham Festival since.

We didn't really know what A Plus Tard was when he won the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase in 2019 by 16 lengths, a first Cheltenham Festival win for Rachael Blackmore. A well-handicapped horse? For sure. But a future Gold Cup winner - who knew that?

Three days after A Plus Tard’s victory, Minella Indo sprang a 50/1 shock in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle, a first Grade 1 win for Rachael Blackmore, and landmarks all over the place. More future Gold Cup winners, equine and human. Indeed, remarkably, Henry de Bromhead’s two winners at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival would fill the first two places in the Gold Cup in 2021 and again in 2022.

Stars align for stunning season

That 2021 Cheltenham Festival was a phenomenal one for Henry de Bromhead. He had six winners that year. Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle, her first Champion Hurdle, Put The Kettle On won the Champion Chase and Minella Indo led home that 1-2 in the Gold Cup, with A Plus Tard chasing him home.

Never before had one trainer sent out the winners of the three championship races at the same Cheltenham Festival. A month later, he had the 1-2 in the Grand National too, when Rachael Blackmore – talk about landmarks! – drove Minella Times to a six-and-a-half-length victory over Balko Des Flos at Aintree.

A Plus Tard pictured with Rachael Blackmore (left) and Henry De Bromhead

In 2022, Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle again and A Plus Tard reversed placings with Minella Indo in the Gold Cup. When he did, Henry de Bromhead became the first trainer to win the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in consecutive years since Vincent O’Brien achieved the feat in 1949 and 1950 with Cottage Rake and Hatton’s Grace.

There were the Honeysuckle years, 2020 to 2023. The Mares’ Hurdle in 2020, the Champion Hurdle in 2021, the Champion Hurdle again in 2022, the Mares’ Hurdle again in 2023. That was a special year, 2023, a poignant year. The whole world wanted Honeysuckle to win the Mares’ Hurdle that year, with thoughts of Jack.

Slade Steel and Captain Guinness in 2024, Air Of Entitlement and Bob Olinger in 2025, and Henry de Bromhead goes into the Cheltenham Festival again this year with big chances.

Rachael Blackmore and Bob Olinger (left) jumps the last in the Stayers' Hurdle

Who makes up the 2026 team?

Bob Olinger is back for more. When he won the Stayers’ Hurdle last year as a 10-year-old, he became just the second horse aged in double figures to win the race since Crimson Embers won it in 1986. He is 11 now, but he is reportedly in great form, and Sire Du Berlais was 11 when he bridged the gap to Crimson Embers two years ago.

Second to Home By The Lee in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown in his final run before last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle, Bob Olinger probably put up a better performance in finishing second again in the Christmas Hurdle this season to Teahupoo, and he will love the better ground and the return to Cheltenham, where he is four for four.

And then there is Envoi Allen, the evergreen Envoi Allen, the 12-year-old Envoi Allen, winner of the Champion Bumper in 2019 and the Turners Novices’ Hurdle in 2020 and the Ryanair Chase in 2023. He looked as good as ever when he won the Champion Chase at Down Royal again in November, his third victory in the race. Cheveley Park Stud and Henry said shortly after that that he would go straight to Cheltenham now to have a shot at the Gold Cup, and that that would be his final race. It could be some finale.

CLICK TO WATCH: Our team discuss the 2026 Cheltenham Festival on the podcast

Koktail Divin is on track for the Cheltenham Festival for the first time. The Masked Marvel gelding was seriously impressive in winning his beginners’ chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival, and a British handicap rating of 150, just 1lb higher than his Irish mark, would make him a big player in the Jack Richards Handicap Chase should he go down that route. But he could take his chance in the Brown Advisory Chase, and he would be well worth his place in the line-up for that race.

The Big Westerner could also run in the Brown Advisory. Second in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle last year, when she was short of room at the second last flight, she was impressive in winning the Grade 2 mares’ chase at Limerick’s Christmas Festival. Any rain would be a bonus, but she proved in the Albert Bartlett last year that she could operate on good to soft ground.

Quilixios fell at the final fence in the Champion Chase last year when he was upsides the winner Marine Nationale. He hasn’t run since, but he is reportedly well and on track for the race again this year. Echoing Silence and Full Of Life are on track for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, a race that Henry de Bromhead has won twice in the last five years, and Heart Wood will be bidding to go one better in the Ryanair Chase.

The handicappers from Knockeen are interesting too. Waterford Whispers finished second in the Martin Pipe Hurdle two years ago off a hurdles mark of 133, and he will get to race off a chase mark of 137, while Slade Steel will get to race off a chase mark of 146. The 2024 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner is rated 151 over hurdles, and he should appreciate the return to Cheltenham, the move to better ground and the drop back down to the intermediate distance.

The roll continues.

www.donnmcclean.com

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