Bence Szemerey
Last season was quite the year for Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead. He swept up at the Cheltenham Festival, winning a career best six races at Prestbury Park, including the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup, before landing his first Grand National victory at Aintree in April. He’ll be keen to defend all those titles again this year, as he looks to build on his best year to date, and with Rachael Blackmore in the saddle as his number one jockey, anything is possible.
So, with the National Hunt season set to get underway in a couple of months, with the November Meeting at Cheltenham seen as the traditional curtain raiser, read on as we take a look at four De Bromhead-trained horses to watch throughout the course of the upcoming season.
Honeysuckle
Arguably De Bromhead’s prized asset, Honeysuckle took her unbeaten record over hurdles to 12 last season. She started the campaign with a Grade 1 win in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse, before landing the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, respectively. A victory in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle rounded off a fantastic season of four Grade 1 wins. Wherever Honeysuckle ventures this year, you can bet she’ll be heavily fancied in the horse betting.
Put The Kettle On
Another winner at the Festival back in March, Put The Kettle On was a bit hit and miss last season. She won the Grade 2 Cheltenham Chase at the November Meeting before finishing third in a Grade 1 Chase at Leopardstown in December. After a surprise victory in the Arkle in 2020, Put The Kettle On added the Champion Chase to her CV earlier this year, beating Nube Negra over the line by half a length at the Cheltenham Festival. However, she couldn’t back that up at Sandown, finishing fourth in the Celebration Chase. De Bromhead would probably like a bit more consistency from the seven-year-old this year.
Minella Times
The surprise winner of the 2021 renewal of the Grand National, last season was undoubtedly Minella Times’ best yet — credit perhaps to the work of Blackmore, who took to the saddle in all four of his seasonal outings. The eight-year-old started the season with a victory in the Southampton Goodwill Plate Handicap Chase, and after coming second in successive races at Leopardstown, he got his big breakthrough at the Grand National, where Blackmore guided him to a six and a half length victory over Balko Des Flos — the jockey ultimately became the first female to win the National.
Bob Olinger
Bob Olinger had a great breakthrough year as a novice last season, finishing a narrow second to Ferny Hollow in a Maiden Hurdle at Gowran Park, but he never looked back from there. He landed a 14-length victory in a Maiden Hurdle at Navan and a six and a half length triumph in a Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at Naas, before winning the Grade 1 Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. De Bromhead will be keen for him to step up this season, and he’s already being tipped for the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. Bob Olinger is one to keep an eye out for, that’s for sure!
