Cheltenham 2023 Stable Tour - Henry De Bromhead Festival Runners

We said after his run at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting that we’d put him away and have him cherry ripe for the Champion Chase. We feel that the stamina test at Leopardstown just catches him out, whereas it’s a shorter trip at Cheltenham and a bit sharper, so hopefully he’ll go even better there. The better the ground the better his chance.

He seems in great form and has really started to come to himself. His bloods weren’t right after he disappointed in Betfair Chase and he got a bang that ruled him out of Christmas, so we said back in January that we’d go straight to the Gold Cup. Some had said that his record when fresh is mixed, but in fairness to him he was brilliant in the Betfair Chase on his seasonal return in 2021 and we have obviously given him a very different preparation for this Gold Cup than we would for a normal return from a break, so it’s not something that worries me. We’re very happy with him.

We were delighted with his win at Tramore. Everyone knows with him, he grows six inches when he gets to Cheltenham, he loves the place. It is a different sort of prep to what we have given him before, but I’d say it’s the best preparation he’s ever had for Cheltenham. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.

She seems in mighty form and the Mares’ Hurdle looks to be her likeliest target. In a perfect world, I would have loved to have reversed the ground for her two starts this season. I don’t think a slowly-run race on quick enough ground over two miles really played to her strengths in the Irish Champion Hurdle. She has always preferred more evenly-run races and getting back to a mid-range trip represents a return to her younger days, as I remember when we first dropped her to two miles that the big question was whether she would be quick enough for it! Hopefully she’ll go very well, but of course she owes nobody anything at this stage.

The plan is to run him in the Ryanair Chase. We never really got to the bottom of why he ran so poorly in the King George. He was flying coming into the race, so it was a mystery. We have freshened him up and he seems in great order. He clearly stays three miles, but this looks a good option for him and hopefully he can get back on track in it.

The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle is his target. He ran a lovely race at the Dublin Racing Festival. He looked like he might be tiring at the last, but he galloped to the line. Getting back up in trip will be a help and we’re looking forward to him.

I’ve been very happy with him since Clonmel. It was disappointing to be beaten, but he had to give 6lb to a horse in Monty’s Star that we really like, and I don’t think he wants the ground as testing and as tacky as it was there. He will go for the Albert Bartlett, and I could see him running well.

We were thrilled with him at Clonmel. He’s a big horse, massive, and is still immature. He’s improving with every start and there should be plenty more to come from him. He goes for the Albert Bartlett.

We are aiming her at the Mares’ Novice Hurdle. She won nicely at Limerick and the form has been franked since. She seems to be improving and she’ll hopefully represent us well.

She was a pleasant surprise for us when she won at Punchestown. She hadn’t been showing us loads at home, but had come well recommended and fair play to them, they were right. We’ll run her in the Mares’ Novices' Hurdle and hopefully she can show another chunk of improvement.

She’ll go for the Mares’ Novice Hurdle. She was really good at Down Royal back in November, and we decided to put her away and aim for Cheltenham after that. We just felt that she had come in early enough in the season and that it would be the right thing by her to take our time and go to Cheltenham fresh. We’re taking a little punt in that she goes there lacking experience, but she’s a smart mare and I hope she can run well.

She’s being aimed at the Mares’ Chase. The longer trip is an unknown for her, but she stuck at it really well in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle a couple of years ago and has won a point-to-point, so there are reasons to be hopeful that she’ll be ok over it. If she stays, I think she’s capable of running a big race.

She is going to run in the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase. She hasn’t run over these obstacles before, but we brought her over there in January to school over them and she seemed to take to them. It’s always tough for them on their first start over them, but hopefully she’ll be grand. Longer term, we are aiming her at the Grand National.

He goes for the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase. It’s a pity for him, as he’ll always have a better chance in the handicaps over this course and the one he finally got to run in this season was on tacky ground that wasn’t ideal. In fairness, he finished third in this race last year and he’ll hopefully go well again.

He has been enjoying his time in point-to-points and is being aimed at the St. James's Place Hunters' Chase. He seems to have come back to himself, and we are delighted with him. He has plenty of class for a race like that and hopefully he’ll show it on the day. Maxie O’Sullivan has ridden him to win his two point-to-points and she’ll keep the ride.

We thought he’d run a big race in the Galway Hurdle, but he came back lame from it and we gave him time to come back to himself. I was delighted with his run in the big handicap hurdle at Leopardstown and I’d be hopeful that he can come forward from that. He has run very well at Cheltenham before and I’m hoping he can do the same again. He is entered in both the County Hurdle and the Coral Cup, but I’d say we are leaning towards the County at this stage.

We have him in the Grand Annual, but he isn’t certain to run. I’d ideally like a nice ease in the ground for him, so we’ll wait until a bit closer to the time before we decide.

He’ll go for the Kim Muir. We have been very happy with him since his win at Punchestown and we thought it was the right thing to go straight to Cheltenham with him. In terms of a rider, Jack Hendrick has come well recommended to us, so we’re going to give him the ride.