YOU HAVING A LAUGH...?
Rush into fights with Willie’s juggernaut...
HENRY DE BROMHEAD admits he’s picking his fights in a bid to halt Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham juggernaut.
The Waterford wizard is among the rivals attempting to put the brakes on his compatriot’s charge towards 100 Festival winners.
De Bromhead runs Slade Steel to avoid clashing again with Mullins’ Ballyburn in Wednesday’s Gallagher’s Novices Hurdle.
He said: “Ballyburn has beaten us a couple of times, so our view was we were better to avoid him and either trip is fine for us – so we go for the Supreme.
“You are trying to win everywhere, obviously, but the guys have so much strength in depth, we have to pick our fights and battles.”
State Man leads the day one assault for Mullins in the Champion Hurdle with Zarak The Brave also in the field. He has six of the 12 declared for tomorrow’s Supreme Novices Hurdle and three of 10 in the Arkle, where Gaelic Warrior heads the betting, while de Bromhead is launching Quilixios into the scrap.
The trainer added: “He’s done nothing wrong all season. He won first run back and we had him a two mile and opted to go three, which was obviously a big mistake.
“He jumped brilliantly over two miles at Naas, galloped well over that trip and he’s a Triumph Hurdle winner. We’re happy with them. He seems to stay well over two miles.”
De Bromhead has Eklat de Rire in the Ultima where Mullins boasts the favourite in Meeting of the waters.
Mullins also has Lossiemouth odds-on for the Mares’ Hurdle but de Bromhead has three in the 11-strong renewal with Tell me something girl, Lantry Lady and Hispanic Moon. T el me something girl is a previous Festival winner and the trainer said: “She had a lovely run the other day and seems in mighty form. “Lantry Lady has done nothing wrong and Hispanic Moon was brilliant two out of her three runs.” De Bromhead saddles Nara against three from Closutton in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The final contest will be poignant for Mullins. It has been renamed the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase after the death of Willie’s mother. The handler has Embassy Gardens to represent his stable.