De Bromhead still adjusting to having Champion favourite in yard
For Sizing Europe is the red-hot 5-2 favourite for the Cheltenham crown following a scintillating eight-length victory in Sunday’s AIG Europe Champion Hurdle.
The six-year-old, who landed the Greatwood Hurdle from Osana on his previous start, will not now be seen again until the Festival in March.
“I don’t really think it has sunk in – the phone has not stopped ringing since Sunday afternoon so I haven’t even had a chance to think about it,” said De Bromhead.
“The horse seems absolutely fine. He is having some hydrotherapy, which he loves, and will be chilling out for a while. He’s not a horse who needs a lot of work, but we’ll still have to think about getting him ready for March 11.”
Andrew McNamara, who rode Sizing Europe for the first time at Leopardstown, is set to remain in the plate at the Festival.
“That is what I gather from Alan (Potts, owner) anyway,” the Waterford trainer added.
“It’s just very exciting and a big challenge from the likes of Osana, Sublimity and Straw Bear.”
Meanwhile Sublimity’s trainer John Carr is unperturbed by his charge’s demotion to Champion Hurdle second-favourite.
Carr pulled his current Cheltenham title-holder out of Sunday’s AIG Europe Champion Hurdle due to the ground at Leopardstown and will focus on bringing Sublimity fresh to Cheltenham.
“I think Sizing Europe’s win is all the better for us,” said Carr. “It was a very good performance from him, but we’ve always known he was going to be one of the horses to beat at Cheltenham from when he won the Greatwood Hurdle there earlier in the season.”
Since winning the Champion Hurdle last March, Sublimity has only raced once, when well beaten by Greatwood runner-up Osana in the Boylesports.com International back at Prestbury Park.
But Carr prefers to campaign the horse sparingly and added: “We had to make a decision about Leopardstown and although the ground dried out, it was quite sticky.
“We are going to keep very much to the plan we had last year. We’ll take him to gallop at Dundalk a couple of times, and perhaps go to the Curragh too.”
Totesport, Ladbrokes and VC Bet are biggest about Sublimity at 5-1 for the Smurfit Kappa-sponsored event.
