“If you see someone running around naked, it will probably be me”

HENRY de Bromhead admits there are days he feels like pinching himself when realising he actually trains the favourite for the Champion Hurdle, Sizing Europe.

“Four years ago we were trying to work out just how to have a winner”, smiles de Bromhead. “It had gone quiet, I kept selling young horses, it just wasn’t right. But we changed a few things and there has been a big turnaround”.

The 35 year-old Waterford handler, took over the licence from his father, Harry, on January 1, 2000. He wasn’t an instant success and, it is probably fair to say, was regarded as a journeyman trainer until Sizing Europe launched his career big-time.