Loosen My Load could go straight to Cheltenham
The County Waterford trainer may send the seven-year-old straight to the Festival now after being delighted with his performance in finishing fourth to Realt Dubh in the Bord na Mona With Nature Novice Chase.
“There’s not a bother on him and he’s in great form. He’s very well and we were delighted with his run,” said De Bromhead.
“Hopefully he’ll go to Cheltenham for the new race, the Grade Two over two and a half miles for novices. That might be his next race, but I’m not sure yet.”
De Bromhead is resigned to thinking his two runners in the Red Mills Thyestes Handicap Chase at Gowran Park on Thursday week, Sizing America and Lurgan, will not make the cut.
“I’d say they are going to struggle to get in unfortunately, by the looks of things. It looks as if they are too far down the field, but we’d love to run them if they could get in,” he added.
Meanwhile Eamonn O’Connell is to replicate Powerstation’s 2010 campaign and plans to bring the useful staying hurdler out again on Thyestes Chase Day at Gowran Park next week.
Although he does not win as often as he perhaps ought to, Powerstation, who is now 11, produced some of his best performances last season and won the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown before finishing third to Big Buck’s in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.
In between those starts he was second behind War Of Attrition in the Galmoy Hurdle and that is where he heads now after being beaten only by Mourad in a return to the Christmas Hurdle on December 28.
Tipperary-based O’Connell said: “He ran up to form the other day and as long as he’s OK, he’ll probably run in the Galmoy at Gowran a week on Thursday. Then he’ll have an entry in the World Hurdle and I’ll give him an entry at Aintree as well, but he’ll only run in one or the other.”
nKauto Star, Denman and Imperial Commander – the last three winners of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup – feature among 34 entries for chasing’s blue riband prize in March.
The first-named, trained by Paul Nicholls, was successful in 2007 and 2009, and his stablemate Denman won in 2008 while Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Imperial Commander upstaged both last spring with a surprise victory.
Nicholls has a total of seven entries while last year’s third Mon Mome, the fourth Carruthers and the fifth Cooldine may go back and bid for glory.
Kauto Star was a faller in last year's race and will be in action at Kempton on Saturday when striving for an historic fifth victory in the rescheduled William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Denman is set to head straight to the Festival, having finished a gallant third under top weight in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November.
“Denman had a nice break after the Hennessy. He’s just started out again and had his first canter yesterday for a long while. He’ll now be cantering every day and be sharpened up for Cheltenham,” Nicholls said.
