Sizing Europe return hinges on ground

Sizing Europe is poised to run at Leopardstown over Christmas as long as conditions are suitable.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead believes the eight-times Grade One scorer is again giving off the right signals ahead of the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on December 27, a race he won two years ago.

Despite having claimed a superb victory upon his return to action at Gowran in October, the 12-year-old struggled in the Clonmel Oil Chase last month and has reportedly only just fully recovered from those exertions.

De Bromhead told the Irish Times: “I will have to talk to Ann and Alan (Potts, owners) and we will weigh things up and see what the ground will be like.

“He wouldn’t want it testing. But if it is suitable, I would imagine he would run.

“He’s in good form at the moment. He was very quiet, for him, after Clonmel but we’ve freshened him up since.

“I think he’s just got more sense at this stage than to be running on heavy ground and Johnny (Burke, jockey) was good in that he wasn’t hard on him.

“Before that at Gowran he was brilliant so we’ll just weigh things up closer to the time.

“It sounds a crazy thing to say about a horse that has won three Grade Ones there (Leopardstown), but sometimes I wonder if he might be better at other places.

“He didn’t run well last year in that race (fourth to Benefficient) and it looked like Captain Cee Bee was coming to beat him that year in the novice when he fell.

“Then again, he was awesome in the Champion Hurdle so it’s probably just something in my head.”