Bob Olinger staying over hurdles for Christmas target at Leopardstown

‘On raw ability he’d be right up there with the best we’ve had’.

Henry de Bromhead remains hopeful Bob Olinger’s “savage engine” remains fully intact ahead of a planned outing at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

The seven-year-old looked a superstar in the making when sprinting up the Cheltenham hill to win the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago, but has struggled to rediscover that brilliance.

He won his first three starts over fences last term, but was fortunate to double his Festival tally in the Turners’ Novices’ Chase after the dramatic final fence exit of Galopin Des Champs, and he was pulled up on his final start of last season at Punchestown.

Bob Olinger reverted to the smaller obstacles on his reappearance in Navan’s Lismullen Hurdle earlier in the month and looked back to his best when travelling to the front, but he was reeled in by surprise winner Home By The Lee on the run-in.

Reflecting on that performance, De Bromhead said: “I was disappointed, and that was probably unfair on the winner.

“I looked at the betting and he wasn’t one of the obvious dangers, but I hadn’t see his form and he was only beaten six or seven lengths in the Stayers’ Hurdle and I think he just outstayed us.

“With these horses that run three or four times a season, we try to have them as right as we can for their first run, but he was a piece of work shorter. This isn’t an excuse, but just before the last you could see it just took its toll.

“He’s a very, very good work horse and he’s shown it on the track before. Hopefully he just needed the run the other day as on raw ability he’d be right up there with the best we’ve had.”

Bob Olinger has options over two and three miles at Leopardstown, with the three-mile Christmas Hurdle – which will this year be named in memory of De Bromhead’s late son, Jack – the favoured option.

“I would be leaning towards the three-mile race at Christmas, I think it might help his jumping as well, but then he was only just beaten by Ferny Hollow over two miles in a maiden hurdle,” the trainer added.

“I don’t really have a reason why (he disappointed) over fences. I suppose hurdles are just easier to get from A to B over and when you have an engine like he has, the most important thing is to be able to utilise the engine – and he has a savage engine.”

Bob Olinger is one of a host of Cheltenham Festival winners for De Bromhead in recent years, with Minella Indo and A Plus Tard providing him with back-to-back victories in the Gold Cup and Honeysuckle a dual winner of the Champion Hurdle.

The Knockeen maestro has been towards the top of the training tree for some time, but admits even a few years ago he thought he might never win two of the sport’s crown jewels.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead at Cheltenham
Trainer Henry de Bromhead at Cheltenham (Tim Goode/PA)

De Bromhead said: “When I started I wanted to have a winners and try to eke a living, I suppose.

“When Sizing Europe virtually pulled up in the Champion Hurdle (in 2008) I thought that was my opportunity of winning a Champion Hurdle gone, and when Sizing John (formerly with De Bromhead before being moved to Jessica Harrington) won the Gold Cup I thought that was my chance of a Gold Cup gone.

“It’s incredible, but that’s down to everyone here, all the team and all our owners.”

One of the biggest influences on De Bromhead’s career is Sir Mark Prescott, for whom he spent two years as assistant in Newmarket.

De Bromhead was thrilled to see Prescott enjoy a career-defining win of his own with Alpinista in last month’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, saying: “Back in the day he used to have his assistants for two years.

“He’d beat you down for the first year and then he’d have you like King Kong going out after the second year!

Sir Mark Prescott
Sir Mark Prescott (Mike Egerton/PA)

“He’s an amazing man and it was fantastic to see him win the Arc. He’s a brilliant trainer and a fascinating man as well.

“He was brilliant to learn from. A couple of years ago after we’d had a bit of success he said ‘you know Henry, I still haven’t seen you put it all down to me!’. I said ‘I know Sir Mark, but that’s my secret weapon – I don’t want to give it all away!’.

“He asked when I was there and I said it was for some of his great years with horses like Pivotal and Red Camellia and I said ‘actually Sir Mark, I’m not sure you’d have achieved all that without me!’.”

Henry de Bromhead with his family at his son Jack's funeral
Henry de Bromhead with his family at his son Jack’s funeral (Niall Carson/PA)

Off the track it has been a difficult year for the De Bromhead family following the tragic death of Jack de Bromhead in September following a pony racing accident.

A huge part of the team is, of course, history-making jockey Rachael Blackmore and De Bromhead has praised her for her support.

He said: “We’ve all said what an amazing jockey she is and she’s an incredible person as well. She just naturally says the right thing and she’s just a really good person.

“But to see her around when we had our tragedy, around the children and with their friends and all of us – she’s an incredible person apart from being a brilliant jockey.”

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