There are certain parts of Waterford in Ireland where, if you’re an outsider, knowing the ‘de Bromhead’ name will open a few doors for you such is the weight attached. Horse racing royalty rules the roost here (unless you’re related to the Waterford family); as such, there are many jewels in this crown (not necessarily crystals).

Henry de Bromhead was born into a family steeped in National Hunt tradition. Indeed, his father, Harry was a revered trainer, who experienced notable success at the 1993 Cheltenham Festival in the Pertemps Final with Fissure Seal.

De Bromhead junior soon developed an aptitude for training horses and as a result, had a well-rounded, world-renowned education, with National Hunt trainers, Robert and Sally Alner in the UK in addition to the legendary flat trainer, Sir Mark Prescott at Newmarket, spending two crucial years as his assistant.

This was the largest bloodstock operation (Coolmoore Stud) and, as a result, he gained valuable insight.

Early Career And Developing Foundations

After he took over his family’s training license in 2000, aged 27, he experienced immediate success, with his very first runner; Fidalus, who won on his local track, Tramore on New Year’s Day.

Despite this, his first few years were a period of consolidation as his yard worked hard to gain traction against established Irish behemoths.

De Bromhead’s undisputed game-changer was Sizing Europe, which was a considerable turning point with the horse delivering in the 2008 Irish Champion Hurdle, before following this up a couple of years later in the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival and then added a victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the legendary meeting in the following edition.

Highly Successful Partnership

What happened next for De Bromhead was career-defining. The yard’s rise to the very top of the sport was accelerated following the forming of what would become a victory-laden partnership with jockey Rachael Blackmore.

Honeysuckle was arguably the pair’s biggest success as she became known as the ‘Unbeatable Mare’ racking up 16 straight wins over hurdles, which included two consecutive Champion Hurdle (2021 and 2022) wins and two Mares’ Hurdles.

In 2021, meanwhile, the team won a historic treble; the Champion Hurdle (Honeysuckle), Queen Mother Champion Chase (Put The Kettle On), and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Minella Indo).

Merely weeks after the Cheltenham Triple Crown, came the Grand National Double, with De Bromhead saddling the winner (Minella Times) and the runner-up (Balko Des Flos), becoming only the second trainer in history to achieve a 1-2 in the race.

He has continued to taste Cheltenham success. A year later, he retained the Gold Cup – again getting a 1-2, in reverse order, this time with Minella Indo finishing second and A Plus Tard coming in first. De Bromhead also completed the Cheltenham set that year by also winning the Stayers’ Hurdle (Bob Ollinger).

There is no doubt that De Bromhead is one of the most successful, yet still underrated trainers of the last couple of decades and all eyes will continue to be on him at major events.