The success of trainer Henry de Bromhead over the last year or so must cause the Irishman to pinch himself every now and then. After recording six winners at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, it felt like the sky was the limit for De Bromhead, and when a win in the Grand National with Minella Times followed soon afterwards, the trainer must have been on cloud nine.
With the 2022 Grand National just a few days away, many are wondering whether a De Bromhead-trained horse could triumph once again at Aintree. As we count down towards the showpiece race, let’s take a look at the two horses De Bromhead will be hoping can land him another Grand National triumph.
Minella Times
De Bromhead will be hoping that Minella Times can repeat his heroics of 12 months ago, and at a price of 16/1, those betting on the Grand National might just fancy the nine-year-old’s chances. The caveat is that Minella Times has not exactly flourished since winning last year’s Aintree showpiece, with a fall at Punchestown and a stuttering performance at Leopardstown summing up a grim season for De Bromhead’s champion.
Nonetheless, with Rachael Blackmore taking to the saddle, anything is possible. The Irishwoman is going from strength to strength, and with a win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup under her belt, she’ll be eyeing up a second successive Grand National victory herself.
At some point, you feel the De Bromhead/Blackmore bubble must burst, but the pair will be hoping that there is one more memorable afternoon to come at this year’s Grand National. Minella Times is the horse who carries their ambitions, and you wouldn’t bet against the three of them enjoying more success at Aintree, this time with a full crowd in attendance.
Poker Party
Of course, Minella Times is not the only De Bromhead-trained horse set to take part in the Grand National, with Poker Party going under the radar somewhat for the Irish trainer. Odds of 60/1 mean that the 10-year-old won’t be an automatic pick for horse racing fans, but stranger things have happened in the history of the Grand National, and you can’t rule out any entry given the unpredictable nature of the race.
Poker Party hasn’t exactly set the world alight in recent times, with his last win coming in September 2019, but with plenty of experience over a distance of three miles or more, there’s always a chance that he could bring his A-game to Aintree on Saturday. De Bromhead wouldn’t enter a horse he feels has no chance of competing, and given the trainer’s shrewd judgement calls over the last couple of years, you can’t rule Poker Party out completely.
It would be a tremendous shock were Poker Party to triumph, and it’s fair to say that most of De Bromhead’s eggs will be firmly placed in the Minella Times basket. Having sampled the unique feeling of winning Britain’s biggest horse race last year, the in-form trainer will be keen to repeat the trick.
