Henry de Bromhead has Minella Indo “in great form” as the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bids to get his career back on track at Leopardstown on Saturday.
The son of Beat Hollow has met with defeat on both starts since his defeat of stablemate A Plus Tard at Cheltenham last March – including when pulled up in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
But the Co Waterford handler is confident Minella Indo can show his true colours when he locks horns with defending champion Kemboy and three-time Grade 1 victor Frodon in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.
“There was nothing obvious from Kempton and we’re really happy with him,” said de Bromhead, whose nine-year-old is a best-priced 100-30 for the three-mile test. “He seems in great form.
“I did say when he came back that he lost a good bit of weight – that wouldn’t normally have happened with him before - but that was the only real thing that we can see.”
De Bromhead’s Honeysuckle seeks to defend her unbeaten record with a third straight success in Sunday’s Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, for which Rachael Blackmore's mount is a general 4-11 hotpot.
Honeysuckle’s 13 wins include a six-and-a-half-length margin in last year’s Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but de Bromhead warned: “It’s a very good race.”
