Loosen My Load set for Cheltenham

RACING:THIS WEEKEND'S Cheltenham fixture provided Henry De Bromhead with a first taste of the big-time and the Co Waterford trainer is hoping Loosen My Load can cement that link with success in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup.

Sizing Europe’s 2007 victory in the Greatwood Hurdle was the first sign of an exceptional talent that flowered fully last season with success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Loosen My Load landed a Grade Two novice hurdle at the Paddy Power meeting in 2009 and is being aimed at the centrepiece of the three-day bonanza on Saturday. Thirty two entries remain in the big handicap after yesterday’s forfeit stage and although Mon Parrain has been installed a warm favourite by the sponsors to provide British champion trainer Paul Nicholls with a first Paddy Power Gold Cup victory, De Bromhead’s focus yesterday was on ground conditions at Prestbury Park.

“Simon Claisse (clerk of the course) tells me we could be looking at ground no softer than good and I think good ground is the key to this horse,” he said yesterday.

“We saw that first time out this season at Navan that he loves real good ground. I was probably trying to be a bit cute after that at Limerick. It was a Grade Three with only three or four runners and I took a chance. But the ground was soft there and the winner (West With The Wind) was better at the two miles.

“We managed to win our first big race there with Sizing Europe and I’ve entered five over there. Loosen My Load is almost definite to run. Absolutlyfantastic is in a Grade Two on Friday and Fort George is in the cross-country,” De Bromhead added.

He also reported Sizing Europe to be tired but unscathed after his runner-up placing to Quito De La Roque in the JNwine Nicholson Champion Chase at Down Royal last weekend. “I thought he was brave as a lion,” he said. “I don’t think he’ll be running over three miles again in the short term, certainly between now and Cheltenham.”

Loosen My Load has been installed a general 16 to 1 shot for this Saturday but his old rival Noble Prince is as short as 10 to 1 to repeat his Cheltenham success last March in the Jewson despite trainer Paul Nolan postponing a decision on running plans until later in the week.

“I’m very pleased with him and the horse seems to be in very good shape. He had a nice introduction to the season at Naas. I couldn’t have been happier with his jumping, although it was just a school around,” the Co Wexford trainer reported.

“The John Durkan is another alternative but this year it is a week closer to Christmas, which isn’t ideal to running in a Grade 1 then. Later than normal in previous years tightens up the schedule and if we wait for the Durkan we might be ruling out Christmas.

“We will decide the best plan and if we go to Cheltenham, ideally everyone would be pleased to see a bit of good to soft ground,” Nolan added.

There will be significant Irish interest throughout the three days at Cheltenham and the Galway Hurdle hero Moon Dice could try to follow in the footsteps of Sizing Europe and tackle Sunday’s Greatwood Hurdle.

Before that Jessica Harrington’s highly-rated novice Steps To Freedom may have a third start over jumps on Friday against Absolutlyfantastic, while the cross-country stalwart Garde Chameptre is entered again for the Glenfarclas Chase.

Home interest this Saturday will centre on Naas where Dermot Weld’s dual-purpose star Unaccompanied has the option of making a quick reappearance in the Listed Fishery Lane Hurdle.

The Triumph Hurdle runner up, who boasts a defeat of St Nicholas Abbey in last spring’s Alleged Stakes, had to settle for second in a flat handicap at Leopardstown on Sunday.

PADDY POWER BET: 5 Mon Parrain, 13-2 Wishfull Thinking, 10 Noble Prince, 12 Great Endeavour, The Giant Bolster, 14 Divers, Loosen My Load, Noble Alan, 16 Araldur, Cape Tribulation, Quantitativeeasing, Tullamore Dew, Aerial