HENRY DE BROMHEAD is back to haunt British trainers again after entering a horse at Royal Ascot.
The crack Irish trainer has already claimed the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup this year.
Rachael Blackmore shot to international superstardom aboard his horses, most notably Minella Times at Aintree.
But now De Bromhead, famed for his success over jumps, is set to see one of his horses run over the flat at Ascot on Friday.
De Bromhead sprung a surprise when 14-1 Lismore won a two-mile flat race at Sandown last May.
And now connections of Flirting Bridge have forked out £30,000 for her to run in the Coronation Stakes.
The three-year-old has triumphed once in five starts, over one mile at Dundalk in November last year.
But she was a mightily impressive second to Joan Of Arc in the Irish 1000 Guineas Trial last month at odds of 50-1.
That form has been boosted with the winner’s subsequent second to Empress Josephine in the real thing.
New owners John Halley and Ciara Hogan have now stumped up £30,000 to enter her into the royal meeting.
De Bromhead said: “We had our eye on the Irish Guineas but, when the ground went the way it did, we decided that Ascot was the place to go.
“She’s a lovely filly who works very well at home and we’ve always liked her.
“She is progressing all the time and, while it is obviously a big step up for her, the form she has with Joan Of Arc is rock-solid.
“I think we’re entitled to take our chance and she goes there in great form.”
De Bromhead’s only previous royal meeting runner came in 2018 when Daybreak Boy finished a lowly 16th of 19.
Asked what having a winner at Ascot would mean, De Bromhead said: “I wouldn’t even be thinking like that. It would obviously be amazing, but let’s not get carried away.”
Flirting Bridge is currently around a 25-1 chance to win.
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