De Bromhead hoping Windsor Journey pays dividends

Irish raider Journey With Me bids to get his season back on track in the Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase at on Sunday.

An impressive Grade Two winner at Fairyhouse last spring, Henry de Bromhead’s charge rounded off his campaign by finishing seventh in the Punchestown Gold Cup and returned to the Kildare circuit for his reappearance in the John Durkan last month.

De Bromhead admits he was expecting better than a lacklustre sixth place finish behind the likes of Fact To File, Spillane’s Tower and Galopin Des Champs, but feels he does have a viable excuse and is optimistic of an improved showing on the third and final day of the Berkshire Winter Million meeting.

“He came back a bit sore from the John Durkan. I was disappointed with him on the day, but he got jumped into early on in the race and was sore when he came home for a few days afterwards. He just got struck into,” said the Waterford-based trainer.

“He’s been in great form since and we’re looking forward to getting him going again. Two and a half miles or two-miles-six looks a good distance for him at the moment.”

Dan Skelton is hoping his Ryanair Chase winner Protektorat will be better suited going around Windsor than right-handed at Huntingdon last time out.

He was well beaten by the reopposing Djelo in the Peterborough Chase.

“Protektorat is in really good form, we were always going to come here,” said Skelton.

“He was second in the race last year at Lingfield. He’s had a couple of runs this season already, which is good because he likes to be out. We’ve trained him for this but how he handles Windsor, we will see.

“It wasn’t soft enough and he needed it at Cheltenham in the Paddy Power, then it was a disaster going right-handed at Huntingdon, which just didn’t work out. He’s a different horse going left-handed. If you look last year, his runs got better and better throughout the season.”

Paul Nicholls’ Grade One winner Pic D’Orhy is a notable late absentee, but Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor, Indiana Dream, having his first start for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, Le Patron and the Seamus Mullins-trained Tommie Beau do take part in the seven-runner race.

The meeting will have to pass a precautionary inspection at 7.30am due to “variations in forecast” overnight.