Mister Pessimistic giving De Bromhead cause for optimism

The unbeaten Mister Pessimistic will bid to follow in the footsteps of Sizing John when heading to Leopardstown at Christmas for the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.

Henry de Bromhead’s charge has looked a real talent since making a successful switch from the pointing field, winning a bumper at Listowel in September before impressing on his hurdles debut at Cork.

He will now head into deeper waters over the festive period for a race won by the likes of Istabraq and Hurricance Fly as well as the Knockeen handler’s only success story in the race, subsequent Gold Cup hero Sizing John.

“He’s a nice, young horse and he has done very little wrong,” said De Bromhead. “He won his bumper in Listowel and then his maiden hurdle in Cork and everything behind him seems to have won since.

“We backed off him then and it’s quite hard after you have won your maiden in Ireland, you are straight into these graded novices, so it was either the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse or here at Christmas.

“I think he might have a preference for nicer ground so as long as it is not overwatered, generally you get nicer ground here.

“He’s a horse we like and I was going to stay bumpering but he jumped so well I said we would go hurdling. He’s only a four-year-old, but we won it with Sizing John as a four-year-old.”

He added: “Sean Doyle trained him as a point-to-pointer and must have had me in mind to buy him given his name. I couldn’t not buy him when I knew what he was called.

“It will be a good race, but he’s a good horse, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Slade Steel will step up to three miles at Naas next month after being agonisingly denied on his Navan comeback.

De Bromhead’s 2024 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner is without a victory since that at the Cheltenham Festival, but has now finished second in all three outings over the larger obstacles, with his handler eying a step up in trip to get his head back in front.

De Bromhead said: “I thought he was just going to give a display at Navan and then Danny (Mullins on Predators Gold) just came back at him annoyingly. It was still a savage run and I was very happy with him.

“He’s going to go up to three miles and we’re going to go to the new novice at Naas as Leopardstown don’t have theirs anymore.”

Set to stay over the smaller obstacles this term is one of last season’s high-ranking novices, Workahead, who has been out of action since finishing last in the most recent running of the Supreme at Cheltenham.

He had previously accounted for Barry Connell’s Festival runner-up and Champion Hurdle hope William Munny during his novice hurdling campaign, with with De Bromhead confident he can showcase all his promise once back from a setback currently keeping him sidelined.

“He got hurt at Cheltenham and he’s back now and might run at Leopardstown, but it will probably come to soon,” said De Bromhead.

“His form is rock solid and he’s just had a niggle ever since we bought him so he’s a bit in and out. But if we can keep him right, he beat the Barry Connell horse who is rated 156.

“He would stay hurdling with his leg issues and the less jumping, it’s just trying to keep him right.”