sport news CHELTENHAM BREAKFAST: Henry de Bromhead bowled over by Liverpool star's ... trends now

Cheltenham Breakfast is the only way to start your day ahead of the Festival if you want to discover inside information and what is the talk of the track.

Today DOMINIC KING finds out about a big move for a Liverpool player, learns about the emotion of a winning owner and does some important research relating to two kinds of Guinness…

Liverpool star joins Henry's stable

A wonderful week to date for Henry de Bromhead. He doesn’t boast the numbers of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott but his ability to prepare a horse for a big day is second to none and it has led to him adding a new owner to his stable – Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.

Scotland left-back Robertson is no stranger to being involved with horses, as he has been part of a syndicate of Liverpool players who owned Mister McCann and The Bitter Moose, useful flat performers who were trained out of Michael Owen’s stables in Cheshire.

Robertson, though, is having a go on his own and has bought a mare whom De Bromhead is conditioning at his base in Knockeen, County Waterford. The pair are frequently in discussions and Champion Chase winning trainer De Bromhead has been bowled over by the defender’s enthusiasm.

There are no big plans for Robertson’s acquisition yet – the first step is to have her jumping hurdles competitively in the autumn – but the longer he spends in Knockeen, the more he will find he is amongst friends: Brian Acheson, one of De Bromhead’s biggest backers, is a huge Liverpool fan.

Price of food and a pint is eye-watering

An area where Cheltenham know they will face increased scrutiny is over the price of a pint of Guinness. It’s £7.50, the same as it was 12 months ago. Not cheap, by any means, but in the interests of balance, some things needed to be highlighted.

At the recent Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, 440ml cans of Stella were being sold at Wembley for the same price, meaning it was effectively £9 for a pint. The cost of food was similarly eye-watering, with hot dogs costing £10.

Yes, racing – and Cheltenham – could do better at some things but the idea they alone are pricing out spectators is just wrong. Everywhere you go, whether it is football, golf, cricket or rugby, the mark up is pronounced. Something needs to change in the future to give spectators a better deal.

Bookies rescued by El Fabiolo blunder

Gasps from the grandstands were pronounced during the Queen Mother Champion Chase when El Fabiolo blundered, started to back pedal dramatically and was then pulled out after four fences of the helter-skelter contest.

They were nothing like the cheers, however, of bookmakers, who got a reprieve. 

The treble of El Fabiolo, Ballyburn and Fact Or File had been popular, with Paddy Power offering enhanced odds of 5/2 for it to come off. 

El Fabiolo’s departure saved the firm more than £1million. 

Cross Country set for April meeting

There was something missing in more ways than one from Cheltenham’s Wednesday card. The atmosphere didn’t exactly crackle at points and you could not help but wonder if having the Cross Country Chase on the schedule would have lifted interest.

A sodden outfield led to the Festival’s unique race being abandoned and some frantic rejigging needed to take place to fill the allotted four hours. 

The Cross Country may yet be staged, however, with talk of it being held at Cheltenham’s April meeting with sponsors Glenfarclas keen.

Football agent and Ballyburn owner left in tears

David Manasseh conducts his business as a football agent in a very considered, emotionless way. It helps him make decisions that are devoid of emotion and allows him to understand the bigger picture. There is no family bond between him and a player.

To see him in the winner’s enclosure on Wednesday, then, was a lesson. Manasseh was crying in a way you might see water come out of a drinks foundation, tears dripping from his cheeks after Ballyburn came up the hill as if he was on skis. This was a 1-2 shot looking like a 1-10 shot.

There is a feeling that Ballyburn might be capable of doing what proved beyond Constitution Hill, in terms of winning a Champion Hurdle then going for a Gold Cup. That’s the level of ability those close to the swaggering winner of the Gallagher’s Novice are adamant he possesses.

Manasseh, a joint owner of the gelding with Ronnie Bartlett, would not be drawn on what Ballyburn will do next or how next year will look. He did, though, articulate quite wonderfully how humbled he was by all that had happened.

‘Money can’t but what I experienced,’ Manasseh told Cheltenham Breakfast. ‘Look at the winners here – Rich Ricci, Michael O’Leary, The Donnellys. I’ve got two horses in training – and I’ve had that. This is another level. In my head, I had so many nerves. It is simply unbelievable.’

PADDY POWER'S CHEAT SHEET FOR DAY THREE

We’re hoping that there’ll be no early drama for today’s seven-race card – at least until the racing starts – after Wednesday’s mishap.

The Paddy Power Stayer’s Hurdle is the headline act at 15:30 where Teahupoo is hoping to go a couple of places better than last season when denied by stablemate Sire Du Berlais who also lines up again.

And while

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