Henry de Bromhead: so much to be positive about for racing's biggest pessimist

Before we go any further, there is something you should probably know about Henry de Bromhead. He is the ultimate realist, or pessimist if you prefer, and regularly doubles up as a doomsayer. So, if you are on Aspire Tower at fancy prices for the Triumph Hurdle, or have convinced yourself Honeysuckle is the sweetest mare you have seen for some time, or think Minella Indo will conquer Champ in the RSA, try not to let the next few minutes change your mind. It is just his nature. He means no harm.

We are chatting from the comfort of his Knockeen home in County Waterford, a cosy room just off the kitchen, but, despite lounging back on a stylish sofa, De Bromhead is uncomfortable. He is not used to indulging in self-praise and would much prefer to be narrating hard-luck stories, but we are reflecting on Christmas and the festive period was particularly kind to the 47-year-old. There were seven winners over four of the most ferociously competitive days of the whole season.

"I'm a glass half-empty kind of guy, that's me," he admits. "I'm trying to change. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the winners, but our job is to get all these horses to perform. We had a great Christmas, but you are running a lot of your very good horses in a very short space of time and sadly some disappoint. You have to try to work out why, but you can't at the time because you are saddling another runner in the next race or looking at Limerick or Down Royal. There is a lot going on over those four days.