Balko Des Flos spearheads De Bromhead's powerful Plate team

Henry de Bromhead is readying an army of battle-hardened chasers to contest this year’s Tote.com Galway Plate, and according to the bookies the Waterford-based trainer’s best chance of landing the €250,000 prize for the second time in three years lies with the potentially unexposed Balko Des Flos.

Already an ante-post favourite with most firms at a general price of 8-1, Balko Des Flos will represent last year’s winning owners, Gigginstown House Stud, who were successful for the second time in the race with the Gordon Elliott-trained Lord Scoundrel 12 months ago.

Balko Des Flos enters the Galway Plate with a similar profile to last year’s winner, having contested many of the top novice chases last winter, and De Bromhead reports the Grade 1-placed son of Balko to be in rude health.

A winner with Shanahan’s Turn in 2015, De Bromhead said of this year’s favourite: “Balko Des Flos seems in good form and he's definitely going for the Plate. He's a nice horse and he has put together some good efforts in nice races during the winter.”

With eight entries, De Bromhead has the largest contingent in next Wednesday's race, and he admitted he is likely to run at least five other horses as long as they all get in.

“We haven’t fully decided at the moment, but I would imagine that Sadler's Risk, Devils Bride and Deans Road are all likely to run," he said. "We would like to run both Heron Heights and On Fiddlers Green but we will need to see if they get in. If they do, then they would be likely runners. We will make a decision on Marinero and Attribution closer to the time.”

While De Bromhead’s Plate hand looks to have real strength in depth, the trainer will be relying on just one bullet in the Guinness Galway Hurdle and Ornua is a definite runner for the stable in Thursday's showpiece.

On the 14-1 shot, he said: “Ornua runs in the Galway Hurdle. You would hope his style of running would suit Galway and he has done really well recently. He has won his last two races and the form of his wins look good. We're looking forward to giving him another go.”

Exciting novice hurdler Twobeelucky, unbeaten over hurdles in two starts since joining the stable, is also on De Bromhead’s Galway team, and he added: “He seems to be a nice horse and he is doing everything right. He has hit a nice level of form and we will aim him at the opening four-year-old novice hurdle on the Monday evening.”

Galway racecourse manager Michael Moloney has clarified the security measures the track will be enforcing next week.

Moloney said: “We previously stated that no bag in excess of A4 size would be allowed past security, but after further consideration we have decided we won’t be enforcing a limit to the size of bags allowed on the premises.

“We will still be carrying out bag checks at all main entrances, and as ever we would ask racegoers to allow plenty of time and to occupy patience when making their way to the track.”