The Freedom of Waterford was today conferred on Waterford’s eminently successful racehorse trainer Henry de Bromhead.
In a ceremony held at Tramore racecourse, the Butlerstown based sportsman joined the likes of Waterford sporting heroes John Treacy and Séan Kelly in having his name added to the Freemen’s Charter Roll, first established at the turn of the 18th century.
Speaking at the well-attended ceremony, Mayor of Waterford City & County Council, Cllr. Damien Geoghegan said:
“It was a great honour for me during my time as Mayor to put forward a proposal to confer this honour on Henry de Bromhead. Like everyone interested in the sport of horse racing, I watched in admiration last Spring as Henry’s horses enjoyed unprecedented success at both Cheltenham and Aintree, establishing his stable as one of the best in Britain and Ireland.
"Henry is such a humble man and a total professional in what he does … he works incredibly hard behind the scenes and is a credit to his industry and to Waterford. I had no hesitation in putting forward this proposal, for what is a most fitting and truly deserved honour.”
Tramore Councillor Lola O’Sullivan, who formally proposed the honour referred to Henry de Bromhead’s commitment to his sport and his perseverance in his chosen field.
“Despite the unusual and sometimes terrible last 18 months or so, Henry and his team have scaled new heights and set new standards within the sport of national hunt racing. His achievements place him now at the very pinnacle of a highly competitive sport and he and his team are folks we should be very proud of.”
Councillor John O’Leary, who seconded the Freedom proposal, joined the sentiments of all present, touching on the magnificent feat of sportsmanship seen recently when de Bromhead’s horses won all 4 major national hunt races in the one season.
“Within four unprecedented days last Spring, your stable pulled off a magnificent feat in winning Cheltenham’s Holy Trinity of races with Honeysuckle in the Champion hurdle, Put the Kettle On in a dramatic Champion Chase and Minella Indo completing the set the Gold Cup. Three weeks, this time in the Aintree Grand National, you again trained the winner, where the ground-breaking jockey, Rachael Blackmore became the first female past the post in that race.”
Thanking the Mayor and those in attendance for the honour, in an interview with Kieran O’Connor, Henry de Bromhead touched on his unprecedented season.
“It’s a great honour which I accept on behalf of not just myself and my family, but on my whole team here in Waterford. Thank you everyone for the goodwill and support you have shown us this year. I’m happy that we’re here in Tramore too, with my family connections with the racecourse going ack to my Grandfather’s time. This year has been a terrific experience.”
main pic: Henry with wife Rachel and children Georgia, Jack and Mia
