Hardy Eustace retires

Punchestown on New Years Eve saw racing bid farewell to the first decade of the 21st century in a day filled with snowfall and freezing temperatures. It also bade farewell to one of the decades gutsiest horses who graced the racecourse with his presence for 8 years. Having finished 13 lengths behind Footy Facts in the Kathleen Clarke 80th Birthday Hurdle, trainer Dessie Hughes finally brought the curtain down on the career of 7 time Grade 1 winner, Hardy Eustace.

Hardy Eustace first came to my attention in February 2003 when he finished 2nd to Solerina in the Deloitte and Touche Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown. I had been living in Australia and this was the first time I saw the horse. It looked to a lot of people that day that the mistake he made at the last flight probably cost him the race as he stayed on well all the way to the line. This observation was justified when he went to Cheltenham the following month and won the Sun Alliance Hurdle under Kieran Kelly. Kieran would tragically be killed later that year in a fall at Kilbeggan.

His next race saw him well beaten over 3 miles at Aintree and his first season out of novice company saw some very mixed results including a victory on the flat at Navan and a terrible last of 7 behind shock winner Golden Cross at Leopardstown at Christmas. After a string of below par results he returned to Cheltenham on March 16th , exactly 2 years to the day that he first set foot on a racecourse, and caused the biggest shock in the race for some time when winning the Champion Hurdle from hot favourite Rooster Booster at 33/1. He followed this up by winning the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, again beating Rooster Booster.

Hardy Eustace was an extraordinary horse in that he seemed to relish a battle and it was a great few years for racing with himself, Macs Joy, Harchibald and Brave Inca taking each other on many times in an era that resembled the great 2 mile hurdling era of the seventies. That battling quality would see him lock horns many times with Brave Inca and arguably his greatest success was when causing a surprise at 9/1 when conquering Brave Inca and his Leopardstown hoodoo to claim the 2007 AIG Irish Champion Hurdle. That victory remains etched into my memory mainly for the fact that I was convinced Brave Inca would win, but that day served yet again as a reminder that when Hardy Eustace fools you into thinking that all was against him he would surprise you.

With Hardy Eustace now retired the last link to those great days has been broken. It is a great comfort though to know that he will be still be on the gallops at Osborne Lodge each morning strutting his stuff. As a dual Champion Hurdler he will never be forgotten.

Major Wins:

01/12/02 Fairyhouse Grade1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
12/03/03 Cheltenham Grade1 Royal & Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle
16/03/04 Cheltenham Grade1 Smurfit Champion Hurdle
30/04/04 Punchestown Grade1 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle
15/03/05 Cheltenham Grade1 Smurfit Champion Hurdle
28/01/07 Leopardstown Grade1 AIG Europe Champion Hurdle
16/12/08 Punchestown Grade1 Maplewood Developments Hurdle