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From the Racing Post:
DUAL Champion Hurdle hero Hardy Eustace was retired on Thursday after he was beaten by Footy Facts in the Kathleen Clarke 80th Birthday Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.Hardy Eustace, who turns 13 on Friday, notched 14 victories over his career. Successes included a bumper, 12 hurdles (including seven at Grade 1 level) and a sole Flat win at Navan in October 2003.
Trainer Dessie Hughes said on Thursday: "We’re retiring Hardy following today’s run. If you can’t beat Footy Facts, well, he’s going to find it tough and he’s not getting any younger. It’s the fairest thing."
The Laurence Byrne-owned gelding has not won since November 2008 – nine starts ago – and following his 13-length defeat at Punchestown.
Dessie Hughes: trained star
PICTURE: Mark Cranham
Reflecting on Hardy Eustace, Hughes added: “I waslucky to find Conor O’Dwyer to ride him and he was a match made in heaven. I was very fortunate to have a horse like him and it will be hard to find another like him.”O’Dwyer paid tribute to his regular partner on Thursday night, saying: "I’m absolutely delighted that he can enjoy his retirement after competing at the highest level for most of his career.
"I got the ride in unfortunate circumstances in the first place but it was tremendous to be associated with such a great horse at that stage of my career. There was no riding to him – you just let him off and he bowled along. He was an amazing horse.
"He never knew he was beaten and relisheda battle. There were horses with more ability but none relished a battle as much as him."
The winner of 14 of his 48, Hardy Eustace, who won over £1 million in prize-money, was bred by Patrick Joyce and made his debut in a Punchestown bumper in March 2002. The first of his seven Grade 1 successes came in December of that year when he won the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
In March 2003, Hardy Eustace won the Royal & Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle to start an amazing three-year winning run at the Cheltenham Festival.
Hughes added: "There were several good days. While his Champion Hurdle wins were obviously great, I suppose the day he won the SunAlliance with Kieran [Kelly] on board was the one that stands out the most. That was a special day for us all.
"Kieran did so much with Hardy Eustace in the early days before he met with his death in tragic circumstances."
Kelly died after sustaining fatal injuries in a fall at Kilbeggan in August that year, aged 25.
Sent off an unconsidered 33-1 shot, Hardy Eustace romped away with the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle in 2004, beating the previous year’s champion and 11-8 favourite Rooster Booster by five lengths.
It is Hardy Eustace’s tremendous battle with Harchibald in the 2005 Champion Hurdle that is remembered most fondly.
Dictating matters from the front, Hardy Eustace proved his constitution by bravely holding off the enigmatic Harchibald who had cruised into contention under Paul Carberry.
Grade 1 victories at Leopardstown and Punchestown, as well as third and fourth place finishes in the 2006 and 2007 Champion Hurdles, followed, but time may have finally caught up with Hardy Eustace, who matched consistency with brilliance in a remarkable seven-year career.
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yes after today they will soon retire the old boy
Finally……
A horse that will always have lots of tales to be told about him.
Good Luck to the final Horse of the Golden Generation of Irish 2mile Hurdlers.
Brave Inca
Harchibald
Hardy EustaceOne of my favourite horses of all time. May he have the long and happy retirment he deserves.
A grand horse; I don’t know much about a horses conformation, but he always struck me as a perfect hurdler and was quite beautiful, something that wasn’t obvious because of his wearing blinkers. Not sure what it was about his first Champion Hurdle win that seemed strange, though. Got the impression that he was due to run in another race later that week and was surprised that he ran in the Champion. Didn’t know much about racing at the time, however, so it was probably me being ignorant..he was a big price though, I think.
before he won his first Champion Hurdle he looked more like a stayer, and slightly below the top level. That is why it was such a surprise. Perhaps they found out that day how to ride him, set his own pace in front and use his beautiful hurdling technique to its fullest advantage.
A great old warrior, lots of wonderful memories"wallace-no7" wrote: Finally……
A horse that will always have lots of tales to be told about him.
Good Luck to the final Horse of the Golden Generation of Irish 2mile Hurdlers.
Brave Inca
Harchibald
Hardy EustaceDon’t forget the late Macs Joy and Iktitaf, there was very little betweeb them. It’s the end of an era.
You could add Asian Maze and Feathard Lady to that list. Both of them only at the top for a short period of time but seriously good mares on their day. Feathard Lady was one of the easiest winners of a Grade 1 hurdle I’ve ever seen and Asian Maze simply stuffed Hardy in an Aintree Hurdle.
Hardy was one of my favourite horses of all time. Them battles with Brave Inca, Macs Joy, Rooster Booster and Harchibald were all great days. My favourite win of his was the AIG in ’07 when he beat Brave Inca. Looked like McCoy had him at the last but Conor just gave him a slap down the shoulder and he kicked again á la Sea The Stars to win by a few lengths.
He will always be associated with the late Kieran Kelly. Happy retirement Hardy!
Yep, long happy retirement to the horse. He was top of a pretty good generation of hurdlers.
Fethard Lady was the one that got away; once her unbeaten run started, she was untroubled in all her races, strolled away with the Xmas Hurdle, easiest winner of it I’ve ever seen, then got injured and retired
Yep, long happy retirement to the horse. He was top of a pretty good generation of hurdlers.
That’s a bit like saying Sugar Ray Leonard was better than Hagler, Hearns and Duran when they had so many battles that went one way and then another between them that you give up worrying about which was was actually the best and just enjoyed it when they took each other on.
FWIW, given the No Mas incident, Duran would clearly be Harchibald
A superb racehorse that has left us all with such fabulous memories.
I believe credit is due to all connected not only for his racing years but also making this decision and allowing the star to enjoy his retirement.
Im delighted this wonderful warrior has been retired in one piece, the only gripe being that it should’ve been done earlier. Still, main thing hes happy and sound. His defeat of Harchibald will forever haunt me, I was counting my winnings as Carberry loomed alongsides!!! Fantastic memories Hardy, thanks for all of them.
Also, let us not forget the sadly missed Kieran Kelly, who, along with Dessie Hughes, was the making of this horse.
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