Hardy Eustace is a retired

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse, best known for winning the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

in 2004 and 2005. He was trained in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Dessie Hughes Dessie Hughes was an Irish racehorse trainer and jockey. He was the father of British champion jockey, Richard Hughes, and won at the Cheltenham Festival as both jockey and trainer. Career As a jockey Hughes' most famous successes in th ...

and owned by Laurence Byrne.

Early career

Hardy Eustace made his debut in a

National Hunt flat race National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

Punchestown Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish Nationa ...

in March 2002, where he finished an eleven-length fifth of seventeen runners. He improved for his debut run in his next start as he won the valuable Goffs Land Rover Bumper at

Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 road, R155 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, off the N3 road (Ireland), N3. It hosted its first ...

in April. He had one more run in his debut season, where he finished sixth in the

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

Champion INH Flat Race The Champion INH Flat Race is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Ireland for amateur riders which is open to horses aged four to seven years. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong ...

at Punchestown. Hardy Eustace began the 2002/03 season with a warm-up run in a flat race at

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

, where he finished fifth. In his next race, which was his first over

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

, he finished first in a

maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

hurdle at Punchestown but was disqualified. He was moved to Grade 1 class for his next start in the

Royal Bond Novice Hurdle The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and ...

, which he won by one and a half lengths from Back In Front. He then won another novice hurdle before finishing second to Solerina in the Deloitte & Touche Novice Hurdle. He then went to the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

in March 2003, where he won the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle under Kieran Kelly. Hardy Eustace had one more run that season, where he finished fifth behind

Iris's Gift Iris's Gift was a National Hunt racehorse trained in Britain by Jonjo O'Neill. Racing career National Hunt Flat races He made his racecourse debut in August 2001, where he won a National Hunt flat race at Worcester Racecourse. He followed th ...

in the

Sefton Novices' Hurdle The Sefton Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and half ...

Champion Hurdler

Hardy Eustace began the 2003/04 season with a warm-up run on the flat at Navan again, which he won. He then finished 2nd behind Rosaker in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan before finishing last in the

December Festival Hurdle The December Festival Hurdle, currently known by its sponsored title of the Matheson Hurdle, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is ...

. He next finished runner up in both

Cleeve Hurdle The Cleeve Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ( ...

and the Red Mills Trial Hurdle. After this, Hardy Eustace came back to Cheltenham for the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

, for which he was sent off a 33/1 chance. However, he belied his long odds and won the race with a front-running performance, with Rooster Booster back in second. He followed that up with another victory over Rooster Booster in the

Punchestown Champion Hurdle The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during ...

, which was his last run for the season. The following season (2004/05), Hardy Eustace was placed in his first 3 runs of the season: the Tara Hurdle, December Festival Hurdle and the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle. He then went to

Gowran Park Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annely Estate near the village of Gowran.The first meeting was held in 1914. and the first ever racecourse commentary in Ireland took place here in 1952. Gowran ...

to win the Red Mills Trial Hurdle before coming back to Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle again, where he was sent off the 7/2 joint favourite. He led throughout the race and held off a challenge from

Harchibald Harchibald (foaled in 1999 in France) is a retired French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse. Background Harchibald was sired by the stallion Perugino out of the mare Dame D’Harvard. He was owned by DP Sharkey, trained by Noel Meade ...

to win by a neck.

Later career

The 2005/06 season began with a comfortable success for Hardy Eustace at Punchestown, where he returned at odds of 1/8. He then disappointed in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle, where he finished last of seven runners behind the winner, Brave Inca. After that he came back to Cheltenham, where he was looking to win the Champion Hurdle for the 3rd year running, but was third behind Brave Inca. He had two more runs that season, finishing second in the

Aintree Hurdle The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (), ...

and third in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. He started the 2006/07 season with his usual warm-up run on the flat, where he finished sixth in a Curragh Handicap. He then won the

Ascot Hurdle The Ascot Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 2 miles and 3½ furlongs (2 mi ...

, before finishing second to Detroit City in the

Bula Hurdle The International Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course ...

. He then went back to Leopardstown, where he won the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle. He had two more runs that season but failed to win, finishing fourth in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and third in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. The following season (2007/08), Hardy Eustace started with his customary warm-up run on the flat before he won the

again, beating Afsoun. He was then stepped up 3 miles plus for the first time in the

Long Walk Hurdle The Long Walk Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 ...

and finished second to Lough Derg. He was second his next two starts: the December Festival Hurdle and the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle. Hardy Eustace returned to Cheltenham to compete in the

World Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

, where he was twelfth behind reigning champion

Inglis Drever Inglis Drever (18 March 1999 – October 2009) was a champion racehorse trained in the North of England by Howard Johnson. He was one of the most successful hurdle racing horses to date and won the World Hurdle three times, bettered only by ...

. In his first race in the 2008/09 season, Hardy Eustace started in the Grade 1 Maplewood Developments Hurdle, where he was sent off the 14/1 outsider of four runners but recorded a two and a half length victory over Sizing Europe. He followed that with a third behind Catch Me in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at the end of November at Fairyhouse. Hardy Eustace was retired at the end of 2009 and is now enjoying his retirement in the lush green paddocks of the

Irish National Stud The Irish National Stud (official name: ''Comhlacht Graí Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teo.'') is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 ...

in County Kildare and enjoys meeting the thousands of admirers who visit him there each year.

Pedigree

References

External links

Hardy Eustace race record at Racing Post
{{Champion Hurdle winners 1997 racehorse births Cheltenham Festival winners Champion Hurdle winners National Hunt racehorses Thoroughbred family 5-d Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses bred in Ireland