HRI Fact Book 2008 - Horse Racing Ireland

NOVEMBER 2008
Paul Nicholl’s quest to
dominate the major races
in Ireland as well as Britain
clicked further into gear
at Down Royal early in
the month when combining with Ruby
Walsh to complete a memorable big-race
double there, with the mighty Kauto Star
undoubtedly being the star on show. Sent
off at 2/5, the former Cheltenham Gold
Cup winner was not extended to win the
JNwine.com Champion Chase (Grade 1)
by eleven lengths. In the very next race,
the same team combined with Noland to
win the Killultagh Properties Ltd Chase
(Grade 3) by no less than twelve lengths.
The opening day of the Cheltenham Open
meeting witnessed two Irish winners, but
both were surrounded in controversy.
The amateur riders’ handicap chase saw
the Gordon Elliott-trained Hoopy prevail
narrowly, but not before his rider Jason
McKeown “borrowed” the whip of a
weakening rival having dropped his own
earlier in the race. The cross country chase
is often a controversial event and Davy
Russell ensured that this year’s renewal was
one of the most memorable ever. Riding
the Paul Nolan-trained Dix Villez, Russell
THE HUGELY POPULAR
HARDY EUSTACE SHOWED
THAT HE WAS NO BACK
NUMBER AT THE AGE OF
ELEVEN BY GAINING A
SHOCK VICTORY IN THE
FEATURED MAPLEWOOD
DEVELOPMENT
HURDLE (GRADE 1) AT
PUNCHESTOWN
appeared to take the wrong course when
cutting a corner at the halfway point, but
having gone on to prevail by three lengths,
Russell informed a confused media and
public, that he had spoken to the Stewards
before the race and they had confirmed the
route he planned to take was entirely legal.
The hugely popular Hardy Eustace showed
that he was no back number at the age of
eleven by gaining a shock victory in the
featured Maplewood Development Hurdle
(Grade 1) at Punchestown. Ridden by
Paddy Flood, Dessie Hughes’s charge
looked beaten for all money as Sizing
Europe swept to the front at the fourth last,
but he rallied in typically game fashion to
regain the lead before the final fl ight and
forge on to prevail by 2½ lengths.
Kicking King, the winner of the 2005
Cheltenham Gold Cup and the 2004
and 2005 renewals of the King George
VI Chase, was retired by his connections
in mid-November. The ten-year-old had
been nursed back into action last season
following a serious tendon injury and hopes
were high that he had retained his ability
following an encouraging return after a
759-day absence, but in four subsequent
starts he failed to show his old sparkle and
connections understandably decided to
call time on his career. Trained by Tom
Taaffe, he was ridden by Barry Geraghty
on all bar his first two starts.
Over at Navan, the williamhill.ie Troytown
Chase saw the Jim Dreaper-trained Notre
Pere run out the game winner under
Andrew Lynch, much to the delight of
the local crowd. The following week at
Fairyhouse, the Bar One Racing Hatton’s
Grace Hurdle (Grade 1) was the feature
race and it was the Edward O’Grady-trained
Catch Me that emerged on top. Ridden
by Andrew McNamara, the six-year-old
just got the better of the gallant Brave
Inca, who himself made a tremendously
encouraging return from an absence of
19 months.
24 FACTBOOK 2008