Supreme talent is just one attribute possessed by the most accomplished sportsmen; but temperament can often be the defining factor between the good and the great at the highest level. Although standing on the penalty spot or the final green, having to hold your nerve to fulfil a lifetime's ambition, would undoubtedly be a daunting experience, you would imagine there is some comfort to be had knowing you controlled your own destiny. As Paul Carberry was to find out in the 2005 Champion Hurdle, jockeys are not afforded that luxury. Jockeys are not only reliant on keeping their cool and putting all their knowledge and experience to good use, they require the complicity of a highly-strung racehorse, something not all horses, even those competing at an exalted level, are willing to give.
Few races have provoked such fevered response from the public as that renewal of the Champion Hurdle, where the strong-travelling Harchibald was still firmly on the bridle with 100 yards left to run, yet failed to overhaul Hardy Eustace. Two distinct camps were formed in the immediate aftermath, many hailing Carberry's ride aboard the enigmatic Harchibald as a stroke of genius, narrowly denied by a warrior and worthy defending champion in the ultra-tough Hardy Eustace, while others strongly opposed such a view, claiming that he had failed to give his mount enough time to make his challenge. One thing beyond doubt, however, is the assertion that Carberry kept his cool, having the confidence and courage of conviction to do what he felt would maximise Harchibald's chance, sitting at least half a furlong longer than any other rider would have dared despite knowing the barrage of abuse that would await should his unconventional tactics fail.
Carberry's ice-cool temperament was legendary following numerous sublime waiting rides, most notably a fantastic effort aboard Frenchman's Creek at the 2002 Festival, but Harchibald's attitude and resolution had come in for criticism. In the previous year's County Hurdle, Harchibald, racing off a mark of 138, cruised through the contest, picking up the running at the foot of the hill and looking sure to send a significant amount of Irishmen home with pockets full of cash. However, not for the first time, he failed to impress with his finishing effort, finding next to nothing when push came to shove, uncharacteristically clattering through the final flight and almost unbelievably finishing out of the frame.
The following season, victory in the Morgiana Hurdle, where he impressed with his easy-going style, scything past a pair of smart rivals in Back in Front and Macs Joy, confirmed that Harchibald had progressed past the level of handicapper, but it was in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and, most notably, in the Christmas Hurdle where he was really propelled into the public consciousness. Rooster Booster may have been past his best by the time he clashed with Harchibald in the 2004 Christmas Hurdle, and he was almost certainly given a far too aggressive front-running ride on the day, but the visual impression Harchibald created as he cut down the thirty-length deficit was extremely striking, leaving his position at the head of the Champion Hurdle ante-post market looking fully justified. Come the big day in March, however, Harchibald would not by vying for favouritism, a poor gallop in the lead up to the Festival denting market confidence in Noel Meade's contender.
Hardy Eustace, on the other hand, came into the race on the back of a highly-satisfactory preparation. Having been narrowly beaten in a finish of heads behind Macs Joy and Brave Inca in the Irish Champion Hurdle, he dispatched inferior rivals with consummate ease in his final prep run at Gowran Park, once again racing without the blinkers which were used to such good effect at Cheltenham the previous March.
With the headgear reapplied and back at the course he boasted such an impressive record, Hardy Eustace was sent off as a 7-2 joint-favourite to defend his crown; Harchibald was available at twice those odds.
Attempting to dictate the tempo as he had done the previous year, Conor O'Dwyer sent Hardy Eustace straight into the lead, setting no more than a fair pace for much of the contest as his mount hurdled in fluent and economic fashion. Consequently, plenty remained in contention at the top of the hill, Tony McCoy forcing his mount, Essex, up to a share of the lead as the race started to begin in earnest. Winding up the gallop all the time, Hardy Eustace attacked the third-last hurdle, producing another slick leap which kept him on the front foot, piling on the pressure and forcing some of his rivals to crack and come off the bridle. Harchibald, however, was not one of them; Carberry sitting motionless as he edged onto the heels of the leaders.
Swinging for home, Supreme Novices' Hurdle hero Brave Inca threw down a stern challenge to Hardy Eustace, both horses subject to strong handling as, along with a cruising Harchibald, they established a definite advantage over the rest of the field. With the sound of whips cracking either side of him, Carberry, keeping a tight hold of the reins, angled Harchibald between his compatriots, reluctant to hit the front any sooner than absolutely necessary.
An electric leap at the last saw Harchibald land almost level with Hardy Eustace. Yet still Carberry sat quietly, refusing to allow his quirky mount off the bridle for fear of how little he would find. Remarkably, with the line drawing ever closer, the noise from the crowd and the whips either side of him growing ever louder, Carberry kept his composure, sticking by his guns as he kept a firm hold of Harchibald's head. Finally, with no more than 75 yards left, Harchibald was asked for his effort; the response was by no means instantaneous, in fact, it was practically non-existent. The damp squib of a finishing kick belying the menace with which he had travelled.
Hardy Eustace kept Harchibald at bay to prevail by a neck in one of the most thrilling races ever witnessed. Brave Inca, who also played his part in the magnificent spectacle, was a further neck back in third; there would, of course, be other days for Brave Inca.
Despite retaining his title and marking himself down as a true champion, Hardy Eustace's victory was overshadowed by Paul Carberry's audacious attempt to win the Champion Hurdle on the bridle. It is of course a matter of opinion and conjecture as to whether Carberry's ride fell into the category of genius or criminal, but Harchibald's record, both prior and subsequently, hardly inspires confidence in the view that he would have found enough had he been asked earlier. Whatever your opinion, the sight of Carberry sitting motionless in the final furlong of a Championship race, remaining calm and doing what he felt was right, even if it meant employing extraordinary tactics, will remain long in the memory.
