Hardy - Very Hardy

Hardy Eustace lived up to his name with another game performance to land his second champion Hurdle in a row.The Irish had a hold on the race going into the day 1 show stopper and that is how it worked out and five Irish Horses filled the first five finishing places.But it was Dessie Hughes's 7-2 favourite Hardy Eustace who proved himself the best of all to become the 13th horse to win the Champion Hurdle more than once in the 79 runnings of the race.As he did 12 months ago, Conor O'Dwyer set to make all and as the challengers arrived in the shape of Harchibald (7-1) and Brave Inca (10-1) coming to the last, Hughes's eight-year-old battled bravely to deny his compatriots.When Harchibald arrived on the bridle between Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca as the trio battled up the hill, Noel Meade's six-year-old looked all over the winner. It seemed Paul Carberry just had to let his mount go to deny the title holder back-to-back victories.But Hardy Eustace was not going to give up his crown without a fight and his battling qualities won the day as he triumphed by a neck, with Colm Murphy's aptlynamed Brave Inca a gutsy neck away in third.Winning trainer Hughes, who also rode Monksfield to Champion Hurdle glory in the 1979, said: "He is a very good horse and he improves. I can't believe I've won it again."Jockey O'Dwyer added: "I pinged the last and wasn't sure whether Paul's horse was going to pick up - I just wanted to get to the line. I can't describe it, I really can't."Hardy Eustace is already a 7-1 chance with most bookmakers to make it a hat-trick next year as he will bid to become only the sixth horse and the first since the great Istabraq to complete the treble.Owner Laurence Byrne added: "He'll come back next year and make it three. We got a great leap at the last and I knew he would stick his head out."Last year maybe he didn't get the credit he deserved, but now we can say he is a true champion." Harchibald's trainer Meade refused to criticise Carberry for a ride which appeared a little over-confident. He said: "I watched the race with Dessie and I thought we had it won coming up the hill, but Paul said the other horse was the wrong one to come up against in that sort of situation."I was delighted with the ride Paul gave him. He gave him a brilliant ride."

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