Carberry celebrates with Sublimity.

hail the new champ!

By Martin Kelly, PA Sport

Sublimity burst into the premier league when gloriously trumping the old guard in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle fourth had been limited to just one start this winter, that when coasting home in a weak race at Navan, but the unexposed seven-year-old simply dismissed a top-class field under Philip Carberry.

With last year's winner Brave Inca, dual champion Hardy Eustace and rising star Detroit City all in opposition, John Carr's gelding faced the starter as a 16-1 shot, although his loyal supporters had backed him down from 100-1 ante-post, with connections even snapping up prices as big as 600-1 on the exchanges.

Remarkably, they barely had an anxious moment as the one-time Sir Michael Stoute inmate made headway from the fifth flight to range up behind Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace at the third-last.

Iktitaf was also moving well but crashed out at that flight, while the 6-4 favourite Detroit City was never travelling at any stage for Richard Johnson and dropped away to finish a well-beaten sixth.

Carberry, meanwhile, was enjoying an armchair ride and had to take a pull approaching the last before bounding past Brave Inca to lower the defending champion's colours by three lengths.

Afsoun stayed on nicely to finish a neck away in third, while the admirable Hardy Eustace was the same distance back in fourth.

The success was by far the biggest of his career for Carr, a farmer with 50 horses from Maynooth, whose yard is just 16 miles from O'Connell Bridge in the heart of Dublin.

He said: "I didn't know if he would win as I have never had a Champion Hurdle horse, but I wouldn't mind a few more like him!

"I was leaning for the County Hurdle because he would have been a certainty off his weight in that and we could have gone to the Champion Hurdle next year.

"But by this time next year the horse could have been injured or I could have been dead - there's only one Champion Hurdle and with top-class horses disaster is always round the corner.

"I thought he would win the Supreme last year and people laughed at us. I have thought big all along with this horse and he has delivered.

"He goes so well fresh and has won so many races first time out, so I'm not complaining."

Sublimity is a best-priced 8-1 to repeat the feat next March.

The winner is no certainty is reappear this year, however, and Carr added: "Punchestown didn't work out for us last year and I am not too sure about Liverpool."

The win was also a career milestone for Carberry, who for so long has lived in the shadow of his elder brother, Paul.

He said: "I couldn't believe how well he was travelling going down to the last.

"What a horse, he is the best horse I've ever ridden or ever likely to.

"He's beaten some fantastic horses in the shape of Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace, but he has beaten them on merit.

"I have been very lucky to ride him from day one. He is a very good horse and he has proved it today."

The victory had barely sunk in for owner Bill Hennessy, who owns a hearing aid company, Bona Vox, from which U2 frontman Bono took his name.

Hennessy said: "The yard got a virus and Sublimity was the worst affected. It was so bad we thought we might lose him at one point.

"The Christmas Hurdle didn't happen because of that so he went to Navan and won, but he does go well fresh. In hindsight his preparation has been spot on.

"I'm here pinching myself as I still can't believe this has happened.

"It would be a dream to be back here next year with the horse in the same form."

Colm Murphy said of Brave Inca: "I thought at the last we might still have a chance. I'm thrilled to bits, he's run his heart out and we were just beaten by a new kid on the block.

"He was as good as we've ever had him and he ran as well as ever. I wouldn't rule anything out, but it's more than likely that will be it for the year.

Nicky Henderson said of Afsoun, who denied the Irish another one-two-three in the race: "He ran a super race and stayed on really well. Mick (Fitzgerald) said the good pace they went really suited him."

Dessie Hughes said of long-time leader Hardy Eustace: "It was a hell of a race. Conor (O'Dwyer) said they just went quicker than in other years and he never really got a chance to get a breather into him.

"All good things come to an end and we'll probably go to Punchestown next."

His jockey added: "From when we went past the stands first time I wasn't happy with him. He wasn't able to go away from them and he stepped at a few hurdles which isn't like him.

"I knew from a long way out he was beaten."

Detroit City's poor performance left connections baffled.

Trainer Philip Hobbs said: "Obviously we don't know at this stage what went wrong, but Richard Johnson got off him and said he was not himself.

"We are very disappointed, there may be something amiss but we will see how he is and watch him closely.

"He normally travels OK, even off a fast pace, but he couldn't keep up with them."

Straw Bear was pulled up by Tony McCoy and was later reported to have burst a blood vessel.