Highly-charged emotions dominated the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival
as Hardy Eustace denied a popular win for 11/8 favourite Rooster Booster in the
Smurfit Champion Hurdle.
Hardy Eustace won at the Festival last year in the hands of the late Kieran
Kelly, but he was the forgotten horse of Tuesday's race and started at 33/1.
An extremely well-liked and gifted young rider, Kelly died after a fall at
Kilbeggan last August and would no doubt have been in the saddle this time.
His absence was a reminder of the constant dangers which surround the sport.
Winning trainer Dessie Hughes said: "I feel sorry for Kieran, and we won't
forget him. But maybe he had a hand in this result. I would like to think so."
The race panned out as well as Rooster Booster's supporters could have
expected.
Last of the 14 runners in the early stages, a second consecutive victory in
the race looked on the cards when Richard Johnson brought the gallant grey
through to seize the lead from the front-running Hardy Eustace as the pair
touched down over the final flight.
But the acceleration that Rooster Booster had shown when taking the hurdling
crown 12 months ago suddenly seemed to be lacking as the winner grittily
regained the advantage and pulled away again under Conor O'Dwyer to win by five
lengths.
Intersky Falcon at 8/1, ridden with considerable patience by Liam Cooper, stayed on
to take third place, just ahead of French hope Foreman and Westender, who both
turned in efforts of considerable merit.
Punters could be forgiven for ruling the winner out of calculations even
though he had landed the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' 12 months ago.
Only days earlier, the seven-year-old had been an intended runner 24 hours
later in the Coral Cup over two miles five furlongs.
But having weighed up the entries for both races, Hughes opted to go for glory
and the £130,470 first prize of the Champion.
"I had a good chat with myself on Saturday night and decided that he had as
good a chance in this race as in any other," he explained.
"He is a Grade One horse - he has proven that enough times before now. And
the other factor was that I have always said that you need a horse who stays the
SunAlliance trip to win the Champion.
"When Rooster Booster drew alongside I did think that he might do us for
foot, but Conor hadn't really asked him for his effort yet and I hoped that
there might be more to come."
Custom at this stage dictates that all future plans should be
dismissed as pie in the sky, but Hughes - who won the Champion as a jockey
aboard Monksfield in 1979 - clearly was not aware.
He immediately declared next year's renewal as the target for his charge.
"I'm not being funny, but unless something comes out of the novice hurdle
tomorrow or maybe the first race, then you would have to think he would beat
these horses again next year, wouldn't you?" he said.
"I told Conor to make use of the horse, but not too much. He looked to be
going so easily that I knew there was something in the tank.
"This is nearly as good as riding the winner - and that's not something I
thought I would ever say."
O'Dwyer said: "I can't describe it, fantastic, especially with the Kieran
situation, it just makes it all the more emotional."
Aintree could be the venue for a possible rematch between the first two home,
with connections of both horses indicating that the two-and-a-half-mile Martell
Hurdle could be on the cards.
Rooster Booster's trainer Philip Hobbs certainly felt the grey had nothing to
lose by being kept busy.
"He isn't the sort of horse who would want to be doing nothing at home,"
said the trainer, who along with the gelding's owner Terry Warner took defeat
with exceptional sportsmanship.
"There are no excuses today. Hardy Eustace is a very good horse.
"We ran well but just met a better horse on the day. He was brilliant all the
way, making no mistakes, which he can sometimes, but when he got there he just
wasn't good enough.
"I was actually pleased when I saw that the winner was running in this event
as I hoped he would set a good pace for us."
Warner added that there was no question of retirement waiting for the grey,
whose popularity among racegoers was illustrated by the fact that he was
returned a rock-solid 11/8 favourite.
"He will only be 11 next year and although that's old for a hurdler, it
doesn't mean he will be pensioned off yet when he is still enjoying himself,"
he said. "I would love to think we will back again to try to get the crown back
next year."
Second-favourite Rigmarole proved the biggest disappointment on a bad day for
trainer Paul Nicholls as he faded to finish a well-beaten 10th.
But Terry McDermott, the head of Intersky Falcon's syndicate of owners, was
pleased enough to settle for third.
"Nobody lost any money and we'll have a party anyway," he said,
encapsulating the essence of the Festival spirit.
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