Thank you Kieran, you made this horse
The winning owner wasn't just referring to Conor O'Dwyer, who steered the Irish outsider to a famous triumph over reigning champion Rooster Booster, but also to Kieran Kelly, who rode the horse to victory in the SunAlliance Hurdle here last year, but tragically died after a fall at Kilbeggan last summer.
The emotionally charged atmosphere of the Champion Hurdle winners' enclosure welled up completely when O'Dwyer rode his charge in to a hero's welcome.
But everyone involved in the victory was quick to acknowledge that had it not been for Kelly's influence, then this result would never have happened.
"Thank you Kieran," Byrne said, "you made this horse."
The Tullow, Co. Carlow, owner said the victory was both joyous and sad and while he admitted O'Dwyer had given Hardy Eustace "the ride of his life" he admitted wistfully that the veteran had considerable assistance in the plate.
"There were two of them up today, Conor and Kieran and they were both instrumental in getting him home in front," he added.
For Dessie Hughes, who now adds a Champion Hurdle success as a trainer to his win as a jockey aboard Monksfield in 1979, there was huge poignancy in the result, but he too was quite convinced Kelly's spirit had plenty to do with it.
"I have no doubt Kieran had a hand in this," admitted the Curragh handler. "I believe that, I really do. I am just so sorry that Kieran cannot be here for this. He won the SunAlliance on him last year and without doubt this was his horse."
Kelly died on August 12 last, four days after a crashing fall aboard Balmy Native at Kilbeggan, but his presence was certainly felt yesterday by all the connections.
But the helping hand from beyond was not the only storyline from a famous victory. It was only last Saturday that the connections decided to run Hardy Eustace in this race at all.
"We decided to run in the Champion Hurdle rather than the Coral Cup on Saturday evening. Dessie rang me up and said we had made the right decision. I asked him what decision that was, and he told me we would run in the Champion," revealed Byrne.
Hughes said the decision was made after he had seen the five-day entries for the Coral Cup.
"I thought we had as much of a chance here. The horse had won three Grade One contests, so I wasn't afraid of the opposition well not too frightened. You need an experienced horse to go for this and I believed in him all the time," said the trainer.
Those who had backed the horse each-way were rubbing their hands as the field approached Cheltenham's famous finishing hill as Hardy Eustace named after a famous Carlow landowner led the fast finishing favourite Rooster Booster.
Nobody quite expected what happened then however, as the Irish horse doused the growing cheers for the local hero with an unexpected burst of pace.
"I told Conor to make use of him, but not too much," said Hughes. "I knew he'd have something left to take him up the hill. I knew he stays and I knew he had the pace, so as the rounded the corner for home I was fairly sure he'd win it and he came up the hill like a train."
Asked if he could believe the result, Hughes responded. "Of course I can believe it, I saw it with my own eyes. Rooster Booster came to him and I always felt he would respond.
"I had a good chat with myself last Saturday night and the decisionwas made. I'm glad we did what we did."
Custom, at this stage, dictates that all future plans should be dismissed as pie in the sky, but Hughes clearly was not aware as he immediately declared next year's renewal as the target.
"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.
Aintree could be the venue for a possible rematch between the first two home, with connections of both horses indicating the two-and-a-half-mile Martell Hurdle could be on the cards.
Ironically, Philip Hobbs, Rooster Booster's trainer, said he was delighted when Hardy Eustace was declared for the Champion Hurdle.
"Of course I'm disappointed and as the favourite I hoped my horse would win. But I'm not looking for excuses Hardy Eustace won at the Cheltenham festival last year and is obviously a good horse. Possibly the first time blinkers might have sharpened him up and made the difference."
What Hobbs did not realise was that there was more to it than the blinkers. There were other worldly powers at play here as well.
lThe day was not all plain sailing for Conor O'Dwyer, however, as he was banned for three days (March 27-29) for hitting his mount in the wrong place when riding runner-up War Of Attrition in the opening Letherby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
