CHELTENHAM 2013: Brave and brilliant Carberry toast of green army
The most notable was Solwhit in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, Paul Carberry delivering a beautiful ride aboard the Charles Byrnes-trained horse and he was greeted in the winners’ enclosure by his delighted sister, Nina, running out of the weighing room. At least she still had her voice, though, as Pat O’Hanlon, one of the owners of the French-bred hero, was hoarse after shouting home his horse. “Our man gave him a mighty ride,” O’Hanlon almost whispered. “He’s just the best there is.” On his day, it’s a statement that’s hard to disagree with.
Carberry didn’t move a muscle for much of the race. Nothing strange in that – he’s cool as a cucumber. But when celebrations were muted as he trotted back past the main grandstand something was clearly wrong. No punch of the air? No wild geeing up of the crowd? No, he was nursing a shoulder injury after taking a bang on it earlier in the week. “It just hurt my ligaments and tendons,” Carberry said. “I had a couple of shots in it yesterday which didn’t work but my own doctor, who is very good, came over this morning and gave me an injection that worked. Fortunately the racecourse doctor passed me fit to ride.” That Carberry. He’s brave as well as brilliant.
