The 2005 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 15 March 2005.[1] It was the 75th running of the Champion Hurdle.
| Champion Hurdle | |
| Location | Cheltenham Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 15 March 2005 |
| Winning horse | Hardy Eustace (IRE) |
| Jockey | Conor O'Dwyer |
| Trainer | Dessie Hughes (IRE) |
| Owner | Laurence Byrne |
The race was won for the second consecutive year by Laurence Byrne's Hardy Eustace, an eight-year-old gelding trained in Ireland by Dessie Hughes and ridden by Conor O'Dwyer.
Hardy Eustace started the 7/2 joint-favourite and led throughout to win by a neck from Harchibald, with Brave Inca in third. The other runners included Rooster Booster (winner of the race in 2003), Back In Front, Macs Joy, Al Eile and Intersky Falcon. All fourteen runners completed the course.
Race details edit
- Sponsor: Smurfit
- Purse: £300,000; First prize: £174,000
- Going: Good
- Distance: 2 miles 110 yards
- Number of runners: 14
- Winner's time: 3m 51.50
Full result edit
| Pos. | Marg. | Horse (bred) | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | Odds |
| 1 | Hardy Eustace (IRE) | 8 | Conor O'Dwyer | Dessie Hughes (IRE) | 7/2 jt fav | |
| 2 | nk | Harchibald (FR) | 6 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade (IRE) | 7/1 |
| 3 | nk | Brave Inca (IRE) | 7 | Barry Cash | Colm Murphy (IRE) | 10/1 |
| 4 | 3 | Accordion Etoile (IRE) | 6 | John Cullen | Paul Nolan (IRE) | 14/1 |
| 5 | 1½ | Macs Joy (IRE) | 6 | Barry Geraghty | Jessica Harrington (IRE) | 7/1 |
| 6 | ½ | Intersky Falcon (GB) | 8 | Tony Dobbin | Jonjo O'Neill (GB) | 40/1 |
| 7 | 2 | Al Eile (IRE) | 5 | Timmy Murphy | John Queally (IRE) | 25/1 |
| 8 | 3 | Rooster Booster (GB) | 11 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs (GB) | 16/1 |
| 9 | nk | Back In Front (IRE) | 8 | Ruby Walsh | Edward O'Grady (IRE) | 7/2 jt fav |
| 10 | 1¾ | Self Defense (GB) | 8 | Robert Thornton | Patrick Chamings (GB) | 20/1 |
| 11 | 3 | Royal Shakespeare (FR) | 6 | Jim Culloty | Steve Gollings (GB) | 50/1 |
| 12 | 15 | Essex (IRE) | 5 | A. P. McCoy | Michael O'Brien (IRE) | 9/1 |
| 13 | 17 | Astonville (FR) | 11 | Tom Scudamore | Michael Scudamore (GB) | 500/1 |
| 14 | 20 | Turnium (FR) | 10 | James Davies | Michael Scudamore (GB) | 500/1 |
- Abbreviations: nse = nose; nk = neck; hd = head; dist = distance; UR = unseated rider; PU = pulled up
Winner's details edit
Further details of the winner, Hardy Eustace
- Sex: Gelding
- Foaled: 5 April 1997
- Country: Ireland
- Sire: Archway; Dam: Sterna Star (Corvaro)
- Owner: Laurence Byrne
- Breeder: Patrick Joyce
References edit
- ^ "Champion Hurdle result". Racing Post. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 2014-03-17.