I HAVE especially fond memories of Hardy Eustace who died recently, following a happy retirement spent at the Irish National Stud. He was one of the early great graduates of the Goffs Land Rover Sale during my time working with the sales company, and I played a role in getting him into the sale.

Bred by Patrick Joyce and his wife Louise Cooper-Joyce, Hardy Eustace was not bred to be a top-class hurdler, rather a smart performer on the flat. After all, he was the son of a champion Irish sprinter in Archway (Thatching), and from the immediate family of Star Appeal (Appiani II), winner of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and further Group 1 races in England, Germany and France.