PAUL Carberry is perhaps best known as that instinctive jockey with hands as light as feathers and a seat to die for, a rider that could get the best out of almost any horse. He will always be associated with Harchibald, Beef Or Salmon or Florida Pearl. These are the great champions of the turf that make up the history of steeplechasing at its best.

However, I would know Paul as one of the great cross-country riders of all time with an eagle eye for country and prepared to have a go, particularly if hounds were running. Always well mounted, he had the advantage of riding at a very favourable weight and fortified with an unbounded ambition to stay with hounds, no matter what the country presented him with.

I recall a super day with the Wards when hounds covered just short of 20 miles from a meet at Fairyhouse and finished just short of Summerhill. He has had many great days in Scarteen and Limerick. I recall Paul riding a horse of Shane Breen’s that could only be mounted indoors but what a performer once unleashed. Sometimes he would be accompanied by Rachel who went on to be his wife, and neither was she found wanting across country.

As we hacked to the first draw, Paul spoke of his early days. “When I was growing up dad would have been a great influence, not interfering too much but would correct me when I was wrong. My mum (a sister of Arthur Moore) was just as much an influence when I was growing up.

“I remember buying a horse for Enda Bolger for hunting for £2,000 and then he said he was full up, so I kept the horse and got him going jumping ditches, wire, gates, etc., and telling my mum how good he is and she replied with a simple answer, ‘maybe it’s not just the horse that’s very good’.

“I didn’t do a whole lot of pony racing as my dad thought it was a bit dangerous, but I did plenty of hunting. I had my first hunt when I was three and got the buzz fairly quickly. Dad didn’t hunt that much but my mother did a good bit as her family would have been very involved with the Ward Union with her uncles having been masters and one might have hunted the hounds.”

Being a Carberry and blessed with a light weight, it had to be racing and it didn’t take too long for him to have his first winner.

“My first race I was still in school, I turned 16 on a Friday and rode in a point-to-point on Sunday. I rode Joseph Knibb for dad in a Bray Hunt open race. He was carrying 13st, I was about seven and a half stone, and he won.

"So I had a dream start and went back to school that Monday and later that week, my older brother was meant to ride him but he had a bad accident and couldn’t get a licence so I stepped in for the ride. We did a few more point-to-points and he then went to Arthur to run in the Foxhunters over the big Grand National fences which was a great buzz.

“Unfortunately we fell at the sixth and after that I had to go to Jim Bolger’s to ride on the flat. Dad didn’t want me riding over jumps because I was so light and persuaded me to go on the flat until I matured a little bit. It was never the plan for me as from a very young age, I just loved jumping horses or ponies, it gave me such a buzz and still does to this day.”

Fearless

History doesn’t relate how the monastic-like regime at Jim Bolger’s suited the debutant jockey but there is no doubt he learned a lot there and riding on the flat gives a young jockey a great polish, particularly evident in a close finish.

Speaking of close finishes, Michael Hourigan as always was forthright, “Paul Carberry … in one word, a genius, particularly in a close finsh. He would know more about your horse in five minutes going down to the start than you would know about him as a trainer. Jumping was his game. If you could put 10 extra hurdles in a circuit, that’s what he would have wanted. But then he was his father’s son. Tommy Carberry was another genius. In fact he rode his last winner for me in a charity race on Doran’s Pride.”

Loving hunting and hounds, Paul Carberry pictured out with the Ward Union Staghounds \ Catherine Power

Michael, as chairman of the Co Limerick Foxhounds, would have had many an exciting day with Paul over the biggest and best in Limerick around Dromin, Athlacca.

But as hounds drew on, Paul reminisced: “Dad knew I wasn’t happy down there, so he arranged for me to go to Noel Meade’s with whom he was a great mate. Noel was big into hunting back then all of which helped. We had and have a great relationship for nearly 30 years with a few ups and downs but mainly ups.

“I ended being champion apprentice for Noel on the flat. I liked winning on the flat but never got the buzz. I was lucky. The National was always the race I wanted to win from when my dad won it on L’Escargot for my mum’s father, Dan Moore.”

As we hacked on, I got a chance to ask Paul what were the best horses he rode.

“I rode a lot of very good horses from Florida Pearl, Beef Or Salmon (for Michael Hourigan) and Harchibald (for Noel Meade). It’s hard to mention them all but they all meant so much. But the horse I would really like to have ridden was Sprinter Sacre. To me he was just the real deal.”

As he mentioned the master of Tu Va Stables, Noel Meade could not be left out of the story. Incidentally his racing yard is called after his first winner as a jockey, a horse called Tu Va.

Noel takes up the running: “The first time I came across Paul was out hunting with the Ward Union. He and his brother Thomas were on two grey ponies, jumping everything in sight. He was about 12 years old at the time. He and Thomas had no fear and it did not really matter if a fence had to be jumped or not, they insisted on jumping it anyway. His dad and I had been good friends for a long time and when Paul was moving from Jim Bolger’s yard, he came to me.

“He was 17 at that stage and with the exception of a two-season stint he did in England, (even then he came home every weekend and rode for me on the Sunday), he was my jockey until he retired. He was an exceptional jockey, his judgement of pace, balance and skill came so easy to him – he was just a complete natural!”

Hunting and hounds

Ward Union huntsman Pat Coyle, now in his 42 season carrying the horn, spoke of his whipper-in. “I remember Paul on Nipper, a real five-bar gate specialist, if he once got in front, you would never pass him. His eldest Kacey Lou has the makings of a real champion. But Paul is also a real hound man, he comes and exercises hounds on the bikes every chance he gets.”

Noel Meade, one of the great men across country with the Ward’s, joined back in. “Paul has always been a hunting man and you would need to have a very good horse and an even better nerve to follow him out hunting. We have had our ups and downs but through it all, we have always been very good friends; I am proud of that!”

It wasn’t all sweetness and joy at Tu Va. Paul recalls: “I remember when I was an apprentice jockey Noel called me up to the house to give me a right bollicking about partying too much. He told me ‘you can’t burn the candle at both ends’. He wasn’t too happy when I said ‘you could if you hold it sideways’!”

Again Noel recalled some great days. “There are plenty of stories, good and bad, I could tell you, but I would need far too much space! He has a beautiful wife and a fabulous family. Watching him putting them through their paces on the ponies and playing with them is a joy to behold.”

Household names

Paul went on to talk about the many champions he rode who would become household names. “It’s difficult to explain but all those good horses have something in common but you only get it when you ride them. A lot of it is in their stride, they have to move real well and to pick the best horse I rode is very hard because they were all brilliant. But the ones I enjoyed most would have to be Bobby Jo and Harchibald.

“Bobby Jo because my dad trained him, and I was a big part of that in helping dad from when the horse was a four-year-old. The owners were with dad from the very start and great friends of the family and to win an Irish and English National for dad. He was the very last Irish connection to win in 24 years and the whole family involved which was great.

“Harchibald was a class horse with so much cruising speed and the best horse I rode to jump hurdles. He was so quick over them, long or short, very good on a flat track.

"He was more of a mile and six horse rather than a two-miler, just struggled near the end, so you had to be very careful not to go too quick early on but we had such great success together. Still think if he didn’t get such a good jump at the second last in the Champion Hurdle, it would have made a big difference.

Paul Carberry on the Noel Meade-trained Harchibald at Punchestown in 2009 \ carolinenorris.ie

“As regards jockeys and who were the best I rode with is very hard to answer as I rode with the best for three decades. I started in 1990 – finished in 2015 – so definitely way too many to mention. Graham Bradley was one I loved to watch and kinda modelled myself on him, he was very stylish. I rode with Richard Dunwoody, Adrian Maguire, Charlie Swan, Norman Williamson, AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, Davy Russell, Paul Townend, Mick Kinnane, Johnny Murtagh, Kieron Fallon, so it is pretty hard to pick one out of them. They were all pretty good!

“I rode against Philip and Nina a good bit and a small bit with Peter who moved to England. There was never much rivalry, we would look after each other a small bit but would fight it out at the finish. I remember one time in Naas, Nina was giving a horse a brilliant ride. Just took it up going to the line but by the time she got to the line I took it up from her. She was not impressed but we laugh about it now.”

Then there is Paul, the family man. “So, myself and Rachel are together 15 years now but we have known each other for a very long time. First time I met her was 22 years ago and I think we were always going to end up together and very glad we did, she is a wonderful person and we have four beautiful children together. We have a great relationship. She helps down the yard too. She can be a bit of a clean freak which is good for the yard because I rather riding than the cleaning end of it.

“Kacey-Lou is 11 years old now and is a very good rider. She is so natural and will get up on any horse you ask but we have to do it when Mum is in the house and can’t see. Elle-Jay is eight years old and flying on ponies. She has improved so much during lockdown and is very stylish. Paul-Charles is only three but getting going, loves to come down to the yard and help. He is riding already and is very keen about it. Anne-May is only 10 months so not riding yet but no doubt it won’t take her long.”

No doubt Paul will bring all that talent and the will to win to show jumping and with the right horse, will go to the very top. You can’t keep a good man down!