Home to legendary names including Persian War in the 60s, Night Nurse in the 70s, Istabraq in the late 90s, and Constitution Hill in more recent years, the two-mile hurdling division rarely fails to capture the imagination of the racing public.
One of the golden eras for the speediest hurdlers in the game, particularly in Ireland, arrived in the mid-2000s, as the talented quartet of Macs Joy, Harchibald, Hardy Eustace, and Brave Inca butted heads time and time again.
Tragically, Macs Joy lost his life at the track in 2007, while Harchibald and Hardy Eustace both passed away in 2024. Thursday 18 September brought the sad news that the last – and in some ways most remarkable – of the quartet had succumbed to colic at the grand old age of 27.
Colm Murphy Breaks the News
Appearing for the final time at the track in 2009, Brave Inca spent a long and happy retirement at the home of the man who trained him throughout his career, Colm Murphy.
It was Murphy who broke the news of his passing to the racing world, with the County Wexford handler stating:
“Unfortunately, Brave Inca passed away this morning. He had been fantastic all through his retirement with me but just picked up colic and we sadly lost him to it.”
And so, one of racing’s great rags-to-riches tales comes to an end. Initially promising little, Brave Inca developed to scale the greatest heights in the sport.
Pedigree Promise Initially Falls Flat
Sired by Good Thyne, who had previously produced Grade 1 winners Bannow Boy and Mighty Mogul, Brave Inca was out of the unraced dam, Wigwam Mam. Whilst the dam side of his pedigree inspired his name, connections were no doubt hoping the gelding could display a similar level of ability to his siblings on the sire side.
It is fair to say Brave Inca started slowly. Making his debut in a Navan Maiden Hurdle in March 2002, he lost his first four outings by a combined 161.5 lengths. The Novices Syndicate ownership group probably didn’t think they had a future champion hurdler on their hands at this stage.
Brave Inca’s Racing Record in 2002
| Date | Race | Course | Position & SP | Distance Beaten |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/3/02 | Maiden Hurdle | Navan | 10th @ 20/1 | 59 lengths |
| 18/3/02 | Maiden Hurdle | Wexford | 7th @ 20/1 | 30½ lengths |
| 23/11/02 | Hurdle | Naas | 8th @ 33/1 | 37½ lengths |
| 12/12/02 | Handicap Hurdle | Gowran | 14th @ 20/1 | 34½ lengths |
Quite what happened between 12 December 2002 and 01 March 2003 remains something of a mystery. However, following that 79-day break, Brave Inca figured out what it takes to be a racehorse. Starting with a 20-length romp in a Fairyhouse Bumper, the five-year-old rattled off four successive wins in 2003 to rise from a mark of 95 to 121. However, the best was yet to come.
Cheltenham Festival Heroics
Following such a successful 2003, connections wasted little time diving into much deeper waters in 2004. Brave Inca took the step up in class in his stride when mastering future champion chaser Newmill in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown. Next stop, a first outing at the Cheltenham Festival.
With his star firmly on the rise, Brave Inca started as the 7/2 favourite in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and travelled easily as the field turned for home. However, so too did future Gold Cup king War Of Attrition. The pair had the race between them from two out, with Brave Inca ultimately edging a pulsating tussle by a neck.
⭐ Brave Inca & War Of Attrition ⭐
Two brave horses stretched every sinew in the 2004 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Two years later, Brave Inca won the Champion Hurdle, while War Of Attrition scooped the Gold Cup.#CheltenhamFestival #43DaysToGo @CheltenhamRaces @BetfairRacing pic.twitter.com/Soy3L8XiPN
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 31, 2022
Brave Inca went on to make four further appearances at the Cheltenham Festival, all in the Champion Hurdle. His first outing saw him finish a close third in 2005 – a race won by Hardy Eustace but best remembered for the manner in which Harchibald clutched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Twelve months on, Brave Inca and AP McCoy would not be denied. Showing the tenacity typical of his greatest victories, he moved upsides the leaders three from home and toughed it out to see off Macs Joy, with Hardy Eustace back in third. Returning in 2007, he went out on his shield when second to Sublimity, before finishing only 18th on his farewell appearance in 2009.
Grade 1 Winning Machine
Brave Inca ended his career with a record of 15 wins and 12 placed efforts from 35 starts. That record included no fewer than 10 wins in Grade 1 company:
- Deloitte Novice Hurdle (2004)
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (2004)
- Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle (2004)
- Punchestown Champion Hurdle (2005)
- Leopardstown December Festival Hurdle (2005, 2006)
- AIG Europe Champion Hurdle (2006)
- Champion Hurdle (2006)
- Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (2006)
- Irish Champion Hurdle (2009)
Those Grade 1 triumphs represent exactly 50% of the first 20 top-level wins achieved by his trainer. Having announced the news of his death, Murphy paid a glowing tribute to his departed star.
“What a horse he was. It is hard to find the right words to tell you what he meant to everyone. There will never be another Brave Inca; he broke the mould. We have spent the last 20 years trying to find another one but haven’t even come close. He was one of a kind.”
