As 2024 turns to 2025, the latest National Hunt season provides much to look forward to. With the campaign now picking up the pace, the current stars continue on their journey towards the Cheltenham Festival in March. However, the New Year also presents an opportunity to reflect on the highs and the sad lows of 2024.
As new stars emerge, others depart, and in 2024, the racing world said its last goodbyes to a host of famous names. Here, we look back on six jumping stars who set off for the pastures in the sky.
Istabraq – Died July 2024, aged 32
For many racing fans, this Aidan O’Brien-trained star is the greatest hurdler to ever set hoof on the track. Having shown signs of promise when based with John Gosden on the flat, the JP McManus-owned runner exploded into the stratosphere over timber.
Istabraq won 23 of 29 starts over hurdles, including an incredible 14 Grade 1 contests, four of which came at the Cheltenham Festival. Having landed the Champion Hurdle in 1998, 1999 and 2000, he was an overwhelming favourite to become the first four-time Champion Hurdle winner in 2001. The foot and mouth outbreak denied him that opportunity, but not his position amongst the all-time greats.
Hardy Eustace – Died February 2024, aged 27
The second Irish 2m hurdling star on our list hailed from the yard of Dessie Hughes. Whilst not quite in the same league as Istabraq, Hardy Eustace was the horse to take up the mantle from the O’Brien star.
❤️ The great Hardy Eustace has sadly passed away. What a racehorse
🏇 41 runs
🥇 14 wins
🏆🏆 Champion Hurdle
🏆 Irish Champion Hurdle
🏆 Morgiana Hurdle
🏆 Punchestown Champion Hurdle
🏆 Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle
🏆 Royal Bond
💷 Over £1 million in prize money pic.twitter.com/eBULPoCQ3x— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 4, 2024
Hardy Eustace won three times at the Cheltenham Festival, including back-to-back editions of the Champion Hurdle in 2004 and 2005. The first of those saw him lead the field a merry dance en route to a 5l front-running success. However, it is the second which will go down in racing legend, as the defending champ denied one of the most enigmatic hurdlers of the 21st century…
Harchibald – Died May 2024, aged 25
With wins in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2004, 2007), Christmas Hurdle (2004, 2008), and a fifth Grade 1 at Tipperary, there was no doubting the talent of the Noel Meade-trained Harchibald. However, that ability was matched (and then some) by an idiosyncratic streak, which compelled the horse to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory on several occasions. The most famous incident came when cantering all over the field in the 2005 Champion Hurdle. Still cruising on the bit inside the final 50 yards, he somehow lost out to the aforementioned Hardy Eustace. Watching the race back almost 20 years later, we still think that he’s going to win!
Limestone Lad – Died in March, aged 32
In common with Harchibald, the James Bowe star Limestone Lad never quite managed to win at the Cheltenham Festival – coming closest when second to Bacchanal in the 2000 edition of the Stayers’ Hurdle. However, he was a mighty force in his homeland. In 47 outings over hurdles, he won 29 times and finished outside the first three on only four occasions. His finest hour came in 1999 when he gave none other than Istabraq a 5½l beating in the first of his three Hatton’s Grace Hurdle victories.
Bindaree – Died in September, aged 30
This Nigel Twiston-Davies star couldn’t match the ratings of the above quartet, but he did win the most famous race of them all. First bursting onto the scene in the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle in 1999, his finest hour came at Aintree in 2002, when producing a lung-busting effort to claim the Grand National under Jim Cullotty.
His last hurrah came at Chepstow in 2003 when the admirably tough chaser joined the list of runners to win both the English and Welsh Grand Nationals.
Shiskin – Died April 2024, aged 10
Happily, the first five names in our obituary enjoyed a long and thoroughly deserved retirement. Tragically, that wasn’t the case for this hugely popular Nicky Henderson star. Making his first appearance for Henderson in 2019, Shiskin won 11 of his first 12 starts under rules, including the 2020 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 2021 Arkle Chase.
A pulled-up effort in the 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase ended his winning sequence, but he returned to bag the Ascot Chase and Aintree Bowl in 2023. Shiskin was expected to return to the track in 2024/25, but the lovable star died having been found cast in his box in April.
