Breeding in thoroughbred racehorses is all important and there can be no disputing that the bloodlines behind Philip Carberry have had a huge impact on his abilities in the saddle. Sired by the top-class jockey Tommy Carberry and a ‘full-brother’ to both Paul and Nina Carberry, Philip was destined to make his living riding racehorses. While he had to be content to work in the shadow of his siblings in the past, in recent years Philip has well and truly established himself as a high-class jump jockey.
Principal Trainer: Francois Cottin
Notable Wins:
- December Festival Hurdle (Sublimity 2008)
- Grande Steeple-Chase de Paris (Princesse D’Anjou 2008 + 2006)
- County Hurdle (Pedrobob 2007)
- Champion Hurdle (Sublimity 2007)
- Prix La Haye Jousselin (Princesse D’Anjou 2006)
- Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase (One Four Shannon 2006)
- Irish Grand National (Point Barrow 2006)
- Menolly Homes Handicap Hurdle (Bon Temps Rouler 2005)
- Elan Midlands National Handicap Chase (Rockholm Boy 2001)
- Guinness Kerry National (Lanturn 1999)
- Paddy Power Bookmakers Champion Flat Race (Our Bid 1999)
Early Days
Long before his more recent good fortune, Philip began his riding career as an amateur jockey in the 1998/9 season. His first winner came aboard his father’s Native Status in a handicap hurdle at Bellewstown in July 1998, a victory which was followed up just two weeks later on the same horse at Killarney. Although he only rode five winners during the season, Philip did partner subsequent Aintree Grand National winner, Bobbyjo, to success in a handicap hurdle at Down Royal in March 1999 which was the horse’s last run before grabbing Aintree glory the following month. At the Punchestown Festival, Philip rode the Kevin Prendergast-trained Our Bid to victory in the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival and his victory on the 25/1 outsider was to prove his last winner as a amateur as he turned professional the following month.
Success As A Professional
Philip did not have to wait long to notch up his first big-race win as a fully fledged professional as he guided the Pat Hughes-trained Lanturn to a comfortable success in the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel in 1999. A double at Downpatrick in November soon followed as Philip found himself in demand with lots of different trainers and the fact that he could go to scale at 9st 7lb was a huge help. In March 2000, he rode the Noel Meade-trained Halfpenny Bridge to win the European Breeders Fund Novice Chase Final at Navan while later that month Philip rode a valuable double at Leopardstown which included a win on the Arthur Moore-trained Tyndarius in the featured Silchester Handicap Steeplechase.
The 2000/1 season began well for Philip as he rode the subsequent Aintree Grand National winner, Amberleigh House, to win a valuable handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival for Michael Hourigan. He also continued his successful association with the Pat Hughes stable when riding Shanillo to win the Jack Duggan Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Gowran Park. Other notable winners that Philip rode for the Hughes stable that season came on Kimberley in the Pierse Contracting Ltd Novice Hurdle at Cork and Copernicus in the Kevin McManus Bookmaker Novice Hurdle at the same course.
The following season saw Philip land the Elan Midlands Grand National at Kilbeggan on the Michael Hourigan-trained Rockholm Boy, one of his first victories after losing his claiming allowance. However, the loss of his claim and the fact that he began to suffer from injuries meant that things got a bit tougher for Philip in the 2001/2 season as the winners began to dry up somewhat. Fortunately, his light weight allowed him to ride on the Flat on a regular basis and indeed he began to ride consistently for the James Burns stable, notching up a couple of winners in the process.
Back To Form
It wasn’t until 2005 that Carberry returned to near his best and it was the Grand National Meeting at Fairyhouse that saw him return to the spotlight with two high-profile wins. On Easter Monday he booted home the Oliver McKiernan-trained Healy’s Pub in the Leinster Petroleum Handicap Hurdle while the following day he rode the Arthur Moore-trained Bon Temps Ruler to win the valuable Menolly Homes Handicap Hurdle, in the process defeating his better fancied stable companion, Mansony, who was ridden by his sister, Nina.
The momentum generated by those two wins continued into the 2005/6 season with him forming a profitable association with the Gerard Keane trained Mullaghea Boy, on whom he won three races, as well as teaming up with the John Carr-trained Sublimity who won a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown before finishing a rather unlucky fourth in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Philip was then seen to good effect on the Pat Hughes-trained Point Barrow in the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday in 2006 as he guided 20/1 outsider to a famous success.
The Form Of His Life
The following month, Philip became the first jockey in Ireland or Great Britain to ride the winner of the Grande Steeplechase de Paris since the legendary Fred Winter in 1962 when scoring on outsider Princesse D'Anjou for French-based trainer, Francois Cottin. Five months later the combination struck again to land the Grade 1 Prix La Haye Jousselin. However, for Carberry, the best was yet to come in 2006/7.
Carberry went into the 2007 Cheltenham Festival with just three rides booked and no more than an outside chance on any of them. However, he came away from the greatest Festival in National Hunt racing with two of the most high-profile wins of his career under his belt. The John Carr-trained Sublimity looked to have a difficult task in the Champion Hurdle and his price of 16/1 reflected this, but under a supremely-confident ride from Carberry, he emerged the hugely-stylish winner. As if that wasn’t good enough, in the final race of the Festival, Carberry gave the Tony Mullins-trained Pedrobob an inspired ride to get up in the shadow of the post to win the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle.
These victories were a great boost to Philip’s career and not long after that he signed a retainer with the leading National Hunt owner in France, Jean-Paul Senechal, owner of the aforementioned Princesse D’Anjou. Indeed, that talented mare provided Carberry with his biggest win since then, namely a second success in the prestigious Grande Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil in 2008. Just prior to that win, Carberry enjoyed a profitable spell on Arthur Moore-trained horses in valuable handicaps during the spring festivals, winning the Ladbrokes.com Handicap Hurdle at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival on Major Sensation before winning the Ulster Bank Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival a month later on Notable D’Estruval.
To The Future
While Sublimity has tended to find one or two too good at the very highest level since his win in the Champion Hurdle, Carberry did ride him to a notable success in the Grade 1 December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2008. Since the conclusion of the 2008/9 season, Carberry has been primarily based in France and has enjoyed continued success there.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated January 2011
