About Paul Carberry
Paul's Profile
Name Paul Nicholas Carberry
aka Alice
Date of Birth 9th February 1974
Born Stable, Bethlehem (Dublin)
Star Sign Aquarius
Marital Status Married
Where and when did you start racing?
At the age of 16 I rode in my first point-to-point. At that time I rode out for my Dad and he gave me the ride on a gelding, Joseph Nibb, a horse that had won a number of times on the track. The horse performed again and on my first ride I scored my first win.
Most memorable sporting moment to date?
For me personally it has to be my win in the Grand National at Aintree. It was a dream I had held from being a youngster, and to date is still my greatest achievement. To win on a horse trained by my Dad made it extra special.
My most memorable sporting moment which wasn’t a personal achievement was watching Nina go up the hill in front of me to win on Dabiroun at the Cheltenham Festival in 2005 – her first win in Cheltenham; she was brilliant.
Hector O'Heochagan on Paul
"There’s no better a sight in any sport than the competitor competing in full flow, in full speed, confident in their ability and patient in their tactics. Racing, like a lot of sports, is all about speed and stamina, and tactics come in to play an awful lot of the time.
When I first saw Paul Carberry in the saddle what struck me was his instantly recognisable saddle posture refined to a tee after years of pony racing and hunting. Almost aerodynamic in shape, he seemed to be at one with the animal beneath him, hugging in behind the mane in the slipstream waiting, ready to ask his mount to go and win her race. What’s more, and Paul knows this, is his instantly recognisable backside cocked high and mighty into the air, higher and mightier than any other backside in racing today!
It’s this style, added to his genius-like knowledge of horses that sets Paul apart from the rest. It’s his attitude and love of the game that to me, and to thousands of others, makes him one of the finest jockeys Ireland has ever produced, and when you know him personally, it’s his love of life, the smile, the sense of humour that sets him apart from the chasing pack.
I will never forget Harchibald’s win with Paul on board at Kempton on the 26th December 2004 in the Stan James Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1). Almost 35 lengths down to no one other than the great Rooster Booster coming around the final bend, not once did he panic, not once did he take to the whip, just a shake of the reins and a confident "come on then" in his finest Meath accent and Harchibald reeled him in and cruised on by to victory. It was a feat no other jockey in my book could have even attempted to pull off, it was plain and simple the genius of Paul on a horse happy in himself, primed and ready run ,and when you get that combination, it’s odds-on that the man from Rathfeigh will be coming back into the winners enclosure!"
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