Brave Inca's breeder passes away Denis Macauley, who bred legendary National Hunt horse Brave Inca, passed away at the weekend after a long illness. Craig Caven, who was in attendance at Downpatrick yesterday, paid tribute to Macauley and said: "He was a very good friend and I was best man at his wedding. We hunted all over Ireland together. Denis and I were joint masters of the East Down Foxhounds. "In 1986, when I was 39, I had my one and only ride in a point-to-point for Denis' father, John Macauley. Nightmaster won by three lengths at Tyrella carrying 12st 10lb of which five stone was lead! He was a good jumper and a very safe conveyance for a novice rider." Macauley, from Downpatrick, rode as an amateur but famously bred Brave Inca in 1998. The Good Thyne gelding was trained by Colm Murphy and landed the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2004 before hitting the jackpot two years later when winning the Champion Hurdle by a length under AP McCoy. Brave Inca won in excess of a million euro in his career and was renowned for his toughness in winning 15 of his 35 races, including multiple Grade Ones.
