Cluskey living the dream with Darver Part-owner Pat Cluskey admits he's living the dream with Darver Star as the Gavin Cromwell-trained gelding gets ready to contest another Grade One prize at Leopardstown this weekend. The Kalanisi gelding was one the stories of last season as he showed rapid improvement, winning four on the bounce. 12 months ago he pushed Honeysuckle close in the Irish Champion Hurdle before finishing a fine third behind Epatante at Cheltenham in hurdling's blue riband event. The nine-year-old has already been placed in top level company over fences this season, chasing home Franco De Port in the Racing Post Chase at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day. He is set to line up in the Patrick Ward & Company Irish Arkle Novice Chase this Saturday. Cluskey is one third of the SSP Number Twentytwo Syndicate, alongside Simon Fagan and Sean Fanning, and also joint breeder:- “I've never experienced anything like it in my life. “When we won four in a row with him everyone in the area was talking about him. Even people I didn't know were stopping me in the street asking me 'what do you think'. “I had never come across anything like it and it's just a dream come true. “We've been involved with horses for 25 years and you're always hoping for a good one. “We had a few decent ones, the likes of Sky Hall (a half-brother to the dam of Darver Star). “The great grand-dam of Darver Star was the top point-to-point mare in Ireland but this is what you might call the first semi-superstar!”
