Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock, acting for racehorse owner Saeed Suhail, purchased Sublimity as a yearling from the Tattersalls October Sales in 2001 for 210,000 Guineas.

It would come back to haunt Hennessy later but Sublimity showed no signs of any ailments on his first start from John Carr's base in Maynooth, County Kildare, dropping his customary hold-up tactics and making all of the running, on rain-softened ground he wouldn't have liked, to win the 2005 Listed Alleged Stakes[4] at the Curragh back in the hands of Johnny Murtagh.

Sublimity had proven his class, maybe not on the racecourse, but certainly to those who knew him best, trainer John Carr, work-rider Robert Hennessy and groom Majella Brennan.

Despite Carr's efforts to keep Sublimity's potential secret, many, including top Irish pundit David Duggan, had been very impressed with his Supreme Novices' Hurdle fourth and, having been as large as 100-1 ante-post, he was sent off at 16-1.

Bill Hennessy had given his son Robert plenty of rides when he was a jockey, and the rider had played a huge role in Sublimity's career since spotting him at Tattersalls in October 2004, so when he suggested he would embark on fulfilling his lifelong ambition to train racehorses, Bill and John Carr, agreed it was in Sublimity's and Robert's best interests if the rookie took over his training.

Robert rented a small facility with a round sand gallop, around 20 stables, a few paddocks and an outdoor ring only a few minutes from his home in Ratoath, County Meath.

However, as the date approached regular rider Philip Carberry suffered a fall and broke his collarbone ruling him out of the Grade 1 and Hennessy still did not have a licence to train.

Majella Brennan, who left John Carr's with Sublimity to become Robert's assistant, accompanied her charge across to England and Hennessy joined her on that Saturday but unfortunately the meeting was abandoned due to frost and they were forced to wait a week.

The ground dried out in just in time and, in front of most of the Hennessy family, Sublimity made Robert the first trainer to land his very first success in a Grade 1 hurdle.

[9] Before that Hennessy had banked on suitable ground playing into the hands of Sublimity in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, but Carberry reported that the gelding could not breathe for most of the Cheltenham championship and he was forced to shelve those plans.

However hope came in the shape of vet Ben Brain, a breathing specialist, who jetted into Ratoath and performed a simple operation that would heal in plenty of time for Punchestown.

Robert Hennessy still needed to see whether Ben Brain's operation had worked so Sublimity was switched to the Flat again for the Listed Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown.