Horses you never forgave and couldn’t like

Last time I backed Harchibald was he broke my heart on day one of Cheltenham 2005.
Singles, doubles and a treble on Arcalis @ 33/1 Contraband @ 9/1 I think and Harchibald at 5/1..... and for a real kick in the nuts Ihad backed Hardy @ 40/1 when he won the CH the year before.
 
I always think bridle ponces like Harchibald unfairly get a bad name. Harchibald might be a bad example as perhaps he just didn't like to go past the one in front of him. But surely a horse that finds nothing off the bridle is a horse that's been giving his all of his own accord and has nothing left to give ? A horse who keeps finding for pressure though is somehow talked about as being brave where as isn't he just a lazy sod keeping plenty for himself ?
 
Silver Birch (myself to blame) winning the National was horrendous financially.

Not sure I'm over Maljimar yet either!
 
Dawn Run for the first mare’s allowance and catching dear Wayward Lad up the hill.

I think those desperately hard races in the Cheltenham and Punchestown Gold Cups broke Bravemansgame.
 
Danny said:
I always think bridle ponces like Harchibald unfairly get a bad name. Harchibald might be a bad example as perhaps he just didn't like to go past the one in front of him. But surely a horse that finds nothing off the bridle is a horse that's been giving his all of his own accord and has nothing left to give ? A horse who keeps finding for pressure though is somehow talked about as being brave where as isn't he just a lazy sod keeping plenty for himself ?
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That was definitely what Paul Carberry thought.
 
Some horses are definitely 'followers' within the pack. They are happy to race generously enough but don't want to be out there leading at any stage.

You'd hope that centuries of selective breeding would by now have bred the trait out of racehorses but it still evidently there.

I know I like to take extra note of horses that appear to want to be in front regardless of whether the jockey is bringing it under pressure and, more so, I like the ones that appear determined to resist challenges from other runners late in their races.
 
Len Madeiros said:
Spurred on by Granger’s dislike and dismissal of My Way De Solzen, are there any other horses we didn’t actually like? Nags that we just couldn’t get on the right side of? Horses that scuppered our chances of pulling off a mini-coup?

For me, it’s Honeysuckle. I never forgave her for barging Benie de Deuix out of the mares race in 2020, and I would never back her after that. I couldn’t stand her.

And I never saw the appeal of Sea The Stars. Yes, he won everything. But the manner of his victories were too understated for my liking. Could never back the horse because of that.

Yes, ridiculously irrational, but punting is sometimes.
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I went to see Sea the Stars at York when he picked up Mastercraftsman . Jimmy Fortune said STS was toying with Rip Van Winkle in the Eclipse. His surge to take the lead from a pocket in the Arc was amazing .

Watching STS go round the paddock at York was jaw dropping . He is definitely the best looking horse I have ever seen.
 
Ardross said:
Galopin des Champs - a bruiser , turned over frequently right handed in a very weak era - does little for me.
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He's a fair bit better than the stables other dual winner Al Bhoum Photo. I get what you're saying, but I think he's a very good horse, when conditions are right.
 
Robicheaux said:
He's a fair bit better than the stables other dual winner Al Bhoum Photo. I get what you're saying, but I think he's a very good horse, when conditions are right.
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I am not saying he isn’t . I am just a bit sceptical about him being the best since Kauto Star. I think GDC is very good but in a pretty weak era of staying chasers.
 
Agree about the best since Kauto. A period of 12 months or so, when he was at the top of his game, A Plus Tard, would've shown Galopin a clean pair of heels.
 
Seven Dials said:
Don’t like horses with top-class form and poor form, with little in between. Makes me a bit suspicious.
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Does that mean that you'd diss Desert Orchid? Clearly, nothing like as good at Cheltenham than, say, Kempton. Arguably you could say the same about Kauto Star.

Hopefully this won't hex Galopin at the weekend but, at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, I'd have him ahead of most this century.
 
archie said:
Does that mean that you'd diss Desert Orchid? Clearly, nothing like as good at Cheltenham than, say, Kempton. Arguably you could say the same about Kauto Star.

Hopefully this won't hex Galopin at the weekend but, at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, I'd have him ahead of most this century.
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To be clear, I was referencing APT, not GDC.
And no, I adored DO and had the privilege of seeing his GC win in the flesh (from my vantage point, I wasn’t sure he’d got up!). So not course-to-course variation, which is extremely common, so much as some top-level form mixed in with some shockers.
 
archie said:
Does that mean that you'd diss Desert Orchid? Clearly, nothing like as good at Cheltenham than, say, Kempton. Arguably you could say the same about Kauto Star.

Hopefully this won't hex Galopin at the weekend but, at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, I'd have him ahead of most this century.
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Winning Cheltenham Gold Cups - as DO and KS did doesn’t quite count as poor form ! Albeit DO was definitely a much better horse right handed . KS I am not sure about - he fell in the Champion Chase and 2010 GC . Ruby seems firm in his view he wasn’t right in the 2008 . He looked to blow up in 2011 having been off since KG and was dominant in 2007 and 2009 . He definitely found Kempton an easier gig.
 
I don't think anyone could ever seriously suggest DO was an 'in and out' performer. He was brilliant nearly every time and just couldn't show his best at Cheltenham, which seems to be the case with some horses.

Wayward Lad was another who struggled there despite giving his all.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I don't think anyone could ever seriously suggest DO was an 'in and out' performer. He was brilliant nearly every time and just couldn't show his best at Cheltenham, which seems to be the case with some horses.

Wayward Lad was another who struggled there despite giving his all.
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I still think that the comparison to GDC is valid because the latter's only 'out' performances have been at Punchestown with two of those over an inadequate trip first time out and the other two when probably not over the Gold Cup.

Wayward Lad, sadly, did not quite get the Gold Cup trip at that level.
 
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