Brave Inca returning to action

C

Cantoris

At the Start
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Jan 7, 2008
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Brave Inca is coming out of retirement and will be back in competition next weekend.

He's been entered for a class in the Dublin Horse Show in the RDS. I haven't been there for twenty years and I'm not up to speed on my show jumping but think it's pretty harmless stuff. I believe Kicking King and Moscow Flyer will be competing with him. It will certainly be different but he's the type that could do well in that field.
 
Might they be in the Parade of Champions, tomorrow week? I can't imagine them being asked to jump.
 
I saw a mention in the press the other day about Kinking King doing appearances, anyone know more about what he is actually participating in?

I think it is a great idea to give these horses a second life, if they enjoy it, and especially if the public can see them too.
 
I think he's going in the following class at 1.30 on Saturday. This is from the RDS website.

Ex-Racehorse to Riding Horse
A new initiative to the 2009 schedule is the introduction of the Ex-Racehorse to Riding Horse class. The class will identify ex-racehorses of true Riding Horse type and horses which demonstrate quality, substance, bone, correct conformation, presence and true action. The format of judging will be as for a riding horse and the best type will win, therefore a hunter, hack or general riding horse type will have an equal chance of winning.
 
From Racing Post
FIVE years on from toppling subsequent Totesport Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition in the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Brave Inca will on Saturday bid to fell the 2005 victor Kicking King and two-mile champion chaser Moscow Flyer - in the show ring.
Ten-time Grade 1 winner Brave Inca was retired from the public eye in May with a view to returning as a lead or work horse in the winter, but shortly afterwards Louise Walsh, new owner and former trainer Colm Murphy's girlfriend, began retraining the tough 11-year-old as a riding horse.
"It's amazing how quickly he's taken to it," said Murphy. "I think it's because he has such a laid back temperament."
Having proved a willing learner, Brave Inca is set to make a surprise return to competitive action in the inaugural Racehorse to Riding Horse class at the prestigious Dublin Horse Show, where his rivals include prolific staying chaser Kicking King and the all-conquering Moscow Flyer.
 
From Irelands Horse & Pony website

There will be a Winner All Right!

By terri

​
When Kicking King, Moscow Flyer, Brave Inca and Colonel Rayburn go head to head at the RDS this August​

Thursday, July 30 – Don’t miss your chance to see some of racings greatest names compete for a red rosette in the inaugural running of the Racehorse to Riding Horse class sponsored by Good Food Ireland at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show on Saturday the 8th of August.

The class will be a unique opportunity to see some of Ireland’s most famous ex-racehorses battle it out in an RDS show ring. Moscow Flyer the winner of two Queen Mother Champion Chases in addition to twenty-six of his forty-four career starts and deemed by many to be the greatest two mile steeplechaser of the last thirty years, will come head to head with the famous Brave Inca, the Colm Murphy trained, Good Thyne sired Champion Hurdle winner. These stars of Irish racing will be joined by the legendary Kicking King, a former Cheltenham Gold Cup & King George VI Chase winner and the statuesque Colonel Rayburn, a multiple winner and reportedly the tallest horse in training during his time.

Twenty entries are on the card for this class, including other successful horses such as Joe Blake who was named ‘Horse of the Year’ in the 2002 Irish Point to Point season and Raikkonen who clocked up an impressive five wins in his racing career. Mossy Green trained by the renowned trainer Willie Mullins is another notable entry.

The aim of the Racehorse to Riding Horse class is to identify racehorses that make useful and suitable riding horses. The horses entered in this class should demonstrate quality, substance, bone, correct conformation, presence and true action. The class will be judged on ride and manners and the conformation of the horse. To be eligible to compete in this class the horse must have been bred in Ireland and named and returned in training and/or have raced. The RDS introduced this class to showcase how the ex-racehorse can adapt to a different discipline once their racing days are over. With four entries in the class the Irish Horse Welfare Trust must also be commended for there dedication to the retraining of the ex-racehorse.

Odds are on that the RDS Racehorse to Riding Horse class on Saturday 8th August will be an exciting debut. Only one question remains who will start favourite?
 
Was chatting to Colm today and apparently a judge gets up on them and they move from walk to trot and then get them to stop and step back. Sounds like it will be over in a minute. Not normally my cup of tea but guess that's why the showjumping and racing crew don't mix that much......completely different sport.

Will let you know what happens and hopefully get a few pics.
 
From the RP


9055.jpg
Left to right: Moscow Flyer, Kicking King and Brave Inca at the show
PICTURE: Caroline Norris
Brave Inca winner again - at Dublin Horse Show

By Tony O'Hehir5.50PM 8 AUG 2009
CHAMPION HURDLE winner Brave Inca, who was retired from racing in May after an illustrious career, was back in the number one spot in a new role on Saturday when he won the inaugural Racehorse to Riding Horse Class at the Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show.
The competition, sponsored by Good Food Ireland, attracted 21 entries and was introduced to identify retired racehorses who would make useful and suitable riding horses and the judging of the class was based on the ride, manners and conformation.
Brave Inca, who won ten Grade 1 races as a racehorse, was ridden in the class by Kirsteen Reid, who works at an equestrian centre near trainer Colm Murphy's County Wexford yard.
Kicking King, the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was placed fourth and former dual champion chaser Moscow Flyer was fifth.
Murphy said: "Brave Inca is still in our yard and enjoying his retirement. He had a good day out today and everything went well. I'm sipping champagne and I thought those days were over!"
 
:lol:

Well done Cantoris;

add Moscow Flyer and Kicking King to the scalps now. I'm sure there's a trick trivia question in here somewhere
 
It's a version of what is usually known as a Show Hack class - hacking being pleasure riding, where good behaviour and manners are highly prized. Once you've taken your Thoroughbred racehorse off his high energy feeds and let him down a bit, you can start schooling him for normal riding work - I've always been surprised by how late the UK and other European countries seem to have come to this, since most of my childhood riding friends graduated from the first rough pony to ex-racehorses in the 1950s and 1960s in South Africa, and what are now Zimbabwe and Zambia. Those horses were already going into showjumping, polo, and hack classes back then, amenably and successfully, so it's about time the foundation countries, which provided their forebears, caught up.

It's delightful to see the terrific trio doing so well, and a particularly big 'well done' to Cantoris and Kirsteen for BRAVE INCA's reINCArnation... sorry! Ex-racehorses are usually (with the surly exception of DEANO'S BEENO!) far better kept busy, if they're sound enough, after their on-course careers are over, than being chucked into a field to do nothing. Look forward to seeing more of the chaps' success in the show ring in future.
 
I'm struggling today after a smashing day, night and early morning!!

When we walked through the turnstiles yest we didn't know what to expect. We all know Brave Inca improves from his first outing so I presumed he would finish mid div. The twenty horses hacked around the ring together to start with and we were very taken by the way Brave Inca looked, head tucked into his chest. Colonel Rayburn is a mssiv horse and Kicking King and Moscow looked in great nick too. The horses were then split into two groups of ten and asked to go around the ring in circles going from a walk to a trot and canter and back again. Then they all lined up in the middle and the two judges, Guy Landau (presumably the same lad that rode Lean Ar Aghaidh in the National) and Ian Stark started at different ends and hacked around on each horse. You could see Landau was very happy with Brave Inca. The saddles were taken off and they walked and trotted, watched by the judges. Saddles back on and their normal riders went around the ring in a trot. The judges considered their decision and pointed to Brave Inca. Kirsteen was well pleased.

He got a tremendous round of applause and taking to others around me they thought it was a good class and they have never seen so many people there before the event started and still there at the end. So very popular and many around us were very interested to know our involvement......as we were making plenty of noise!!!

Ian Stark had a chat with Colm after and said how much the judges enjoyed the opportunity to ride these horses and he hoped they would be allowed to do it again next year. Interestingly, Landau liked Brave Inca's attitude, said he was a much better mover thanKicking King and was obedient........a perfect riding horse.

Everyone was over the moon. A complete surprise to all and there were many photos taken after. Something completely different for all of us and Kirsteen is hoping to get an invite to an event in Birmingham before going back to defend the title next year.

As is usual when Brave Inca wins, we had a bottle or ten of champagne and ended up having a bit of a session with the horsey folk until around 3am. Nearly as enjoyable as last Feb!!
 
Guy Landau is one of the top showing producers in the country so its a very good start to get comments like that of him. Im guessing the event in Birmingham is HOYS its the championship of championships throughout the year, im going this year as my friends cold got his Cuddy ticket allready so will be there to cheer him on, i've not checked the scheduale yet so it could be that the ex-racers are on a diffeent day
 
LOL - I love it - "an event in Birmingham"... :D

only THE biggest showing show of the year over here !!! ( Cantoris - thats the equivalent to saying that Sea the Stars won an event in Surrey.... !!!)

Really hope he comes over for it,Id guess hed get a qualification for the finals - its lovely to see the big names competing in the classes as well as the less known horses.

It would have been the Guy Landau of Lean ar Aigh (sp!) fame - hes now a very well known and respected show horse producer over here,(does or did a lot with John Dunlop (yes,the trainer one!) 's show horses iirc. *

I think its fab - still smiling about this win for him and how quick hes made the transition. Lovely lovely horse.(but dont beat me next year ;) )

* I have just read LE's post above - and i know Ive just doubled up on a lot of it, but it has taken me ages to type out,so im leaving it in !!!!
 
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