Diamond Harry

Galileo said:
He tends to look impressive he these type of races doesn't he though?
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When would you suggest he doesn't look so impressive, Gal? He's only ever been beaten by Mikael D'Haganeut, Karabak (who finished second both times) and Big Buck's. Nothing wrong with that and he won't be coming up against any of them this year.
 
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I prefered Harry's jumping today to long Run's at Kempton. Hes a fine horse and wouldnt suprise me at all if he won the RSA
 
Bad news clivex, I agree with you. He jumps fences far better than hurdles, something that his effort in the Fixed Brush races suggests he could. No doubt Punchestowns had better hurdling form, but Diamond Harry looks sure to me to make a better chaser and as such has to have realistic claims in the RSA.

I'd rather have seen Jacob ride today though, with Geraghty unlikely to be available for the Festival, that means it will be Murphy if available which he should be, but if he's not, it will be another jockey on board without experience of riding him, and I think he's the type of horse that if you've ridden him before, it can only be a help.
 
I think he is extremely over-rated - he has flopped on every big occasion. Dunno what price he is now, but if he's in the top 2 or 3 for the RSA he's the Lay of the Festival..
 
Flopped on everty big occasion?. Hes only lost two races.... One of those to the best staying hurdler weve seen for a while. Just looking and watching him has always suggested a chaser that happens to have been hurdling. The two in front of him in the market have excatly the same experience over UK fences, so i dont see that as a issue for the market

I can live with that dj :)
 
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I like him yesterday very much, jumped very well and posted a figure in the mid 150s, what is very very high for a chasing debut.
 
Shadow Leader said:
Well, he didn't look like a tricky ride there, did he?? Where was this difficult, tricky ride that hangs?????!
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A slightly cheap shot tbh; it's significant, however, that he didn't run down his fences at all as he was wont to do over hurdles - that's where Geraghty is a better jockey right now, imo. He did actually come off the bridle about a mile from home, but Geraghty just cajoled him back into the bridle without many noticing, although he did drift to 9/4 in running, so it wasn't just me who noticed.
 
I watched the race yesterday mindful of some of the comments on here about his genuineness. Towards the end of the back straight I thought he was being niggled at a little but he appeared to overcome it fairly quickly. I was watching for any signs of waywardness up the straight but he seemed dead straight at the fences. The fall of the other horse has flattered him a bit but it was a nice debut.

I agree in part with sunybay. Although I haven't calculated any figures myself, a mid 150s debut over fences is very good but it's more common these days than in the past now that some novices are sent for decent targets first time up rather than eased through a programme of gimmes.
 
rorydelargy said:
Delighted to hear it (although I'd have obviously loved to have seen Darly given a chance); Geraghty has been the biggest surprise of the last couple of seasons for me - riding consistently brilliantly and with a knack of giving confidence to horses. He'll do for me.
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Daryl was offered the ride but chose to go to Ascot to ride Cornas and L'Aventure.
 
Diamond Harry runs in a 3m novice chase at Newbury on 13 Feb then heads for the RSA. Punchestown could also be on the agenda.
 
It wasn't at all a cheap shot Rory; too many people on here are coming out with crap about him being ungenuine, tricky or even hugely over-rated as he's flopped on every big occasion - the latter comment which is hardly worth rising to, to be honest. Diamond Harry is not the rogue some people think him to be, you should know better than that.

I'm not sure quite who you're directing the comment at that 'not many noticed' the horse come off the bridle, it was pretty bloody obvious to a blind man that he hit a flat spot at that point and was being niggled! Still, he did the job nicely and didn't look at all like the ungenuine, difficult, hanging beast some on here [and Timmy Murphy!] seem to think he is.
 
Anyone any opinions on Bensalem's run in the race?

Having backed hm Ante Post for the RSA i was initially gutted seeing him fall at the 3rd last. Particularly as i didn't think he was travelling well enough to challenge. However having watched the replay a couple of times i'm a bit more enthused and while i'm not gripping my ante post tightly, i'm certainly not letting go just yet. I think Choc just got him off the bridle to get him away from the fence and through the gap and he came back on the bridle quickly after.

Difficult (if not impossible) to know if he'd have challenged Diamond Harry, but i for one am not giving up on my ante post bet just yet. I did think his jumping was a little scratchy though, for a horse having his 3rd run over fences.
 
I'd agree with you. The race wasn't over. At that point you'd have fancied Diamond Harry but it wasn't a done deal. Would he have given him more than a 4lb beating? I doubt it.
 
Cheers Mel, i'm possibly not clutching at straws so :) . Just hope the reported "swolen knee" he came back with isn't a major setback.

Anyone know how long of a setback this type of injury could have? Or is it like most things, and would depend on the severity.
 
This probably deserves a new thread given how the debate has diverged, but I'm informed that Warren Greatrex has jocked Timmy Murphy off Barwell Bridge after the ride the horse was given at Doncaster last week. He had actually tried to do the same after Ascot the previous weekend but Murphy allegedly went to owner Tracey Brown and suggested she should insist he rode as the horse was a difficult ride and only he could get the best out of it.

It's a moot point whether Murphy did a huge amount wrong at Ascot, but he deliberately kept the horse very wide up the straight at Donny before switching very late and finishing well. This is typical of his style and in this instance was frowned on by the trainer, rightly or wrongly. Barwell Bridge is another horse who appears a poor jumper under Timmy and I'd be interested to see whether he looks clumsy/awkward under another jockey. He's being aimed at the Fred Winter, fwiw.
 
Looks sure to improve for better ground and a well-run race. His Flat form suggests the hurly-burly of a race like the Fred Winter will also play to his strengths.
 
Have to say I'm slightly more inclined to agree with Rory and Shadow Leader after today's run. Got in close (somewhat similarly to Punchestowns last week actually) and ran down the majority of the fences Murphy allowed him to have his own way at, but the few times Murphy asked him to see a stride - most notably the water and three out - he came up and responded with sound leaps.

Interesting to hear Murphy say after the race that he doesn't have an awful lot of scope for such a big horse, which is something that is arguably evident at a fair few of his fences.

All of that said, he isn't at all punting proposition for me at Cheltenham.
 
rorydelargy said:
This probably deserves a new thread given how the debate has diverged, but I'm informed that Warren Greatrex has jocked Timmy Murphy off Barwell Bridge after the ride the horse was given at Doncaster last week. He had actually tried to do the same after Ascot the previous weekend but Murphy allegedly went to owner Tracey Brown and suggested she should insist he rode as the horse was a difficult ride and only he could get the best out of it.

It's a moot point whether Murphy did a huge amount wrong at Ascot, but he deliberately kept the horse very wide up the straight at Donny before switching very late and finishing well. This is typical of his style and in this instance was frowned on by the trainer, rightly or wrongly. Barwell Bridge is another horse who appears a poor jumper under Timmy and I'd be interested to see whether he looks clumsy/awkward under another jockey. He's being aimed at the Fred Winter, fwiw.
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Murphy did similar on Springfield Raki in a bumper at Ascot that was won by a Nicholls horse, Red Harbour, I think. Was meant to be just off the pace and then kick turning in, but was instead 15 lengths off the pace turning in and ran on up the straight to take a close 3rd.
 
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