Equine Retirements, Long Term Injuries and Departures

Was working this afternoon and so didn't see the racing - I was a bit annoyed earlier thinking I'm missing the Chester Vase but glad now I didn't see it :cry:. What a terrible shame, RIP Hidden Law
 
The saddest thing was that he looked a bit special winning only for seconds later for everything to go so horribly wrong. I really could have seen him having an outstanding chance at Epsom especially as he quickened beautifully.

Apparently he took a false step as he went over the covered road crossing.
 
Imagine that happening a smaller stable though.
I remember a small Curragh based trainer about 30 years ago winning the two year old maiden Irish Derby weekend with a debutant that never made it to the winner's enclosure.
 
Was he the one that was a specialist 2 1/2 miler and, if the Ryanair had been around then, would have won it every year?
 
That's him. He did most of his winning over 2m4f, including two Durkan Chases and two Melling Chases. He was a classy horse, trained by Arthur Moore and owned by John Magnier.
 
Two great horses whose stellar careers were overshadowed by one or two slightly better.
Think Moscow Flyer and Brave Inca.
That Hardy and Harchi died within a few months of each other is poetic also.
That Harchi was beaten in a County Hurdle carrying just 10 stone remains a mystery; I imagine farms of land were lost on that race.
 
Such a great shame to hear about these two horses passing away.

Native Upmanship was always a joy to watch jumping fences (around Aintree in particular), and though I’ve often been rude about his constitution over the years, there was never any doubting Harchibald’s talent.

Both horses are pratically inseperable in my mind from Norman Williamson and Paul Carberry respectively, and I very-much think that these were two perfectly-matched human-and-equine partnerships. I don’t reckon either horse would have been quite as successful as they were under any other jockey.
 
Paul Carberry and Harchibald were such a partnership. My favourite memory of them is the Kempton race where they went off odds on but allowed Rooster Booster to build a 25 length lead. They were still 12 lengths behind two out but they reeled him in with 100 yards to spare.

This was what the RP analysis had to say:

“The surprise of the race was the repeat Bula front-running tactics on Rooster Booster, who was allowed a 25-length lead down the back straight and on timings was still nearly 20 lengths clear around the home turn as Harchibald was finally asked to improve.

What was most impressive about Harchibald was the way he cut the advantage from there, timed at 12 lengths two out and just over four at the last before he was only cajoled past Rooster Booster without recourse to the whip. There was a feeling that there might not have been much more to come but that is hardly surprising with the effort he had produced up the straight against a top rival who conceded no ground to the rest of the pack in defeat.”
 
Corach Rambler retires :)

Good decision all round.

I really didn't like the look of that fall at the second at Aintree and wondered at Punchestown if he was remembering it.

Better he bows out and gets loving attention for the rest of his life than asking him to do something he wasn't enjoying.

 
He’s staying at the yard to be Scu’s hack so his life is going to be very much the same but without the racing and he will be surrounded by people who know and love him.
 
He’s coming down to Cornwall to Racehorse Relief if I remember rightly - weather they’ll use him as a flagship for them or rehome him hasn’t been said. ( unless I’ve missed it, which is quite possible !!) nice chap, hope he does well :)
 
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