Harchibald

Irish Stamp

Irish Stamp

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Mar 21, 2004
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Great ride from Carberry - bad fall for Punjabi but relaly impressed with the way Harchibald put his head down and battled to the line, rising 10 and the first time I've seen him do that.

Brilliant stuff :)
 
Has always been a favourite of mine. Ground imperative for this fella. Hope if ground goes against him come March connections dont run him. Carberry his usual motionless self
 
Absolutely love him....just oozes charisma and class.

Channel 4 just showed a slow mo side on shot...and his cruising speed is absolutely awesome.
 
granger said:
Given the relative price of others, that 20/1 on Harchi for March is tempting
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He has very little chance now at Cheltenham given the way they water the ground now. I remember last year's Champion, Meade was gutted a couple of hours before the race given the amount of water they poured on the track and that was before it even rained.

Tuesday is nearly always the softest ground all meeting and it does not suit.
 
well that's two or the 2005 champion three to have won this year....Hardy, Harchi and just Brave Inca to do the trick now. And they keep saying it wasn't a vintage year in 2005!! Three years later and those horses still winning grade 1s. Lets hope we can keep up the trend on Monday.
 
More to racing than Prestbury Park in March though. See no reason why he can't come back to Kempton next year and always the Punchestown champ hurdle to aim for
 
Nice horse and all that, and it's always great watching his races but those that are suggesting he put his head down and battled need to watch the race again. The head was typically up in the air and he was pulling himself up in front. In hindsight, that was the day to catch him I think with his main form rival failing to get round. Softer ground and a greater test of stamina won't suit him later in the season.
 
Lol. Nothing to do with me the Jumps but I'd be surprised if it was removed just yet. I did enjoy Meade's interview prior to the Champion Hurdle though.

I forget the horse but there is a story that on receiving his copy of Chasers and Hurdlers on year, Josh Gifford took exception to one of his horses getting a sguiggle and promptly threw said copy on the fire!
 
I have long maintained that Harchibald is genuine and is not a dog. Some horses carry their heads high, does not mean they are remotely ungenuine e.g Halfwaytoheaven this season is an obvious example.

I think its always clear when Harchi is going to find much after the last.....people assume because Carberry is sitting still it means that he has loads of horse. Last year in the Christmas Hurdle, Carberry was sitting still but absolutely sitting on nothing the whole way up the straight where as yesterday you could see Harchibald was pulling to get going and was full of horse.

I love Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace to bits....people call them genuine/tough horses. Yet the truth is in all their races they are keeping loads for themselves and only giving it all when they are forced to (with the whip) in the end. Horses like Harchibald give their all on the bridle without needing the whip to get every ounce out of him. Coupled with the fact he barely gets two miles, needs good ground and is ridden by a very quiet jockey and he looks like a "dog" to the everyday punter.
 
Harchibald has a squiggle because he became an unreliable betting proposition, for one reason or another (not necessarily temperamental) he couldn't be and still can't (imo) be relied upon to win the races his form says he should. But as an everyday punter, WTF would I know.
 
davidjohnson said:
Harchibald has a squiggle because he became an unreliable betting proposition, for one reason or another (not necessarily temperamental) he couldn't be and still can't (imo) be relied upon to win the races his form says he should. But as an everyday punter, WTF would I know.
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Sorry David, I did not mean it to come across like that and after reading it again I can see how it could. Everyday punter referred to ill informed betting shop punters who do little study of the form, know little about horses and are type to cheers fallers etc. I certainly would not put you (or many) on here in that bracket.
 
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