Harchibald

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Entered up in a beginners chase at Tipperary this weekend. It would be a real shame to see this horse get hurt at his age (turning 11) over these larger obstacles after so many years perfecting his technique over hurdles. Surely they would be better aiming him at the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton again rather than making this sort of change now.
 
Maybe it is to give him good ground finding options for prep races? I'd be surprised if his technique was a problem, but not jumping fences at all obviously would be safer.
 
Melendez said:
Maybe it is to give him good ground finding options for prep races? I'd be surprised if his technique was a problem, but not jumping fences at all obviously would be safer.
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There is a two mile hurdle race on the same card...why not go for that?

Over hurdles he was fast and very low over his hurdlers - a proper specialist hurdler. He looks the type that could take a chance at his fences. I guess connections know best - but it does not make much sense. The only big target he can probably realistically win is the Kempton Christmas Hurdle....most of the major novice chases will be run on softish ground.
 
He may well have schooled brilliantly over fences and I'm sure connections wouldn't be running him if they thought he was likely to come to harm.
 
they are cetainly not overly sentimental about their old fav´s, the irish ;)

he may school well but anything can happen in a race and do find it very odd desicion too, in his age, to say the least.
 
I'd like to see Hardy retired and Harchi retired at the end of this season. They can still both go out at the very top.
 
Was Hardy not retired?

Tracks should have news on plans for Harchi. Surely he is best being aimed at Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and then put away for swansong at Punchestown
 
it would be a shame if something happens to him over fences when he has been going so good over hurdles and nothing to serious happening
 
Shocking, and I'm not over the moon to see War Of Attrition out again tomorrow at Gowran, either. Let's hope Harchi decides it's a mugs game - I'd larf if he pulled himself up
 
LUKE said:
The horse has been well looked after -in my opinion they are entitled to have a go over fences.
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Its a tough one. He has surely schooled well at home for this to be contemplated. With likes of HF coming on the scene, he will fall short in the top races over hurdles. If he has taken to fences at home, good luck to them in trying this.

One of my favourite horses of the past decade, i'll await Sunday with anticipation
 
I do wish Trackside was around to offer an opinion! One that would add some balance, no doubt.

Look, Meade, the owners and the yard staff - not to mention Carberry - aren't going to want to see the horse in a broken heap now; he owes them nothing. I think we've got to give all connections a bit more credit than they have received on here at the moment, not to mention the criticism; let's face it, no-one knows the full circumstances, nor do they know the horse himself.

Harchibald may not be ready for retirement, he may have schooled brilliantly and may make a half decent chaser. It's a no-brainer; the owners aren't going to want to run him in novice chases to pick up a few paltry grand if they think he is going wreck himself, especially not when they could still run him in valuable hurdle races where he still has a chance of picking up valuable pots just for getting placed.
 
My own comment was a bit tongue in cheek - for all we know he may have enjoyed schooling so much they wish they'd done it before! He's always been a law unto himself and no doubt still is... and no, they surely won't risk him if he's not enjoying it on track. They wouldn't would they? :^0

I'm slightly mindful though of the French opinion that you school for a certain discipline, and it's harder than we think for horses to make the transition. That must surely be more true of a horse Harchi's age? - and getting too low in the heat of battle, just from habit and 'going into automatic', must be a slight risk. Horses aren't schooled in race conditions after all.

It will certainly be one to watch!


WOA is a different case, he owes nobody anything and has shown he's not the horse he was
 
Of all the comments on this thread so far, yours was amongst the most damning and judgemental, Headstrong. Read as tongue in cheek, it don't.
 
Shadow Leader said:
I do wish Trackside was around to offer an opinion! One that would add some balance, no doubt.
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To be honest I was slightly surprised to see him entered at this stage in his career. Hadn't heard word of this entry before but will try and find out what the story is when I'm back around that neck of the woods.

What I can say is that the horse has schooled over fences at home for years and has hardly ever set a foot wrong. With the benefit of hindsight, connections probably would take the view that he should have been sent over fences sooner, but the fact is he's hardly had a clear run over the last couple of years due to niggling issues and many (including myself) rather clung to the belief that he would once again go close in the Champion Hurdle.

Would love to see him fly round Aintree in the 2m novice chase at the National meeting.

On a separate point, I fail to see what the horse's attitude has to do with him taking to fences.

As for connections and the horse's welfare, suggestions that they would endanger this horse of all horses do anger me tbh and it's probably best I don't respond!
 
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Cheers Trackside, good to hear your bit!

I wasn't meaning to get you to respond to suggestions that would make you angry, more to add a little perspective.
 
You have to wonder what the point of this is.

Horses rising 11yo tend not win Arkle's, and even if Harchibald does prove decent in steeplechases, what can connections possibly hope to achieve in the longer term - run him in open 2m chases as a 12yo?

It is far too late to be sending this horse over fences in any meaningful way, and it is a joke decision by connections, imo. They have missed the boat by at least three years.

This move smacks of desperation. Perhaps the horse has lost his enthusiasm for hurdling, and the novice chase entry is a throw of the dice, in an attempt to rekindle some interest.

I have been quite rude about Harchibald's attitude over the years, but he has served his connections well, and deserves better than this.
 
Does seem very late to be switching to fences but, as we know, horses can break legs standing in a paddock.

If the horse is schooling with enthusiasm over fences, then why not?
 
I'm not promoting a "risk" argument, Colin.

I'm questioning what connections can reasonably expect to achieve in sending a horse rising 11yo over fences for the first time. Even if he ultimately turns out to be a champion-level novice, what would it really prove?

The term 'novice' is there for a reason i.e. serving an apprenticeship before going into open company. Harchibald will be rising 12yo by the time he would be running in open company over fences, and will almost certainly be too old to be competitive.

That being (very likely) the case, what exactly is the point of running him in novice chases at this stage of his career?
 
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