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Grey

Grey

Senior Jockey
Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Messages
9,484
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Dublin
Some of you will know that I and a few others on here are amongst the hordes sharing a few hairs in the tail of Bally Conn, a young chaser in the making in Henrietta Knight's stable.

I have now got involved in a similar way with three bargain basement two year old fillies in training with Eddie Harty, beside The Curragh. The first of them, Mountain Flower, makes her debut this evening in the first at Limerick, a maiden auction race for fillies. I imagine her current odds of 25/1 are about right but there would be no point being an owner if you don't allow yourself to dream.

By the way the other two fillies, one by Namid and the other by Fayruz, are not yet named.

I think John Oxx had races like this in mind when he recently said it is harder at present to win races in Ireland than anywhere else. Auction races are supposed to be weaker than ordinary maidens but there are two fillies in this one who, at least on paper, are already close to Listed standard.
 
Good luck Grey! I follow Harty's stable to some extent, esp over jumps

Younger forumites may not know that Eddie Harty used to be Fred Winter's stable jockey, before John Francome
 
The Eddie Harty who rode Highland Wedding to win the Grand National, nowadays referred to as Eddie Harty Senior, is the current trainer's father, Headstrong.
 
Ah!! - sorry, I have been under an illusion... EH Snr is a friend* of a chum of mine [Irish racing historian Guy Williams] and I didn't know there was a younger version!


Brother in law iirc
 
Originally posted by Headstrong@Jul 26 2007, 03:10 PM


Younger forumites may not know that Eddie Harty used to be Fred Winter's stable jockey, before John Francome
Click to expand...
Thought that was DICK Pitman?
 
Well, she broke nicely enough, lost her position going around the turn but plugged on up the straight. As anticipated, the front two in the race were way too good for everything else.

Eoin Harty is definitely a relative, Stampy. I think he's a cousin.
 
Thanks Grey - I know there's a good few Harty's around the racing world just wondered where he fits into the whole family :)
Good luck next time out too - I'm sure she'll come on for the run
 
Mountain Flower came third tonight in a little handicap at Tipperary. It was a pleasing start to her second season. She bounced out of the stalls well, just as she has done in all her starts, but she is stronger now and kept on well. Handicap company is easier than those maidens she was running in last year to get assessed.

The Fayruz filly, named Creola, is close to a run, while the Namid filly is still quite backward.
 
Originally posted by Grey@Jul 26 2007, 01:55 PM
no point being an owner if you don't allow yourself to dream.
Click to expand...
Never a truer word ever spoken...
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Best of luck with all the horses Grey...
 
She should be able to win off that mark,last nights winner had only gone up 1lb for two close up placed efforts behind the three time winner Luxie river.

There should be a few bob to come back on creola as a broodmare if you can get a win into her as a full sister to a 2yr old winner rated 90. Nice bit of shopping Mr Harty did for you.
 
Thanks, folks, I'll keep you up to date.

Btw, the US-based trainer Eoin Harty is a brother of Eddie, and not a cousin as I said above. Sabrina Joan Harty, of Won In The Dark fame, is a niece.
 
Mountain Flower runs tomorrow at Gowran in a similar handicap to last time. If she handles the faster ground she is in with a shout, I'd say.
 
Thanks folks, she was quick out of the stalls as always and tried hard but wasn't good enough on the day. I think the cards might fall right for her at some stage.
 
Creola will become the second of the trio to see racecourse action when she makes her debut tonight at Leopardstown. It looks a tough assignment but she has to start somewhere.
 
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