Harvard Guy too smart in Navan Listed heat

PA Sport Reporters
January 20, 2024 2:57 pm

Favourite defies top weight to chalk up third successive win.

Harvard Guy made it a hat-trick of course wins in taking the Listed Navan Handicap Hurdle.

Running off a mark 22lb higher than when successful in November, the Eddie and Patrick Harty-trained gelding was given a patient ride by Mark Walsh in the JP McManus colours, as Kilbree Warrior bowled along well clear in the hands of Darragh O’Keeffe.

The 7-4 favourite still had work to do over the last, but in the end was able to reel in the gallant Kilbree Warrior for victory by three-quarters of a length, giving the mare 15lb in doing so.

“It was hard fought. In fairness to the second horse I thought he had gone mad on the ground, but he nearly got there,” said Eddie Harty.

“We couldn’t have ridden him any differently with the weights, but he did get there and it was a good performance.

“I’d say myself that would rule him out of Leopardstown (Dublin Racing Festival), I don’t think you could turn out after that run on that ground.

“He’s had a cracking season and if they said to me ‘that’ll do him for the year’, you couldn’t be disappointed with the season.

“We’ll have a rethink now about what is next. It was either here or Leopardstown, unless it had been lovely ground here and he’d won on the bridle. I don’t think he’ll recover enough to go three miles.”

He added: “He’s a lovely horse and he has a future over fences, he jumps very well. He’s improved physically and has improved mentally from race to race. He’s becoming a racehorse now.

“You could make a case for going for a graded novice hurdle somewhere. He likes it here.”