Firstly I think I echo the sentiments of every single poster on here when I say it was a terrible, terrible tragedy to lose Darlan yesterday. Losing any horse is awful, but to lose such a young and obviously gifted horse is gut-wrenching and it must be truly terrible for everyone associated with the horse. My sincerest condolences. What I would like to discuss on this thread is where we think Darlan stood in the pecking order of aspiring Champion Hurdlers and what his prospects would have been on the big day. Some may say this is a pointless exercise due to the horse's sad demise, but I think it important to put his performances in context as I can already hear the discussion starting on the evening after the Champion Hurdle along the lines of "Horse xyz only won because Darlan wasn't there" - much as some tried to devalue Hurricane Fly's Champion Hurdle win due to the absence of Binocular (who he has roundly thrashed twice but that's another story). The fact that the horse is no longer with us should not stop us debating his merits in an objective manner. My view is that, although he was a horse of great potential, he still had it all to prove and I had him down as something of a bridle horse. He had looked imperious bordering on cheeky in taking lower grade races from horses of questionable talent. He won his bumper by 27 lengths from Highrate, who is now rated 109 over fences. He then won a novice hurdle in facile fashion by 6 lengths from Vic Dartnall's Sleeping City who is now rated 118 over hurdles, with the remaineder of the vanquished going on to even more mediocre levels. The first time McCoy got on his back was at Cheltenham in a class 3 novice hurdle and this was the race where I first started thinking of him as a bridle horse. He cruised up to Rebecca Curtis' horse High Storm (who is struggling today in handicaps off 122) but struggled all the way up the hill and just got the verdict by a nose. He then went to Taunton and cantered all over Paul Nicholls Jump City (who Fingal Bay had slammed 30 lengths and is now handicap chasing off 132) before famously falling in the Betfair Hurdle off 146 when looking well in contention. He had not been asked for his effort but would he have outbattled Zarkandar? Moving on to Cheltenham and his 2nd place in the Supreme Novices Hurdle. A valiant effort and he once again came full of running but could not quite go the pace of Cinders & Ashes, despite McCoy's driving. The form of the race has, however, been badly let down by almost every horse that has subsequently run and does not look anywhere near as good as the Triumph Hurdle form. Darlan then won impressively at Aintree from Captain Conan and Prospect Wells but the only way you could really rate the form would be through Oscara Dara, beaten 16 lengths in 4th. I am loathe to do that however, as that one looks to have improved significantly on softer ground, so we are left with Captain Conan and Prospect Wells as the yardsticks. Not top class form. And so to his ill-fated 2nd season. He won the Christmas hurdle in visually impressive fashion, accelerating smartly from the entrance to the home straight off a snail's pace on heavy ground. In valuing the form one simply must discount the runs of Countrywide Flame and Cinders & Ashes, both of whom were beaten far too easily, and Dodging Bullets & Raya Star are the horses I would take to assess the merit of the form. Even if those 2 ran to their best, you would put Darlan around 160ish, but I don't think we can be that literal on such heavy ground and I do think the 166 he was allocated was a little fanciful. During the race at Doncaster yesterday he clearly looked much happier and slicker on the faster ground. We must remember though, that this was the first genuine Champion Hurdle trial run on decent ground this season so we are maybe a little tainted in our views? He travelled strongly in the slipstream of the front two (which is a great benefit - if you don't believe me, try riding a bicycle at speed into a head wind, then repeat the exercise whilst tailgating a friend - it makes a huge difference) and was moving into contention about half a length down coming to the last hurdle. McCoy had pulled him out of Rock On Ruby's slipstream - to give him a good view of the hurdle? Or as risk mitigation in case RoR fell? - and I wonder whether, suddenly confronted with a strong headwind, the horse was unbalanced or surprised? Whatever happened he got the final obstacle all wrong. Some have said he would have gone on and won 5 or 6 lengths but I would take issue with that - coming upsides a horse is one thing, going past him quite another, and I am not so sure Darlan would have had the resolve to slug it out with RoR up the finish. Ultimately we will, of course, never know, but I think it a valid discussion point to ask whether we are maybe putting Darlan up on a pedestal because of his strong travelling style without looking at his true form? Think back to that classic Champion Hurdle where a motionless Paul Carberry delivered Harchibald to the last still on the bridle. What would we have said if the same fate had befallen Noel Meade's star as struck Darlan down yesterday? Food for thought. I'm not wanting to detract from the horse, nor talk bad of him, and I am truly gutted that he is no longer with us. I just think talk of him being the 2013 Champion Hurdler would be a leap of faith and I will certainly not be diminishing the efforts of whoever does lift the crown in March just because Darlan wasn't there to give him a race.
Great post Oddy, and very well written... The 'bridle horse' quote from you is a very fair point and one in which i can remember very well. I make no bones about it im a massive fan of Zarkandar and have him as real contender against Hurricane Fly next month. But when Darlan fell against him in the Betfair at Newbury i was obviously happy that Ruby got Zarkandar up to win, but reflected back on the race later with, what if Darlan had jumped the last fence well...? Would he have got up and beaten Zarkandar...? Then i did question how good Zarkandar was, or could be... The Supreme Novices Hurdle with Cinders And Ashes is another example of the horse maybe not always up for a fight when needed, and we all know that the hill at Cheltenham dos sort out the men from the boys. Plus dont forget he had AP sat in the plate, and we all know that he will be pulling out all the stops to get him up to the line... I do think that with hindsight, and your comments above, that you are right to say that maybe this horse as beautiful in running he was he wasnt quiet the horse we thought of him come the buisness end of a race... Darlan had not fully got to his potential and this is the question that will stay with him for many a conversation to come...
Interesting. We have broadly similar views of Darlan's position in the pecking order but i don't necessarily think he was a bridle horse. I just think he struggled up the hill at Cheltenham. For me he had a very limited chance of winning the Champion Hurdle because of that.
That might be the other way of looking at it Bob - he was a pure 2 mile, flat-track speedster and didn't quite get home with the stiff uphill finish at Cheltenham. You think he might have won the Betfair if he'd stood up?
I'm still a little shocked at what I saw yesterday, to see a wonderfully talented animal ended like that made me very upset and very angry. I'm going to keep exactly what has made me angry very much to myself on this one, as it is my opinion and personal view on how the incident happened really, and I can't be bothered with people having a go because they think they know better. On Darlan, yes he was a fantastic specimen to look at, especially when he started to accelerate, and pick other horses off, and the way he won the Christmas Hurdle was visually, at least, very impressive. But all the points you raise about him being a bridle horse are valid, and to my mind it seemed if Darlan managed to get into a battle with another horse to win, there would only be one outcome, and Darlan wouldn't be the winner. No evidence for this really, just an impression he left on me. I think his price for Cheltenham before yesterday was a joke to be honest, and I would have had Rock On Ruby, Grandouet and Zarkandar above him in the betting, which gives you an indication of where he was ranked for the race in my eyes. We've lost a great talent unfortunately, but my personal view is that he wouldn't have won the Champion Hurdle anyway, and would have struggled to get even a place
Don't know Oddy. He might have won but then again he's supposed to have strengthened up a lot this summer so he may not have had it in his tank to beat Zarkandar last year. What's pretty clear is that he was a top level talent.
Darlan was no bridle horse, far from it, he would have won yesterday and he would have went clear fav for the Champion, imo, he would have been the one to beat. He was clearly a stronger and better horse than during his novice season and the hill would not have been an issue. Your not sure Darlan would have the resolve to slug it out with ROR? He was cantering all over him, wasnt even a contest to be slugged out. ROR backers got lucky after getting it badly wrong yesterday. Simple Fact, accept it.
Just got back from a trip across Europe and have to say how incredibly sad it is that we have lost Darlan. His Christmas hurdle performance was electric and whilst Cheltenham was of course going to be his acid test, he looked like a much stronger horse this season and the way he has gone through soft ground so easily seems to strengthen that argument. What a travesty. He very much deserved his chance and would have been one of three horses whose turn of foot could win them a Champion Hurdle- the other two being Hurricane Fly and potentially Grandouet, and he would have been a 7/4 or 6/4 favourite. I havent watched the replay as the descriptions of the fall have put me off. All I can say is R.I.P Darlan, sincerest condolences to all concerned.
Not sure I'd call it cantering all over him - McCoy had asked him to close on the leader, which he did, but they were going too fast to say he was cantering. He'd not yet been asked for everything, but then Fehily also wasn't throwing everything at RoR. I think it would have been a very close finish.
I agree with boris on this one. Darlan was no bridle horse. Everyone keeps going back to the race when he only just beat High Storm (in a battle i might add) but i think he was given a terrible ride by mccoy that day. He got caught out thinking darlan was going to cruise it on the bridle only for high storm to come, fully wound up, to challenge on the outside, at this point mccoy realised it wasnt going to be as easy so had to get to work....admittedly the horse didnt quicken instantly but i think thats mainly cos he was asked for an effort all of a sudden because mccoy wasnt expecting him to have to work while high storm had all the momentum on the outside. I said that at the time and i stick by it that the horse got mccoy out of jail that day. The way he blitzed them with his turn of foot in the christmas hurdle in ground that he cant have liked was very impressive and he was going on to confirm that promise yesterday before the fall....i dont think ive seen many horses absolutely ping his hurdles like darlan was doing yesterday, especially two out. Obviously we will never know how good he could be, especially as i understand that fences were going to be the aim next season, but i am convinced we have lost a true champion hurdle contender and we have certainly lost one of racings future stars
Darlan looked like he'd win as he pleased yesterday, so I'm happy to assume that's what he would have done. In which case it would have been strong form putting the reigning champion in his place, with Countrywide Flame's position 3 lengths further back underpinning it's validity. There will always be question marks over the Christmas Hurdle form because of the conditions and the way the race was run, but Darlan was about to confirm himself as a serious CH contender when he had his fatal fall yesterday. A tragedy for all concerned, especially for messrs McManus and McCoy following the loss of Synchronised last year.
Only 4 runners yesterday Archers so there were serious questions before the race irrespective of the sad events.
Only 4 runners, but one was the CH winner and one the Triumph winner from last March. And they went a fair pace thanks to Countrywide Flame.
I think almost all would concede conditions of a 4 runner race are incredibly different from the Champion Hurdle - a rather key reason why Hurricane Fly was doubted before he won it.
Oddy, your Article is well expressed but surely fatuous. Hurricane Fly aside- apart from his only real failure in last March's Champion Hurdle- there are simply no form lines for the C.Hurdle aspirants which mark any of them as really top notch. What characterises them, likewise most hurdlers this past decade, is their inconsistency and in-and-out performances. Add to that, most of them only run four or five times a season, and the excuses offered for changes in the going ( and reasons for not running them) are unbelievable. This seems a modern trend ie.keeping them in cotton wool for one target- Cheltenham. Just how fragile are they? Top hurdlers of past years must be laughing at them. The going was never hardly mentioned- they just ran and ran; and with consistency. It doesn't matter which one you take, they rarely string three wins on the trot and, when it comes to assessing them, you can drive yourself crazy trying to evaluate the form. Topically, let's take Darlan... The handicapper raised his rating by 15lbs to 166 after 2012 wins at Aintree and Kempton- against second rate opposition. Why I do not know! The best two races he ran in last year were against Cinders And Ashes (2nd) and falling at the last in The Tote Gold Trophy- giving only 2lbs to stablemate, Get Me out Of Here- who was a desperately unlucky loser. I ask you, how good is that form? Those two horses mentioned have run like donkeys this year- and that's par for the course on recent years' trends. So in answer to your question...."Where did Darlan stand in the pecking order?"...My answer would be..." He'd have a peck like the rest of them- subject to going; getting him right on the day; tactics; etc, etc. Let's face it, Oddy, the Champion Hurdle is a maze of a puzzle. It wouldn't surprise me if a 50/1 shot won it- especially if the going is testing
Nice article Oddy We could argue until we were Blue in the face whether he would of won or not. None of us know the answer, so it's pointless. I would just like to remind posters of a certain horse called Harchibald, who used to travel swinging approaching the last looking like he'd win by a margin, only to collapse at the end.
