Trainer Edward Harty was seemingly destined to make an impact on the horse racing world from the moment he was christened. His namesake and father was a Grand National-winning jockey as well as a successful trainer, so joining the training ranks was a natural path for his son to take.
Principal Jockeys: Colm O’Donoghue, Kevin Manning
Notable Wins:
- Flame Of Tara Stakes (Corcovada 2009)
- Alleged Stakes (Baron De’l 2009)
- Land Rover Premier Handicap (Baron De’l 2008 + 2007)
- "Home Of The Classics" Handicap (Itsonlywoody 2006)
- Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery (Tovaria 2006)
- Ravens Rock Handicap (Itsonlywoody 2005)
Early Days
Having taken out his license in March 2004 with ten horses in his care, Eddie only had to wait three months and 11 runners to register his first winner when Misty Mountain won a fillies’ maiden at Leopardstown under Seamie Heffernan on June 23rd. The wins of Bixaare, Stormy Larissa and Edaliya wrapped up what was a more than satisfactory first season for Harty.
2005 will go down as a year of near misses for Harty, with him saddling no less than 24 placed runners and just two winners. The first of those winners didn’t come until August, when Declan McDonogh gave Seal Colony a typically-strong ride to win a maiden at Leopardstown. Of all the inmates in Harty’s yard in 2005, Itsonlywoody was undoubtedly the most consistent and having been placed on six occasions during the course of the season, he gained a much-deserved victory when winning the Ravens Rock Handicap at Leopardstown under Robbie Burke in the closing days of the season.
An Improved Season & The Emergence Of A Star
Following the slight disappointment of 2005, Harty gained a much-deserved boost in 2006, having his best season ever as he saddled a total of seven winners. He opened his tally by gaining his first success in the National Hunt code when saddling Captain Cee Bee to win a bumper at Fairyhouse in April. He got off the mark on the Flat with Lee Applause narrowly prevailing in a handicap at Leopardstown under Chris Timmons in June. The same horse returned to the Foxrock track to double his tally two months later when winning a 9f handicap under Colm O’Donoghue. Tovaria gave him his first juvenile winner when prevailing in a maiden at Roscommon under Mick Kinane in mid-August, before the same horse gave Harty a welcome big-race win when running out the game winner of a premier nursery at Fairyhouse a month later. His reliable performer Itsonlywoody wrapped up a pleasing season for Harty by winning a handicap at Fairyhouse in September before following up in the valuable "Home Of The Classics" Handicap at the Curragh in late-October.
2007 saw Harty register a similar number of winners and strike rate as he had the previous season, with the aforementioned Captain Cee Bee stamping himself as a useful prospect when winning a Flat maiden at Killarney by no less than nine lengths with the promise of much better to come when being sent over jumps. In addition to that, Harty will go down in history as one of the few to saddle a winner at the first ever all-weather meeting at Dundalk as Roy’s Delight won the 1m handicap by a short-head under Colm O’Donoghue. One of the most consistent performers in the yard that season was Eight Up, who as well as winning three handicaps, has finished runner-up on another three occasions.
However, the star performer of the yard that season was undoubtedly Baron De’l. Having finished in the frame on no less than seven occasions without winning during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, one could have been forgiven for giving up on Baron De’l rather than put him back in training for the 2007 season, but Harty’s patience and perseverance was very much rewarded. Having belatedly broken his maiden in a 10f handicap at the Curragh in mid-August, his confidence was boosted no end and he returned to the same course and distance to win his next two starts, including a 4½ lengths romp in the valuable Crown Paints Premier Handicap on Irish St Leger day.
The Captain Delivers
As the 2007 Flat season was drawing to a close, Harty thought the time was right to give Captain Cee Bee his first run over hurdles and the six-year-old did not disappoint, winning an above-average maiden at Punchestown in the style of a promising horse. He built on that effort on his next start over hurdles a month later when impressively beating the Grade 1 bumper winner Leading Run by no less than 10 lengths in a winner’s race back at Punchestown. While Harty was keen to get another run into his charge before sending him up in class, the persistent heavy ground put paid to his plan and he made the brave call to send the son of Germany to contest the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival without another outing. That proved to be an inspired decision as, with Choc Thornton in the saddle, the seven-year-old out-battled the strongly-fancied Binocular to record a memorable two lengths success, giving Harty by far the biggest win of his career. Just over three weeks later, Captain Cee Bee was sent off as the short-priced favourite for the Grade 1 Littlewoods Direct Imagine Appeal Top Novices' Hurdle at the Aintree Grand National meeting, but broke a blood vessel and was pulled up. That would prove to be the last time the horse would be seen on a racecourse for 20 months as he met with a setback that saw him miss the entire 2008/9 season.
Life Without The Captain
In the 2008 Flat season, Baron De’l was again the star of the show, gradually returning to form to gain repeat wins in two of the three races he had won at the Curragh the previous season, including the valuable Land Rover Premier Handicap. Roy’s Delight also paid his way, winning two handicaps during the course of the season. While that winter failed to produce any winners over jumps, Baron De’l very much hinted at better to come, finishing fourth behind Hurricane Fly in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Christmas meeting at Leopardstown.
That same horse gave Harty the perfect start to the 2009 Flat season, winning the listed Alleged Stakes at the Curragh. He registered five more wins in the following months, which led him to a memorable day at the Curragh on September 13th. Represented first by Corcovada in the listed Flame Of Tara Stakes, the daughter of Captain Rio held on by the shortest of short-heads in a thrilling finish to give Harty his second success of the season at that level. As if that wasn’t good enough, 90 minutes later one of Harty’s representatives again came out at least partially on top in a desperate finish, with Pax Soprana sharing the spoils with Final Flashback in the 7f handicap. Before the Flat season had even finished, Baron De’l had successfully turned his hand back to hurdling, winning a maiden at Ballinrobe and a winner’s race at Naas.
The Captain Returns
Having more than kept the show on the road in his absence, Harty was chomping at the bit at the prospect of the return of Captain Cee Bee to the racecourse, with him having a novice chasing campaign in mind for the eight-year-old. Despite having to postpone his return to action on a couple of occasions due to the inclement weather, Harty finally got the chance to send his star back to the track for a maiden chase at Naas in early-December and it proved more than worth the wait. Despite being considered in need of the run, the son of Germany showed a tremendously game attitude to come out on the winning side of a prolonged duel with Zaarito.
With Baron De’l and especially Captain Cee Bee to look forward to over the winter months, Eddie Harty looks to have many successful months and indeed seasons ahead of him in the future and he is very much a trainer to follow.
Updated December 2009.
