Popular Grade One-winning National Hunt racehorse Harchibald has been retired.
Earlier this week (Monday, 30 November), trainer Noel Meade decided the 10-year-old will not race again.
Harchibald was second to Sizing Europe on his first outing over fences in October but a disappointing run last Friday at Dundalk made up the trainer’s mind.
The horse won five Grade One races in his career — and was famously defeated by just a neck by old rival Hardy Eustace in the 2005 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
“Harchibald is going to be retired and is not going to run again,” Mr Meade told press.
“Every time he has run recently, he has been coming back stiff behind and the ground is much against him at the moment.
“It’s been hard finding the right race for him and he was going to be getting on in years by the time the ground came right, so we’ve decided to call it a day.
“He’s been a fantastic horse for us and a great horse to be associated with.
“He’ll stay with us and maybe he’ll end up competing with Brave Inca again at the Dublin Horse Show.”
