Hard Ridden (1955–1981) was an Irish

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. In a brief career of five races, he won the

Irish 2000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

and the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in 1958. He was retired from racing later in the same year and stood as a stallion in Ireland and Japan.

Background

Hard Ridden was a “long and lean” bay horse bred in Ireland by Sir Oliver Lambart. His sire, Hard Sauce (1948– 1969) was a top-class racehorse, who excelled over sprint distances, winning the July Cup in 1951. Hard Ridden's dam, Toute Belle, was a French-bred mare from a staying family who failed as a racehorse and was covered by Hard Sauce after failing to attract a buyer when put up for auction at Newmarket in December 1953. Hard Ridden was sent to the sales at Dublin as a yearling, and was bought for 270 gns by Sir Victor Sassoon. The colt was sent into training with Mick Rogers at the

Racing career

1957: two-year-old season

Hard Ridden finished second in his only race as a two-year-old in 1957.

1958: three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut, Hard Ridden ran second in a race at the

. He was then returned to the same course for the Irish 2000 Guineas and won impressively by four lengths from the future

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance ...

winner, Sindon, with Paddy's Point third. The favourite for the Derby, Alcide, was withdrawn from the race after being “got at” (deliberately injured) in his stable, leaving the race looking very open. Hard Ridden, however, as the son of a sprinter, was thought unlikely to be effective over one and a half miles and started at 18/1 in a field of twenty in front of a crowd estimated at 200,000 including the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. Ridden by the fifty-one-year-old

Charlie Smirke Charles James William Smirke (1906–1993), was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1920 until 1959, he rode the winners of eleven British Classic Races. As a rider, he was known for his skill, strength and tactical intel ...

, Hard Ridden was held up in the early stages as the leaders set a moderate pace. In the straight, Smirke sent Hard Ridden through a gap on the inside to take the lead and go clear. In the closing stages Hard Ridden extended his advantage to win by five lengths from Paddy's Point and Nagami, becoming the first Irish-trained winner of the race since

Orby __NOTOC__ Orby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map: Skegness, Alford & Spilsby: (1:25 000): It is situated approximately east from the town of Spilsby, and west from the seaside ...

in 1907. Immediately after the race Smirke announced "That's it, I've ridden my last Derby!" Hard Ridden did not appear again on the racecourse until late July, when he ran in the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

at Ascot. He finished unplaced behind

Ballymoss Ballymoss (1954–1979) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career that lasted from 1956 until November 1958, he ran seventeen times and won eight races. In 1957, he became the first horse trained in Ireland to win the St Leger ...

and was shortly afterwards retired to stud.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated "Hard Ridden" as an “inferior” Derby winner.

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...

rated Hard Ridden on a mark of 131. A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European Group One winner.

Stud career

Hard Ridden stood as a stallion in Ireland until 1967 when he was exported to Japan. His progeny included Giolla Mear ( Irish St. Leger) and Hardicanute ( Champagne Stakes).

Pedigree

References

External links

Newsreel of 1958 Derby from British Pathé
{{Epsom Derby Winners 1955 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Epsom Derby winners Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 16