Ima, I'd say you reckon I'm underestimating the importance of the jump at the last, for me that was just the final nial in a race lost earlier, and I reckon you're underestimating the effect of having to make up all that ground giving 7lb.

i.e, had he jumped the last he'd have won and nothing would have been said except 'good ride', I acknowledge that but that is the intangible that the good jocks have that i was speaking of earlier. They just WIN. narrow margins but you're paid to come out the right side of them.

There was no effect to make up that ground though neil d because the horse was running all over the winner and did it effortlessly but Harding's mistake was not to kick on between the last two flights. If I am underestimated any apparent effect the on the horse making up the ground despite it doing so in a canter, then why was it them able to close in on the winner all the way to the line having lost ground on it after the jump at the last?

Look at the winner of the 3:50 at Ayr where the jockey had that few lengths buffer going to the last flight and had the luxury of slowing into it, not jumping it especially well but still came over it with a lead that he then maintained to the line.

OK fair enough, I just hope every horse I back at Cheltenham makes up ground as effortlessly, as then all they need is a decent jump at the least and it's game over.

Horses don't make up ground swinging on the bridle with the jockey sat motionless and then have it deemed as having emptied their tank and with nothing left. Harding could have hit the front and went on but instead chose not to and didn't even move on the horse until after the last, yet still then managed to close in on the winner despite apparently being on an empty tank.

Just watched it again. Really was a terrible terrible ride. Whatever about giving the winner so much rope(probably thought it was going too quick in the conditions) but when he was upsides going down to the last you can see clearly that Brian Harmless takes a good tug 3 strides from the last fence and loses all momentum. Probably still thought the horse's class would see him through but as was said earlier he gave it a chance to go wrong and it did. Desperate ride.

Not the best example there neil d if you don't mind me saying, as Harchibald tended to down tools once he hit the front and it certainly wasn't due to emptying that cost him the Champion Hurdle and let's face it, he still managed to split the winner Hardy Eustace and the 3rd Brave Inca, both Champion Hurdle winners and probably two of the gamest and toughest battling hurlers there has been. As it happens though, Paul Carberry kept Harchibald quite close to the pace for much of that race anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtFXeEOLFrE

Do you also remember in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton one year when McCoy on Straw Bear set out to make all and then took a pull late on to the let Harchibald head him and then when he downed tools again McCoy got SB up to out battle him? Yet in another Christmas Hurdle Rooster Booster was 12L clear two flights out, yet Harchibal still got up when Carberry made up that ground and only hit the front very late on. Harchibald was a bridle horse that had to be produced with perfect timing and not be put under pressure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmzbEW1oSWc

But yeah, it's all about opinions and we won't always agree with others and good luck to you too neil d.