THREE jump racing stars with a combined age of 83 were reported to have passed away peacefully in retirement this week.

Native Upmanship (31), Harchibald (25) and Back In Front (27) were all at the top of ther game in the early years of the new millennium and will be fondly remembered by racing fans of a certain vintage.

Coolmore Stud was where Native Upmanship spent his retirement. Bred by John Noonan of Cregg Stud in Fermoy, the Be My Native gelding won seven Grade 1 races for trainer Arthur Moore and owner Sue Magnier.

In total he won 16 races, 13 of those at graded level. Highlights included winning the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, two renewals of the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown, and back-to-back victories of the Melling Chase at Aintree in 2002 and 2003.

Moore said: “Native Upmanship was an unbelievably tough horse that loved his racing. He gave me some of my most memorable days on a racecourse and we were extremely fortunate to have had him. I want to pay tribute to the staff at Coolmore who cared for him exceptionally throughout his retirement.”

Trish Kearney, who looked after Native Upmanship at Coolmore, added: “Native Upmanship will be greatly missed by all of us who looked after him here. He lived out his days receiving the greatest of care from all of the team. We have very fond memories of him, especially considering we cared for him throughout his long retirement and also during his summer holidays in his racing career. It’s a sad day but Native Upmanship will always have a special place in our hearts.”

All-time favourite

Both Noel Meade and Paul Carberry have hailed Harchibald as their favourite racehorse of all time.

So brilliant in his victories, Harchibald is remembered just as much for his defeat in the 2005 Champion Hurdle, where Paul Carberry was sat motionless up the run-in but ultimately lost the battle with Hardy Eustace, going down by a neck with Brave Inca the same distance away in third.

“Hail the King, our King is dead….Harchi was my favourite horse of all time,” Meade posted on X.

“I know on occasions he annoyed people and for sure he annoyed me but we had great days together. I’d like to thank Johnny & Danielle Hurley for looking after him so well in his retirement. He became part of the family with them. R.I.P. old friend.”

Harchibald’s five Grade 1 wins included two victories in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and two in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. He also landed the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle at Tipperary.

In total Meade’s star won 14 of his 48 starts under rules, amassing over £500,000 in prize-money.

Paul Carberry said: “He was my favourite too. He was a quirky character but a total machine of a horse. He had so much ability and his quirkiness meant he was the type of horse I liked to ride. He was one you had to land on the line and you couldn’t go too soon on him.

“His jumping was also very good and he was the best hurdler I ever rode – he was very fast and I suppose that is what made him pretty special.

“We had some very good days and also one particularly bad day. I think people probably remember that day more than any other day. I think that day he was just a bit unlucky, he got gaps when I probably didn’t need them and he just got there too soon. It was a fair horse that beat him as well so you can’t really complain too much.”

Carberry added: “I always knew he was giving me his best, but nobody else knew that. He would always give his best and give all he could give, that was just the way he was.

“You just had to know how to time it right to get the best out of him, go slow at the start then finish fast.

“I don’t think he really stayed two miles, he was more of a one-mile-six horse and you just needed to regulate that a little bit to get the best out of him.”

Top novice

Back In Front won 11 races for trainer Edward O’Grady and his joint-owners Nelius Hayes and Dermot Cox. The undoubted highlight was his victory in the 2003 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, a race in which he started favourite and won by an easy 10 lengths from subsequent Gold Cup winner Kicking King. Back In Front also won the Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle that year, and the Bula Hurdle in 2004.