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CHRIS HARRHY
CHRIS HARRHY
Article by Chris Pitt
Christopher Richard Harrhy was born on 20 July 1945. He first took out a jump jockey’s licence in the 1964/65 season and rode mainly for permit holder and farmer Harold Miller, who trained a small string of four or five horses, all owned by his wife Daphne, whose colours were yellow, maroon sleeves and cap with yellow spots. Miller had begun training in 1961 and was based in Seaford, Sussex. His string included hurdlers in Grimsel and Fair Decision, plus the veteran chaser Trinidad.
Grimsel provided Chris Harrhy with his first winner when landing a three mile two furlong handicap hurdle at Stratford on 27 February 1965. The combination then finished third at Kempton next time out and then second at Warwick before scoring over two miles six furlongs at Fontwell on 13 April.
Chris finished second four times in a row on Fair Decision during April and May 1965, culminating in being runner-up to the Queen Mother’s Worcran II in the Melody Man Trophy Hurdle at Taunton. He finished that first season with a score of two winners, five seconds and a third from only 16 rides.
The following season, 1965/66, he rode just one winner, again on Grimsel, from a dozen rides. That success, at Sandown on 5 November, 1965, was gained in controversial circumstances after royal jockey David Mould had appeared to ease up on the favourite Three No Trumps when looking to have the race in safe keeping. Mould was fined £50 by the stewards and severely cautioned for dropping his hands.
The illustration above shows Three No Trumps leading over the final flight, ahead of Chris Harrhy on Grimsel (right) with eventual third Lars Porsena (Steve Rooney) in the middle.
Chris briefly relinquished his licence but took it out again at the start of the 1968/69 season. The following season he rode one winner, his first for over five years, on Kilcreggan, owned and trained by Major Anthony Gilks, in a novice riders’ chase at Huntingdon on Boxing Day 1970. The association with Major Gilks’ horses provided Chris with his next two winners, both on Golden May in September 1972, the second of those victories being in the Spencer Draper Cup Chase at Market Rasen.
The turning point came later that season when he joined the all conquering Fred Winter’s Uplands stable in Lambourn. His first winner for Winter was on Outstanding at Warwick in May 1973. This was to prove the most successful period of Harrhy’s riding career, his final winner being achieved on the Winter-trained Suffice (right) at Devon & Exeter on 22 March 1975.
Chris Harrhy relinquished his licence at the end of the 1975/76 season.
He later became head lad for trainer Kim Brassey.
He died, aged, 60, in June 2006.
He rode a total of 14 winners, these being in chronological order:
1. Grimsel, Stratford, 27 February 1965
2. Grimsel, Fontwell, 13 April 1965
3. Grimsel, Sandown, 5 November 1965
4. Kilcreggan, Huntingdon, 26 December 1970
5. Golden May, Stratford, 23 September 1972
6. Golden May, Market Rasen, 30 September 1972
7. Outstanding, Warwick, 5 May 1973
8. Black Plover, Stratford, 28 December 1973
9. Kingdom, Windsor, 19 January, 1974
10. Vikrom, Hereford, 2 May 1974
11. Golden Litchen, Devon & Exeter, 28 May 1974
12. Lanky Lad, Stratford, 22 February 1975
13. Lanky Lad, Uttoxeter, 15 March 1975
14. Suffice, Devon & Exeter, 22 March 1975
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