High Definition and the very smart Flat horses who went hurdling
Timeform's Tony McFadden looks into the highest-rated Flat horses to go hurdling this century ahead of High Definition's jumping debut at Leopardstown on Boxing Day.
High Definition, the winter favourite for the 2021 Derby following his eye-catching success in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes as a juvenile, may ultimately have failed to meet lofty expectations on the Flat, but he's still a notable addition to the national hunt ranks.
High Definition failed to win again on the Flat after producing an impressive late surge to win the 2020 Beresford Stakes, but he showed a very smart level of form during the early part of the latest campaign, finishing placed at the highest level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and also in the Coronation Cup, running to a Timeform rating of 120 on both occasions.
Only 15 horses this century have made their hurdling debuts after running to a higher rating than 120 on the Flat, and they are headed by Macarthur whose third-place finish in the 2008 Coronation Cup earned him a performance rating of 125.
Macarthur, like High Definition, ran to his lofty Flat figure while in training with Aidan O'Brien, as did Acropolis who is next on the list having run to 124 when fourth in the 2004 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Connections of the four-year-old High Definition, who is now with Joseph O'Brien, will be hoping that he fares better than Macarthur and Acropolis as that pair failed to make much of an impact over obstacles.
It took Macarthur 18 attempts to register his sole success over hurdles (he was beaten on all seven starts over fences), while Acropolis' stint over hurdles proved short-lived as he ran just three times over jumps before returning to the Flat. They both also finished their careers with the Timeform squiggle - a symbol to denote signs of temperament or unreliability - attached to their ratings.
Looking at the 15 horses who went hurdling after running to a Timeform rating of at least 121 on the Flat, the lack of success is notable. Some were soon retired or quickly returned to the Flat, while others went the wrong way and were outright disappointing.
The pick of the bunch - on the racecourse, at least, given that Walk In The Park has since established himself as a leading national hunt sire - were Penglai Pavilion and Wellbeing, though even they ran to just a useful level, acknowledging that they probably would have climbed higher granted greater opportunities.
There are, of course, examples of talented Flat horses who did make the grade over hurdles, including the likes of Khyber Kim, Nichols Canyon and Sublimity, but the above list serves a reminder that ability doesn't always translate.
Will the switch to jumps reinvigorate High Definition, who certainly possesses enough size and scope to take to jumping, or, like for many of the above, will it hasten the decline of a horse who finished his time on the Flat struggling for form?
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