Harry Swan© Photo Healy Racing
I grew up in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary and dad was training, so we always had ponies around the home. My mother got me riding first, I started riding small ponies just to get me going over a few jumps. I'd say I was on a horse since I could stand. Then I progressed to a bit of pony club. I remember late evenings doing show jumping competitions after school and really enjoyed it from the start. Then as I got a bit older, I started doing a bit of Tetrathlon - running, riding and swimming - and I went to England on the Irish team for that. I loved it and did loads of it. After that, I started getting into the eventing a good bit. My mother was quite a good eventer when she was younger. I got a nice pony that my sister was meant to ride as I had a pony that got injured. I went to the Pony Europeans (Championships) and everything with him and did loads of internationals with him. It was massive experience and I think eventing is very good for your eye when it comes to jumping. It was a massive help to have done that.
I enjoyed it but after 16 you are kind of finished with ponies and I never really wanted to go into the horses. I kind of just wanted to try the racing and give it a go. Obviously, from watching my dad when he was racing, I always wanted to give race riding a kick. I got my licence when I was 16 and I had a few rides for my grandfather Timmy Hyde. He was brilliant, he bought a few horses for me so I could just get going in bumpers. Dad never pushed me into, I made up my own mind that I wanted to do it. I suppose my mother probably said to him 'don't be pushing him into it'! I had my first winner on Stacey Sue in a bumper at Worcester (in September 2018) for my grandfather. We found a winners' bumper in Worcester that looked to suit her perfectly because we were going to sell her on afterwards. She was odds on (5/6f) and there was a bit of pressure on, and thank God she won! There is definitely a bit of relief to it when your first winner is an odds-on shot. You say to yourself it was brilliant, but at least I didn't do anything wrong. My first winner in Ireland was on Fiddlerontheroof for John Joe Walsh at Navan (in March 2019) in my grandfather's colours. John Joe did a brilliant job with him and he made all in Navan and won nicely. He actually went on to win the Tolworth Hurdle (at Sandown in January 2020) for Colin Tizzard, so he turned out to be a nice horse. It was great to get the first one in Ireland.
When I finished school, I went to college. First year of college I started going into Gordon Elliott's and was trying to pick up a few bumper rides at the time. I remember I picked up a spare ride in a bumper where he had three runners and he told me to ride it to run well. I started going into Gordon's a bit more. Jamie Codd and Lisa O'Neill were riding at the time and I was picking up the odd one. It was brilliant and that's how I got going really. I had a few outside winners as well. My first outside winner was for Eoin Griffin on a horse called One Last Tango at Navan (in September 2021). I have to thank Eoin as well as he gave me opportunities to ride. When you are riding for your grandfather, it is all fun and games - you know you are going to get the ride. It is a different story with other people because they are trusting you to do a job. The ball started rolling then and I started getting a few more rides off Gordon and different people.
I was never in a point-to-point yard, so point-to-pointing wasn't actually on my mind at all in my first year at college. I suppose I didn't grow up with point-to-pointing because dad never did any of it. He rode on the Flat first and then he went jumping. I was never really in the point-to-point sphere, so it is only in the last two seasons that I have really got into it. It is hard to get those good rides because when I'm based with Gordon, and in college, it is hard to get the time to go to places like Wexford to try to get those rides. I'm in my last year of college doing Environmental Science. You are always trying to find those nice point-to-point rides and I like point-to-pointing. It is very good for your eye. I know it is no certainty in racing but, obviously, you have to try and stay injury free. You have to try and pick and choose horses for point-to-pointing when you have a good job with Gordon - you want to ride the nice horses that you have schooled. If you get injured, you are missing very good bumper horses to ride.
I'm in with Gordon about three mornings a week at the minute. My other days are in college and I try to get into other places as well when I have time. I also try and ride work for different people around the Curragh. I haven't made any decision on what to do when I finish college. I will definitely keep riding as an amateur for the time being - my head is kind of set on that at the minute. I'd like to be able to get a nice job and mix the racing as well. Next year, I'd maybe like to give the amateur championship a good go. I know it is going to be very hard to beat Patrick (Mullins) but, if you don't have those expectations of yourself, you won't be able to achieve it. You have to kind of aim high in this game as well. Ideally, I 'd like to start in the summer and give the summer a good kick and try and get a good few winners on the board if I can.
Harry winning over hurdles at Tipperary© Photo Healy Racing
I'd say On Eagles Wings has been my biggest winner Grade-wise (Grade 3 novice hurdle at Naas in March 2021). The Goffs Defender Bumper winner last season (on Sermandzarak) was brilliant, and the Tattersalls Ireland Sales Bumper on Brighterdaysahead (at Fairyhouse in April 2013) was big as well, but On Eagles Wings was brilliant because he was for my grandfather. That horse really got me going and he gave me so much experience. I won a bumper on him and a maiden hurdle before the Grade 3. Unfortunately, he got injured afterwards, but he actually might be making a return soon. He has been off a long time, but they are trying to get him back. I think he is back doing a little bit of work, so hopefully they can get him back for maybe point-to-pointing.
I have only two more winners left to ride out my claim. I think it is a good achievement because a lot of very good amateurs never rode out their claim or haven't ridden out their claim. It is hard to get the opportunities in bumpers and essentially you are only riding in one race a day as an amateur. It is something that I can definitely look back on when I hopefully ride out my claim. Another goal is to ride a Grade One winner, maybe the Grade One bumper in Punchestown at the end of the season. That would be a big goal for me. Since I turned amateur, I've always wanted to win it. All the good amateurs - Derek (O'Connor), Jamie (Codd) and Patrick (Mullins) - have all won it. It would be a nice achievement to do. To ride a Grade One winner is very hard to do. In terms of how many jockeys are out there, not many have done it.
I think a horse that could be very, very nice is Classical Creek. He won at Down Royal (in November) and I had to kind of do all the donkey work on him in front, and he was very, very green and he idled. I had to keep him up to his work and he didn't do a stroke at all. I think in a better-run race he'll look a bit more visually impressive. He's a very, very nice horse to look forward to, hopefully. I rode him the other day and he is in great form.
Harry was in conversation with Michael Graham.
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