FRESH from his most successful season ever when sending out 25 winners from his Ballyboy Stables, which saw him saddle subsequent track winners such as Finian’s Oscar, Mr Whipped and Poli Roi to win their point-to-points, Denis Murphy continues to be one of the leading forces within the sector.
A productive autumn campaign has already seen him consign Lisronagh winner Lust For Glory to sell for £240,000, and hopes are understandably high that the quality of his team of four-year-old’s for this spring is as high as ever.
BACKINTHEGAME
4yo b g
Presenting – Storm In Front
(Fourstars Allstars)
Denis Murphy
Backinthegame is out of a half-sister to Back In Front and Another Hero that we bought for €20,000 at the Land Rover Sale. He is a typical son of Presenting in that he is very laid back and I would say he is one for some nicer ground. He will be out in three to four weeks.
BEATTHEBULLET
4yo b g
Flemensfirth – Top Quality
(Simply Great)
Denis Murphy
He cost €60,000 at Goffs during the summer and he is a lovely horse that is working away well but he is one that we might hold back until the autumn.
BEYONDTHEHORIZON
4yo b g
Gold Well – Lady Hillingdon
(Overbury)
Denis Murphy
He is a nice forward type of a horse that I bought from the Derby Sale. His dam won three races on the track and is related to a number of winners. He is entered in Borris on Sunday, but even if racing goes ahead this weekend, we might just wait an extra week with him and go to Lingstown instead.
BYRNE OF MONASEED
4yo b g
Oscar – Melanjo
(Flemensfirth)
Denis Murphy
He is a smart horse that is the first foal out of a mare that won a Gowran bumper for James Morrissey. He cost €60,000 at the Derby Sale and it will probably be early April when we get him out.
CANTGETENOUGH
4yo b g
Milan – Royalrova
(Garde Royale)
Denis Murphy
He had a lovely walk when I spotted him at the Land Rover Sale. He covered a lot of ground with his walk and there is plenty of nice horses on his page. His dam is a half-sister to Le Duc, and he is a half-brother to Emma Lavelle’s Javert who is rated in the high 140s over fences. He will probably run either at the end of March or early April.
CHECKITOUT
4yo b g
Salutino – Akasha
(Stowaway)
Denis Murphy
He is a nice big loose-moving horse that came from the Derby Sale. He will be ready to run at some point in April.
DRAMATIC APPROACH
4yo b f
Flemensfirth – Sea Breeze
(Oscar)
Denis Murphy
She is a nice sharp Flemensfirth. We bought her at the Derby Sale and she is out of an own-sister to Oscar Time. She could be out to run within the next three weeks.
FLAMING GLORY
4yo b g
Gold Well – Pearlsofthegirls
(Cloudings)
Denis Murphy
His work has been good so far and we would be looking at a bit of nicer ground in April for him. I haven’t had that many horses by Gold Well before, but I have ended up with some of his four-year-olds this year. It wasn’t something that I targeted, it was just a case of I liked what I saw.
GAMEFACE
4yo b br g
Oscar – Queensland Bay
(Primitive Rising)
Denis Murphy
This is a lovely Oscar gelding that we bought in Doncaster and he appears to be very nice. His work has been very good so far. He has done some nice work up on the Old Vic gallop in the Curragh and he appears to do everything very well.
He is a nice big horse, but he is a very loose mover with a lovely walk and trot. We will be aiming to get him out quite soon, possibly next week at Lingstown or the weekend after.
GOLDENBRAVE
4yo b g
Golden Lariat – Express Mail
(King’s Ride)
Denis Murphy
He is a grand horse to gallop and jumps well. Some people would say that horses by Golden Lariat can prefer better ground, but to ride this lad you would say that he wants a bit of a dig in it. We have him entered at The Pigeons, Lismore, Borris and Moig South on Sunday, so hopefully we will get to run him now.
GOODOLDTIMES
4yo b g
Gold Well – Ballinlovaneeile
(Alphabatim)
Denis Murphy
He came from the August Sale and is out of a half-sister to Imperial Commander. He is a nice horse that is working well and I would say we are only a month away from running him.
HONEST EXCHANGE
4yo b g
Gold Well – Final Instalment
(Insan)
P.G. Coffey
Pat Coffey bought him at the Derby Sale and is a half-brother to Last Instalment. He is a nice, big scopey horse that covers lots of ground. Hopefully he will be out at the end of the month with a bit of luck. He is nice.
LITTLE LIGHT
4yo b f
Walk In The Park – Luna Rossa
(Lit De Justice)
Denis Murphy
She is a Walk In The Park that cost €30,000 at the Derby Sale and is a half-sister to plenty of winners. Everyone that has ridden her in work so far has liked her, so we will find out on Sunday as we have her entered in at Moig South in the first four-year-old mares’ race and the plan is to run her.
There are supposed to be a lot of nice young mares about this season so we will see how they go.
MANICMAN
4yo ch g
Getaway – Quinsborohall
(Saddlers’ Hall)
Denis Murphy
He is a nice horse that will be out in early April. He is out of a half-sister to Finger Onthe Pulse that we bought privately at the Land Rover Sale. Getaway seems to be a good sire and I have had a good bit of luck with his horses so far with the likes of Lust For Glory, Captain Drake, Hitman Fred and All Currencies.
MANOFTHEMOMENT
4yo br g
Jeremy – Endless Ambition
(Luso)
Denis Murphy
We got him from the third day of the Derby Sale. He is a nice sharp horse that is close to a run. We will probably aim to run him next month.
NORMOFTHENORTH
4yo b g
Gold Well – Aughwilliam Lady
(Beneficial)
Denis Murphy
He is another horse that will be out in early April. My daughter Jessica came up with the name and we gave it to a four-year-old last year. He was sold before he ever ran and the name was taken from him so we have kept it for this lad.
ONTHEROPES
4yo b g (2)
Presenting – Dushion
(Dushyantor)
Denis Murphy
He goes to the Cheltenham Festival Sale. We were very happy with how he ran when he finished second at Punchestown. He got murdered down the back and after all that the only fence he walked through was the last. Then he ate the ground up on the run-in. He had no luck at all.
OUR BUBBA
4yo b g (4)
Scorpion – Lady Marnay
(Marnay)
Rita Byrne
Rita Byrne owns him. I bought Big Penny, who won at Tattersalls, from the Byrnes and that is how I got to know them. He ran a grand race on his debut at Ballinaboola where he finished fourth. I think he wants better ground so we have entered him in Tyrella on Saturday. That’s a race I won last year with Palmers Hill. Whether he gets to run or not with the weather forecast I’m not sure, so if that doesn’t happen, it will probably be late March before we get the ground that he wants.
OVERTHETOP
4yo br g
Flemensfirth – Dawn Bid
(Mazaad)
Denis Murphy
This Flemensfirth gelding seems to be very smart. He is a full-brother to On Raglan Road and from the family of Therealbandit who was very good to me. He has done some very nice pieces of work, but he is a big horse and growing away all the time, so I don’t want to rush him. We have had some great success with horses that have won four-year-old maidens in the autumn in the last few years, so I have no problem giving these young horses the extra bit of time if I think it will stand to them in the future. He probably won’t run until the autumn.
RYANS FANCY
4yo b g
Getaway – Rilmount
(Roselier)
P.G. Coffey
He is another horse of mine that will probably wait for a bit of nicer ground. Pat (Coffey) bought him at the sales and he seems to be a sharp type of a horse as well.
TAKE IT AWAY
4yo b f
Yeats – Claudia’s Pearl
(Deploy)
Denis Murphy
She is a nice Yeats that is a half-sister to Financial Climate. She is a nice big stamp of a horse and I like to think that she might be out within the next two to three weeks. Her work has been very good so far. She did a nice piece of work at the Curragh last week.
THE CAPTAINS INN
4yo b g
Flemensfirth – Killeen
(Bob Back)
Denis Murphy
He gallops well and has been working nicely at home. He has plenty of entries this weekend, but whether he runs on Sunday, I’m not so sure. But he will be out next week or the weekend after.
THE MULCAIR
4yo b g (35)
Flemensfirth – Black Lassie
(Dr Massini)
P.G. Coffey
He finished third at Oldtown and then went to Tinahely on Sunday but was very disappointing. It turned out that he lost a shoe in-running and is sore now. We will give him plenty of rest, so we won’t run him again until the autumn. He had been showing us plenty at home but we are going to have to wait with him.
THE NEW KID
4yo b g (5)
Flemensfirth – Don’t Ask Now
(King’s Theatre)
Denis Murphy
He was not as forward on as some of the other early four-year-olds that we have run, so he would have needed it at Knockanard last month where he was fifth. Jamie (Codd) have him a nice educational ride for his first outing and he will have come on for the run and he is not for off running again.
WHATSMEANTTOBE
4yo b g
Fair Mix – Its Meant To Be
(Gunner B)
Denis Murphy
He only cost us £5,000 at the Ascot sales but he does go well at home. He is from the family of some winners and is a big horse that jumps well. He will probably have his first run Sunday week.