DARRENS Hope’s 20/1 victory in the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown is the type of success that gives hope and joy in equal measure.

Owned, bred and trained by dairy farmer Bob Murphy, the eight-year-old daughter of Oscar (Sadler’s Wells) is also ridden out each day by the Waterford man, though on this occasion he gave the leg up to Danny Mullins. This mare has been around for some time now, and what joy she has given to the Murphy family.

A point-to-point winner on her third start between the flags, Darrens Hope came out three weeks later and won a bumper at Cork.

Since then she has won three hurdle races (well four, but she lost another thanks to a positive sample) and two chases, and Sunday’s win was her third blacktype triumph. Previously she was successful in a Grade 3 and a listed hurdle race, while she has a host of placings at graded level.

Bob Murphy also raced the mare’s dam Darrens Lass, a daughter of Montelimar (Alleged). Murphy purchased her for IR10,000gns at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in 2000 as a four-year-old, but he had to be patient. Eventually she won point-to-points at six and seven, going on over the next two years to wins chases at Down Royal and Naas.

Great uncertainty

At stud, Darrens Lass has had two winning offspring, Darrens Hope and Acting Lass (King’s Theatre). The latter sold as a foal for €50,000 and went on to win five times for Harry Fry and finish less than a length behind Regal Encore in a listed chase at Ascot.

Showing the great uncertainty that is breeding, Darrens Hope has a full-sister Darrens Diamond (Oscar), but she only managed a single placed effort in 19 starts for Bob Murphy.

It is appropriate that Darrens Lass should produce a good runner, as two of her siblings did likewise. Bumper winner Lucy Walters (King’s Ride) bred the useful hurdler and chaser Spiritofthegames (Darsi), while another half-sister Godfreys Cross (Fine Blade), a point-to-point winner, is dam of the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner Breedsbreeze (Fresh Breeze). He went on to win at the highest level too over fences in the Feltham Novices Chase at Kempton.