INTERNATIONALLY-experienced horseman Danny Murphy is looking forward to writing the newest chapter of his career after taking out a training licence to operate from Rossmore Cottage Stables at the Curragh.

Murphy, 61, had been working alongside Co Laois-based trainer Kieran Cotter for the past five years but says he has received sufficient support from owners to now embark on his own training business.

Having previously saddled over 1,000 winners abroad through stints in racing nations such as Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and the UAE, his first runner under the new Irish licence came at Cork on Tuesday when ex-Cotter-trained juvenile Ocean Baroque won a €50,000 nursery over six furlongs.

Murphy told The Irish Field: “Kieran and I had some great successes over the past few years and I’m now looking forward to the future with my own operation.

“I’ve been home five years now and we were probably getting too big at Kieran’s, so it was time to go out on my own. We started out with 12 boxes and had grown as big as 35 boxes.

“To be honest, when I first came home I didn’t think I’d get the support to be in the position to do this but I’m delighted to have the backing of owners. Thankfully there has been a demand there.

“I would also say that we had a name for being sprint trainers but when Matilda Picotte finished third in this year’s 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, it was an indicator that we wanted to get into a better type of horse.

Quality focus

We’ll be trying our best to recruit horses with as much quality as we can, while also having an eye on trading.”

The former professional rider is operating from premises that produced a classic winner as recently as 2016. Adrian Keatley, now based in Britain, previously trained from Rossmore Cottage when sending out Jet Setting to win the Irish 1000 Guineas.

The stables also come with a sense of family tradition for Murphy, who is working with some existing owners from the Cotter yard and new backers.

“I had a great time abroad for 35 years but it feels right to be home,” he said.

“The great Darkie Prendergast trained at Rossmore Cottage before and my own father served his time there too.

“When I’m walking down the barn at night, I have Darkie on one side and my father on the other. They’re with me and I’m asking for a bit of guidance!

Curragh facilities

“I can’t get over the quality of the training facilities at the Curragh.

When you’re on a small farm you can ride out three or four lots on the same grounds, whereas when you go by on two horses there’s someone behind you lightening-quick on the tractor to roll the surface. It’s like an absolute carpet.

“On the whole, I feel these facilities increase the chances of building stamina in horses. The facilities on the yard here are very good too, including a water walker.”

He added: “We have 34 stables and 20 are currently full but there’s still definitely room for new owners. I’m excited for the future and we’ll look to be busy at Dundalk over the winter with 10 or 12 horses.

“Oisin McSweeney will ride as apprentice to me and we’ve got a young team who are eager to learn and progress.”