IN just over a month the former champion jockey Oisin Murphy will be back. What awaits him, or us, no one quite knows.
The salubrious setting of Chelmsford will mark the return of the rider who once had – and still might have – the racing world at his feet.
Murphy has kept busy during his ban from racing – but the world is waiting to find out if he still retains all of his skill in the saddle
That was before he has handed a 14-month ban by the British Horseracing Authority after admitting to breaking Covid rules, misleading the authorities and prejudicial conduct, plus two alcohol breaches.
In the mix was also a £31,111 fine.
For those of us who saw Murphy as not only an outstanding young talent, but also as someone who talked about the game with passion and a little differently, in a manner few riders have done before, it was frustrating in the extreme.
NOTACHANCE (3.00 Warwick) I’m all over Alan King’s runner in the monster 3m5f Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase. He gets in off a low weight and was promising behind Le Milos last time out.
Demons haunt most of us. I’m no different.
But when they engulf an ability like Murphy’s the immediate reaction is ‘but he’s got everything going for him, why?’
That’s demons for you. They slip into your brain whoever you are.
It’s how you learn, if you can, to handle and control them that matters.
Murphy is 27. He’s been champion apprentice and the leading jockey three times, although one of his victories is debatable as it involved defeating the current No1 William Buick when most felt the former should have already been out the game.
The man from Killarney has a 2000 Guineas to his name via Kameko, an Eclipse, QEII and International Stakes thanks to Roaring Lion and a Breeders’ Cup success down to the Distaff victory of roughie Marche Lorraine.
That was for Japanese connections, and Murphy is huge in Japan.
He’s a Japan Cup hero via Suave Richard and adored in that country.
HE’S OFF THE DRINK
When in the limelight, drink, and who knows what else, seems to be the way he coped with the daily pressures of being a top sportsman.
My understanding is that Murphy is off the booze.
When I tried to speak to him on Thursday morning he was in counselling.
He takes part in that twice a week. That filled me with confidence.
There was a time when Murphy himself questioned whether he would ever return.
But it appears the hunger to show others and prove to himself what he can do is still there.
It’s clear he believes there are big races not won that he wants to bag. He’s a man with goals.
Some have said Murphy crumbled under the pressure of being put up as the next ‘Frankie Dettori’ in terms of being a personality racing can feed from.
But I’m not expecting a different Murphy when we see him next. He will still love breeding, and analyse races in a unique manner.
I am predicting a fit Murphy.
Word has it that he is riding out for Andrew Balding, Archie Watson and Jamie Osborne.
That while his weight at one time reached 9st 10lb (something I can only dream of), he’s now just where he wants to be.
That fitness has been helped by a serious amount of showjumping, an outlet that has allowed Murphy to keep close to horses and make a few quid from time to time with a trade or two.
His mind was also kept ticking thanks to an Amazon Prime documentary.
Racing is a forgiving sport. It’s welcomed back many of its crew over the years whose paths have winded in the wrong direction.
But it’s also a sport that never stands still.
WILL THE GOSDENS WANT MURPHY?
During Murphy’s absence Frankie Dettori has announced he will retire at the end of 2023.
That leaves a massive opening at the stable of John and Thady Gosden. Someone has to become the Gosden’s main man.
And don’t forget Roaring Lion was trained by that team.
David Probert is now more in the mix with Balding than ever, while the Kingsclere team used Rob Hornby on Alcohol Free for Group 1 victories in 2022.
And what about Dettori himself?
He rides Chaldean for Balding, and the son of Frankel, owned by Juddmonte, is a leading contender for the 2000 Guineas after looking decent in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and Group 1 Dewhurst at Newmarket.
Without the suspension, it’s reasonable to assume Chaldean would have been Murphy’s boy.
Chaldean has big tests ahead. Murphy has been tested for drink abuse for the last year by the BHA and will continue to be so for months ahead.
The future is all a test for a rider who can still do great things in the Sport of Kings.
The countdown is on. Just 33 days and Murphy is back.
