Oisin Murphy Reflects on Successful Canada Trip
In his latest Sporting Life video interview, leading jockey Oisin Murphy reflects on his successful trip to Canada over the weekend. Murphy, currently leading the jockeys’ championship, was not in action at Doncaster’s St. Leger day or the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown, as he was making his way to Woodbine to ride New Century in the Grade 1 bet365 Summer Stakes last Saturday.
Andrew Balding’s Qatar Racing-owned juvenile, a son of Kameko, put in a strong performance to beat Godolphin’s Al Qudra, booking his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on November 1. “It was great placing and obviously the horse then had to take it really well,” Murphy said. “I was just delighted with the way he has improved from run to run and how tough he is.”
Looking ahead to the Breeders’ Cup, Murphy acknowledged that the two-turn mile at Del Mar will pose a different challenge. “It’ll be a short straight, and it might be a little bit sharp for him. Not that he doesn’t have the speed, but will I really be able to track those American horses closely enough and then have enough time in the straight to run them down?” However, he believes the horse deserves his chance and will be one of the favorites.
Murphy also discussed his upcoming rides at Newbury on Saturday and his thoughts on the impressive Sandown winner Cosmic Year. He was disappointed with some narrow defeats at the St. Leger Festival at Doncaster, particularly with Tropical Storm, who finished fourth in the Group 2 Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes but is now likely to head to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Finally, Murphy flew back to Ireland on Sunday to ride Marco Botti’s Giavellotto, who finished third in the Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St. Leger behind Kyprios and Vauban. The trainer may now consider options such as the Japan Cup or the Hong Kong International Races in December, as well as a potential trip to Dubai, for the talented horse.
Overall, it was a busy and successful weekend for the leading rider, who continues to demonstrate his skill and versatility on the global stage of horse racing.
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