Oisin Murphy

Oisin Murphy, Joe Leavy and Godolphin were crowned champions at Ascot as the British Flat season concluded with QIPCO British Champions Day. Murphy secured the champion jockey title for a fifth time, having previously taken the accolade in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. The Irishman ended the championship with 143 winners, with Billy Loughnane next best on 108. Highlights for Murphy included a Group 1 double at York's Ebor Festival courtesy of Asfoora in the Nunthorpe Stakes and Never So Brave in the City Of York Stakes. Murphy said, "You...

Oisin Murphy will donate £25,000 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and an equal amount to Racing Welfare, if he keeps his place at the top of the World Pool Jockeys' Championship, which ends at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday. The four-time champion jockey holds a considerable 54.55-point lead over Kieran Shoemark, meaning Shoemark would have to ride a winner at World Pool odds of 54.60 and Murphy draw a blank to be passed. Back in third is the now Hong Kong-based Richard Kingscote, while David...

Unable to take part in Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines moments before the off due to a misplaced passport, Asfoora (Flying Artie) followed all that pre-race drama with a welcome straightforward display to make history. Overpowering the outsider Jawwal (Wooded) inside the final furlong, the 5-2 favourite asserted her superiority under Oisin Murphy to record a half-length success, the first of any kind for her nation in France. The Abbaye is also a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint next month. "It's surreal--we...

Victorious Forever's Simon and Ed Crisford trainee Zanthos (Sioux Nation), a €1-million Arqana Breeze-Up sale graduate, attained TDN Rising Star status in the colours of KHK Racing at Newmarket's July course in August and rebounded off a second behind Touleen (Lope De Vega) earlier in the month to make all for a career high in Friday's G2 BoyleSports Home Of Early Payout Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. "We just said to Oisin [Murphy] to keep her happy and let her use her stride," explained Ed Crisford. "I thought she was maybe...

Coming off a third in the Hungerford, Marvelman (Invincible Spirit) turned Saturday's G2 Park Stakes at Doncaster into a procession to provide more big-race success for the Andrew Balding stable in 2025. Always travelling easily on the rain-deadened ground under Oisin Murphy, the 13-2 shot took command two out en route to a 3 3/4-length success from King's Gamble (Kingman). "He's really found his spark of late and was impressive today," Balding said of the three-year-old, whose latest effort behind More Thunder at Newbury was already a marked step up...

Her Nunthorpe-winning sister Winter Power was some flying machine, but if the evidence of Friday's G2 Flying Childers Stakes is a guide Revival Power (Bungle Inthejungle) could be even slicker model. Electric in the first furlong and totally dominant on the front throughout under Oisin Murphy, King Power's Listed Roses Stakes winner was in a league of her own as she registered a seriously-impressive 1 1/2-length success from Ballydoyle's Kansas (Wootton Bassett). "She's fast, but she goes again--she hasn't just got that initial speed but also that extra kick which...

Arc clues were in abundance at ParisLongchamp on Sunday and the first piece of the puzzle was put in place by Japan as Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) upstaged the Euro contingent in the G2 Qatar Prix Foy. Earning the special voyage with a win in Riyadh's G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap and a second in the G1 Tenno Sho Spring, Kazumi Yoshida's four-year-old was sprung from his cover by Oisin Murphy to overwhelm the 8-5 favourite Sosie (Sea The Stars) in the final yards and record a half-length success. "He has...

Considered by most to be mere understudy to Kalpana (Study Of Man) in Saturday's G3 September Stakes at Kempton, last year's Hong Kong Vase hero Giavellotto (Mastercraftsman) had other ideas as he registered a minor upset. Always comfortable tracking the pacemaker for Juddmonte's 1-2 market-leader, the 9-4 second favourite outstayed her under Oisin Murphy in the closing stages to score by 1 1/2 lengths. While Kalpana's Arc bid may have been derailed here, all roads lead back to Sha Tin for the winner according to Marco Botti. "He is still...

4th-Newbury, £12,000, Mdn, 8-28, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:13.80, gd. IMPERIAL BALLET (GB) (f, 2, Blue Point {Ire}--Osipova {GB}, by Makfi {GB}), sent off at 5-1, travelled strongly towards the fore from the outset. Taking control passing two out, the homebred powered to the line for an impressive 3 1/2-length success from Khafar (Dubawi). The dam, whose first foal was the G3 Solario Stakes winner Positive (Dutch Art), is a half to that sire's G3 Sovereign Stakes scorer Zonderland who was placed three times at Group 2 level. A granddaughter of...

Britain's first seven-furlong Group 1 proved a humdinger on Saturday as Never So Brave (No Nay Never) found the line first in a thrilling four-way go for the Sky Bet City Of York Stakes. Like Saturday's Hungerford winner More Thunder a former member of the Sir Michael Stoute equine academy, Saeed Suhail's Summer Mile winner relished the furious pace to ultimately outstay specialists at this trip under Oisin Murphy. At the line, the Andrew Balding-trained 7-2 second favourite had half a length to spare over Lake Forest for a one-two...

It's been 13 years since Ortensia (Testa Rossa) claimed a first G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes for Australia and Henry Dwyer trainee Asfoora (Flying Artie) gained just reward for connections' long-held faith, doubling the antipodean tally, with a decisive victory in this year's renewal of the Knavesmire dash. "I'd love to see the replay because it looked like she won quite convincingly." said a jubilant Dwyer. "When you know they are going to win at the two-furlong marker you are sort of on pretty good terms with yourself. It...

Hollie Doyle's tenure as retained rider for Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud has ended. Champion jockey Oisin Murphy will become the new first-call rider for the operation. The best runner ridden by Doyle in the Al Sagar silks was undoubtedly the G1 Prix de Diane-winning Nashwa (Frankel), who also landed top-flight scores in the Nassau Stakes and Falmouth Stakes with Doyle aboard. Said Al Sagar's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe, "We're keen to stress that we have had a fantastic relationship with Hollie throughout, and we hope that will continue...