Principal Jockey: Matt O’Connor
Notable Wins:
- Toshiba Champion Hurdle: Brave Inca 2009 & 2006
- Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase: Big Zeb 2008
- Tipperary Hurdle: Megans Joy 2008
- Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase: Big Zeb 2008
- Gain Horse Feeds Handicap Hurdle: Bambootcha 2008
- Scarvagh House Stud Mares Novice Hurdle: Megans Joy 2007
- bewleyshotels.com December Festival Hurdle: Brave Inca 2006 & 2005
- Hatton’s Grace Hurdle: Brave Inca 2006
- Champion Hurdle: Brave Inca 2006
- Morgiana Hurdle: Brave Inca 2005
- Christmas Hurdle: Feathard Lady 2005
- Emo Oil Champion Hurdle: Brave Inca 2005
- Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle: Feathard Lady 2005
- Ladbrokes.ie Handicap Hurdle: Feathard Lady 2005
- Supreme Novice Hurdle: Brave Inca 2004
- Deloitte Novice Hurdle: Brave Inca 2004
- Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle: Brave Inca 2004
Colm Murphy has come a long way since taking out his trainer’s licence in early-2000. A successful amateur rider, he was a key player in the early stages of Aidan O’Brien’s hugely successful training career. Colm worked in the office and gained valuable first hand knowledge of dealing with entries, declarations and other important secretarial work. Colm also rode plenty of winners in bumper events for Aidan, but when O’Brien switched his attentions mainly to the flat, Murphy felt that he had gone as far as he could go with him.
He saddled his first runner as a licensed trainer on 16th April 2000 when Alottalady finished in mid-division in a hurdle race at Listowel. He had to be patient in waiting for his first success as a trainer, but it eventually came when Anvil Lord prevailed in a handicap hurdle at Cork on March 31st 2002, a horse which was also to give him his second and third victories including a valuable handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival the following month.
Around the same time, a horse called Brave Inca made his debut for Murphy and while he showed little in a number of starts over hurdles, Murphy always believed the son of Good Thyne had ability, when he won two bumpers in good style on his next two starts, Colm knew that he had a much improved performer on his hands. However, as he felt he needed more time, he put him away for the rest of the season and let him develop into his frame.
As a result of this, Brave Inca began the 2003/4 season rated just 93 and he quickly took full advantage of this low mark with comfortable victories in handicaps at Fairyhouse and at Navan before Christmas. At this stage, Colm felt he was ready to step up in grade and he pitched him in against some very smart performers in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in early-February. Starting an 11/2 chance, he got the better of Newmill by ¾l under Barry Cash and from that moment on, he has invariably been campaigned at the highest level.
This victory set him up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and in what proved to be a memorable contest, Brave Inca defeated War Of Attrition by a neck in a nail biting finish to give his young trainer a dream result with his first ever runner at this most famous of racing festivals. He put his reputation on the line by going for the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival and having looked beaten at the final flight, he somehow managed to come up with a renewed effort to deprive Royal Shakespeare by a short-head in another wonderful contest.
Having enjoyed such a successful campaign as a novice hurdler, Brave Inca was trained for the 2005 Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham but unfortunately he had to settle for second place on all his four outings before taking his place in the field on March 15th. Despite this, Brave Inca ran a cracker in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle but was just edged out by Hardy Eustace and Harchibald in a never-to-be-forgotten race and it was no surprise to see him installed as favourite for the Aintree Hurdle at Liverpool on Grand National Day. However, whilst still travelling strongly for Barry Cash just in behind the leaders he unfortunately made a bad mistake at the third last flight and unshipped his rider for the first and only time in his career.
After this unfortunate incident, Colm’s stable star was aimed at the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival and with the incomparable Tony McCoy on-board, he finally gained compensation for a succession of near misses at the highest level when battling back strongly to beat Harchibald by a head.
With McCoy now installed as Brave Inca’s regular rider, the fortunes of Murphy’s stable star were transformed in the 2005/6 season. The pair combined to win three of his four starts in the build up to Cheltenham, with notable highlights coming in the Grade 1 December Hurdle and the Grade 1 AIG Champion Hurdle. Sent off as the strongly backed 7/4 favourite for the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle, McCoy gave the eight-year-old an inspired ride to get the better of his old rival Macs Joy by a length. McCoy was uncharacteristically jubilant in the aftermath of the race and the crowd’s reception of the pair in the winner’s enclosure more than matched his reaction. That win was followed by a lacklustre display in the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival where he finished a well beaten second behind Macs Joy.
The 2006/7 season presented a new problem for Colm Murphy as Tony McCoy was required more and more to ride for his retained owner, JP McManus. As a result, Barry Geraghty got the call to ride Brave Inca on his seasonal reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle where he finished a lacklustre third to Iktitaf. McCoy was back in the saddle three weeks later in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and the pair combined to grind out a workmanlike success over Rosaker. McCoy was again unavailable for the December Hurdle at Christmas but Ruby Walsh proved an able deputy as he drove the eight-year-old to a game success from Iktitaf. McCoy again returned to saddle to partner Brave Inca in the AIG Champion Hurdle. However, the pair was comprehensively out-battled by his old rival, Hardy Eustace. Following this defeat, many people began to suspect that Brave Inca’s powers map be beginning to wane, thus, he was allowed to go off at 11/2 for the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. Despite running his typically game race under Ruby Walsh, he proved to be no match for the young contender, Sublimity. His connections then took the decision to step their charge up to three miles for the first time at the Punchestown Festival, but the nine-year-old ran a lifeless race under Ruby Walsh. That would prove to be his last start for 19 months, as he suffered quite a serious injury after which many expected him to be retired. However, Murphy exhibited abundant patience and last November, the now 10-year-old warrior returned to the track with a typically valiant effort to finish second to Catch Me in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse. Following that highly-encouraging effort he lined up in the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown and he ran another big race to finish third to Sublimity. However, he proved that he retains most of his top-class ability when making an emotional return to the winner’s enclosure after grinding out a ¾l victory over Muirhead in the Toshiba Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January. Murphy will now have his sights set on a fourth run in the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle and it would be a brave man that rules the 11-yead-old out of calculations.
While Brave Inca has understandable been the stable star for Murphy in recent seasons, one mare that threatened to usurp him in that position was the extremely talented hurdler, Feathard Lady. Purchased for less than 1,000gns, this ultra smart performer looked decidedly useful when winning her first two bumpers and her first two hurdle races in good style. Unfortunately, she received a slight injury after this and was forced to miss the rest of the 2004/5 season before resuming her winning sequence after an 11 month lay-off when winning a mares event at Down Royal in November 2005. Pitched into handicap hurdle company off a mark of 137 at Fairyhouse the following month, Feathard Lady continued to show her class with a convincing victory before absolutely bolting up in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Sandown on St Stephen’s Day. This brilliant performance impressed the bookmakers and she was promoted to favouritism for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, but unfortunately a series of injuries resulted in that memorable performance being her last appearance on the racecourse. Much to the disappointment of Murphy and the racing public alike, she was retired undefeated in seven outings.
While Brave Inca is approaching the veteran stage of his career, Murphy looks to have a number of young horses waiting in the wings to take up that legends mantle as the stable star. Big Zeb showed clear promise in bumpers and over hurdles, it wasn’t until he was sent over fences that he began to fulfil his potential. That said, it took him a while to get the hang of the larger obstacles, falling at the first fence on two of his first three starts and easily winning a beginners chase at Fairyhouse in between. Two runner-up finishes in Grade 1 novice company were followed by an excellent win in the Grade 1 Cathal Ryan Memorial Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival. He made the transition to all-aged Grade 1 company at the first time of asking this season when making a successful seasonal reappearance Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival and he looks likely to acquit himself very well in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. In addition to Big Zeb, Murphy has two promising novice hurdlers on his hands in the shape of the smart bumper horses Zaarito and the exciting staying prospect Kimberlite King.
All and all, Colm Murphy looks to have an abundance of both established and promising horses in his yard and he looks set to remain in the public eye for many seasons to come.
Updated: January 2009
