Murphy ‘proud’ of latest title triumph following turbulent year

Oisin Murphy will be crowned champion jockey once again at Ascot on Saturday, joining an elite group as a five-time title winner.

While still some way off prolific champions of yesteryear like Fred Archer, Gordon Richards, Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery, Murphy is only one behind Kieren Fallon and two ahead of both Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore.

A fifth title looked a long way off in April, though, when Murphy was charged with drink driving and failing to co-operate with police following a car accident.

His well-publicised addiction issue had clearly reared its head again, but Murphy said he used that as the fuel to dominate right from the off.

“I had the incident in April so I then had to really perform and prove to people I could still ride, I wasn’t allowing what was happening off the horse affect me,” said Murphy on a media call organised by Great British Racing.

“I had a good start and it became important to me personally to win it. It’s been like that in other years, in 2021 I knew I was going to get a long ban from the BHA for saying I went to Lake Como when I went to Mykonos so I really had to make the most of that season as well, so they’ve been two similar years.”

The reference to 2021 is when he was also in hot water, this time for lying about his whereabouts during Covid restrictions.

This season, however, several trainers have commented on how he appeared to be riding at a different level to his title rivals.

“Of course I want to ride better but I can pick up the trophy with some sort of pleasure, I can be proud of what I’ve done since May 1,” he said.

“Every jockey is trying to prove to the world every day that they are capable, but when there’s something going on in the background of course you want to show determination to carry on no matter what.

“When I had the four-timers at Kempton, Doncaster and Salisbury I felt like I could win on anything for a spell.”

Murphy has just released a book, Sacrifice, in which he kept a diary of the 2024 season to try to convey what life is like for a jockey, but he stated in it that he would not be chasing the title this year.

“I said in my book that I wouldn’t be going for the title again but William Buick and I discussed it and he kept saying I had to go for it. I really had no interest,” said Murphy.

“I then put myself on the back foot before the season even started and I wasn’t sure how much support I was going to get. After a week or two I was already in front and I certainly had a point to prove that I could do my job with the things going on externally. That was what motivated and fuelled this title push.

“There’s always self doubt. If you have a couple of days you don’t ride well or a run of seconds the self-criticism takes over. I judge myself on every ride.

“Winning the first one (championship) people could say it’s a fluke, the second and third weren’t so tough and for the fourth I came back from a 14-month suspension. This year I felt like I had to win again considering what happened before the season started.”

Looking back on the April incident, for which he was fined £70,000 and banned from driving for 20 months, Murphy added: “I apologised to the parties involved and then everyone that had helped me get sober and stay sober.

“When I came back in 2023 I was sober and had been since November 2021 and doing well. Like anyone with an addiction they have to work very hard at it and unfortunately for me I relapsed and I’ve had to pay the price for it since.”

Murphy last rode a winner on Qipco Champions Day in 2018 when Roaring Lion won the QEII and while he is riding in six of the seven races on good horses this weekend, the competitiveness of the races mean all are double-figure prices bar Shout in the concluding Balmoral Handicap.

He does think he has a squeak in this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, though, with Andrew Balding’s Never So Brave bidding for a fourth successive victory.

Murphy said: “I rode Never So Brave yesterday and he felt great, he’s had a good break between winning the City of York Stakes and now.

“He’s an improving horse but it’s a deep field. There isn’t much pressure because on ratings he has a bit to find. He’s probably my best ride on the day in the big races.”