Oisin Murphy Back With a Bang

As if he had never been away, Oisin Murphy made a winning return to the saddle in his first ride in more than a year at Chelmsford City’s meeting of Thursday, 16 February.

After serving a 14-month suspension, the three-time champion jockey made his long-awaited return aboard Jupiter Express for the Michael Appleby stable and guided the four-year-old to a half-length win in the six-furlong Winning Connections Networking Handicap for The Horse Watchers.

Murphy has now ridden 90 winners at Chelmsford City Racecourse for a 20% strike-rate, making the track one of his most successful riding venues in the country.

He said after the race: ”It’s fantastic, it’s been a long time but it’s brilliant to be back on the racecourse and ride a winner. I’m quite fit and I really enjoyed that, even the banter in the weighing room. Kieran O’Neill has been very entertaining since I arrived.

Murphy added: “Sharpness-wise, I’m going to have to keep thinking about racing all the time and hopefully that instinct will come back quickly. It was quite a long time away from the racecourse, particularly to find new jobs and tasks to get through the day. Obviously you ride out, but that only kills a few hours. I got into a routine of focusing on my showjumpers and I really enjoyed going to some big showjumping competitions.”

The services of the former champion will be greatly in demand in the coming months and he heads next to Qatar to ride in the HH Amir Sword Festival at Al Rayyan racecourse in Doha. We look forward to welcoming him back to Chelmsford City before too long.