Olly Murphy Stable Tour: 2024/25 Jumps Season Preview
Graham Clark gets the lowdown from Olly Murphy on his team for the new jumps season.
There was more than one reason for trainer Olly Murphy to be proud about his achievements last season, but he will not be resting on his laurels as he continues his push for progression.
Not only did Murphy, who tied the knot with his partner Camilla in August, end his wait for a second Grade One, but it also saw him surpass 100 winners for the first time in a season, after ending the campaign with 102 domestic successes to his name.
With Strong Leader spearheading the team following his Aintree antics at the top table in the Liverpool Hurdle, alongside a host of exciting novice hurdlers, and chasers, it is easy to see why there is plenty of optimism in the air at Warren Chase Stables.
Murphy said: “We broke £1 million in prize money for the second time last season, but trained over 100 winners for the first time which is something that I’m really pleased to have done. It is something that I will set every season to try and do so to achieve it was great.
“It was massive getting the Grade One on the board at Aintree as it had been five years since my last Grade One winner. Hopefully Strong Leader will be a horse that will be competing at that level for the next few years.
“It was frustrating going that long waiting for another Grade One, but you can only go for them if you have horses that are good enough to go for them, but hopefully we have a few of them knocking around and hopefully the next one won’t be as long in coming.”
He finished down the field in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow. His best run of the season was at Sandown on his final start. He could switch to chasing and as he won a point-to-point he should be quite accurate over fences. It was a good run at Sandown at the end of last season and I think stepping him up half a mile in trip helped him a lot.
He won a bumper at Southwell on his second start for us last season after finishing third on his debut for us. He made a lovely start to his hurdling career at Carlisle. He is a lovely big horse that could well make up into a nice staying novice hurdler this season. He looks to have a good deal of talent.
I thought he was very well handicapped to win on his chase debut at Ffos Las as he jumps a fence really well. His last two runs over hurdles I don’t know why he ran so bad as we couldn’t find anything wrong with him. It might have been that he just had a very hard race at Sandown when he won that Listed race. I thought he put in a really good jumping performance when winning down at Ffos Las. We will gain a bit more experience with him over two miles before stepping him up in grade.
He just got a little injury and he will miss the first part of the season. The plan at this stage is to try and get him back for the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell at the back end of February. The Grade Two race he won over in Ireland last season is 100 per cent a possibility. Hopefully we can get him to the National Spirit first though. He has been a remarkable little horse and has a great will to win. He really has been a star as he has been so consistent throughout his career. Horses like him are hard to replace, but hopefully he still has a bit of petrol left in the gauge.
I’ve really minded him, especially during the second half of last season especially for this season. He will start off in a novice handicap chase. I’m not going to be punchy the first time out, but hopefully we will build through the season. I hope that he will turn into a graded horse. I don’t think he was himself in the Rendlesham and I thought he was better than his run in that, but he wasn’t going from an early stage. He has jumped well and we might end up going to Cheltenham in November if all goes well on his first start. He might start off over two and a half miles, but evidently he will want three miles.
He was second in his only bumper at Huntingdon behind a horse that went on to contest the Grade Two bumper at Aintree and who has since finished second on debut over hurdles. He will be a nice staying chaser in the future when we look to go down that route, but for this season he could be a nice novice hurdler to contest races in that two and a half mile middle distance division.
He is a good horse and he could be one of my better novice hurdlers. He won two bumpers last season and the plan will be to start him off in a two mile novice hurdle somewhere and see how we get on. He was just over the top in the Grade Two at Aintree. He was beaten as soon as the tape went up as he was way too keen. He has got a lot of ability and he promises to be smart. I hope he can turn out to be a graded level horse.
I think he is well capable of winning a nice three mile handicap chase this season. He is a very good horse on his day and I don’t think we have seen the best of him. Put it simply, he started last season well and ended it well and the middle part wasn't great, but I probably learnt a bit more about him in that he wants a trip and better ground. Hopefully being that bit older he will be better again. I was going to start him at Chepstow, but I decided to wait until Cheltenham. He travelled well for a long way in a good handicap at Cheltenham and he will come on a lot for that run. We might now run him in the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase at Newbury at the end of next month. He will strip much fitter there and he remains a good horse.
He posted wins at Lingfield and Southwell last season on his first season over fences after undergoing a wind operation. It didn’t happen for him on his last start. He is more than capable of winning a nice handicap chase when things fall right for him. He loves heavy ground.
He is very much a dark horse that was uncompetitive in two bumpers at Wetherby and Perth last season. He jumps hurdles very well and he could be another nice staying novice hurdler for us this season. He wasn’t a bumper horse and he will be a lovely chaser in time.
He has been a big improver. He will improve again when we step him up beyond two miles as well. He is a horse that will win plenty more races this season. I did enter him in the Persian War at Chepstow, but it just came a bit too soon. If it was a week later I would have run him. He is only rated 118 so I will probably look at going down the handicap route with him now.
Doctor Ken is back in again having missed last season with a few problems. We will bring him back in a handicap chase over the next few weeks. He doesn’t want the ground too soft. I did originally look at the Coral Gold Cup last year before he had a niggle so he could be a horse that will be well handicapped. He will need his first run though and then we will find something nice over Christmas for him. I think he could develop into a good staying chaser.
He absolutely bolted up in a bumper at Chepstow on his second start for us in December 2022, but unfortunately he missed all of last season. It was not ideal him getting injured, but that is just the way it goes sometimes. He could turn out to be a very smart novice hurdler. He will be out in the next few weeks in a maiden hurdle and is one that loves soft ground. He has got a big engine.
After winning the Imperial Cup he would have then won up at Aintree if he had jumped off with them. He was a very unlucky loser as he missed the start by 15 lengths and was only beaten by about four lengths. He started off in the Welsh Champion Hurdle the other day at Ffos Las, but his main early season aim is going to be the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham. I think if he was to win something like a Greatwood he is going to be in between the top of the handicap and being a graded horse, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. There are races like the International Hurdle and things like that. He loves really heavy ground.
It looked like he was going to finish a lot closer in the Topham going to two out, but he is going to go back up to Aintree for another spin over the Grand National fences in the Grand Sefton. He has won fresh first time out before so it makes sense going for a race like that with him on his return. He jumped the fences very well there last time so we will go back there and see how we get on. I think he would have to go up a fair bit in the handicap to be considered a Grand National horse.
He will win another handicap chase, but he wasn’t at his best on his final start last season at Perth. He never travelled at all, but that could have been because it came at the end of a long season. Two miles could just be on the sharp side for him now so we might just step him up in trip. Over two miles he wants it soft or if it isn’t you would go two and a half miles with him. Potentially he could be one for the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival come the spring.
He achieved a highest rating of 93 when trained on the flat over in Ireland by Ger Lyons. He won on his debut over hurdles back in May and since then he has joined us from Lucinda Russell. He has done everything nicely since joining us and he works very well. He lacked a lot of experience in the Grade Two at Cheltenham on Friday, but he wasn’t given an overly hard time. He has got plenty of ability, but he might be one for handicaps further down the line.
I thought he was going to be my best novice hurdler last season and he only ended up having one run when he was beaten up at Ayr. He had a few problems after that run and it has meant that has not ended up running for a year. He has got a massive engine and I’m looking forward to seeing him out. He probably won’t be seen for about another month, but I think he could end up being my best novice hurdler. I love this horse, and if I can keep him sound, I think he will be very good.
He is not the horse he once was, but he won a Pertemps qualifier last season and if we could win another race like that this season it would be great. Those are the sort of races we will look at. He loves jumping his hurdles and I’m not so sure he loves to jump fences so much. He was my first Grade One winner and he has been an absolute star for us.
He looked like he was going to win a bumper last season, but he ended up not winning one. He was third on his first start over hurdles at Uttoxeter last week which was an okay effort. I still expect him to develop into a nice novice hurdler as the season progresses.
I couldn’t believe he didn’t win a bumper last season, but he has improved for a summer break and he was very impressive on his hurdles debut at Carlisle. He jumped very well and he stayed well. He might well go to Wetherby the same day as the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham for the introductory hurdle on the card there. He could be a nice middle distance hurdler and I think he will be above average.
She is much better than her current mark of 120. She was sick from Sandown onwards and just wasn’t healthy. We will probably start her off back over hurdles with the view to maybe jumping a fence. She was beaten leaving the paddock before the Jane Seymour. She was sweating up before Sean (Bowen) even got on her. I don’t know what was on her that day, but it remained on her for the rest of the season. It was just a write off after that. Touchwood she has got lots of mileage and hopefully she will now resume her progression.
ORDEROFTHEDAY
He won the second of his two point-to-point races and is likely to start off in a bumper and he looks a lovely type.
PIERROT JAGUEN
He is a French bred horse that bolted up by six lengths in a point-to-point at Ballycahane in Ireland. He was picked up for £200,000 at the Cheltenham Festival Sale and is owned by Robert Waley-Cohen. He is a big imposing horse that will start off this season in a maiden hurdle. He will be a big strapping chaser in time.
He is a bit of a strange one, but he has had a few little niggly issues. He was favourite for his debut in a bumper at Uttoxeter, which I thought he would win, and he was uncompetitive, then he was too keen on his hurdles debut at Kempton. He has a big engine and if he has a more straightforward preparation is very much a horse to keep in mind.
He had a good start over fences at Uttoxeter over what was an inadequate trip. Two and a half miles is very much his trip and I would be hopeful he can be competitive in novice handicap chases over that trip. It was just a nice place for him to start off with at Uttoxeter as he was ready to run and it got some experience into him and hopefully that will stand him in good stead. He could be a horse that would suit the two and a half mile novice handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He would be one of the better types and hopefully he will turn out to be a 140 plus rated chaser in time. He is an athletic horse and has a likeable attitude.
He put in a great jumping performance on his debut over fences at Uttoxeter in what was a warm race having previously won at the track on his last start over hurdles. He will improve again when we take the hood off him and he should progress even further when we step him up in trip beyond two and a half miles. He is a horse that we have always liked and he is still on an upwards trajectory.
He finished down the field in the four year-old hurdle at Chepstow. He ran flat and ran a very funny race for him. He has had wind surgery over the summer and hopefully he is better than his mark. We have tried a few different things with him but if the wind doesn’t catch him out he is on a good mark. We are now going to look at exploiting jumping a fence and utilise getting all those allowances as a four year-old.
He has been very progressive since joining us and I don’t think he has stopped progressing yet. Going up to three miles will help him in time as well. He has not stopped winning. I wouldn’t want to run him on any sharper ground than I did the last day. He is a nice horse and he has got a good attitude. He is only rated 125 over fences and he should be capable of winning races given his current rating.
He has just joined us from France where he won two races around Auteuil for Yannick Fouin. He could well start off in one of those better juvenile hurdles and go from there. He is owned by Mark Adams, who is a new owner to us, but was involved in horses like Knight Salute in the past, and hopefully he could be another smart one for him.
He has trained really well and the plan will be to start off at Wetherby in the West Yorkshire Hurdle as long as the ground is on the slow side of good. He is in good form and he has recently had a racecourse gallop. It will be hard giving away a Grade One penalty, but we are looking forward to getting his season going. All being well we would go straight to Ascot for the Long Walk Hurdle after that. Whether we then go for the Stayers’ Hurdle or wait for Aintree again I’m not quite sure at the moment.
I’m not a million percent sure that he likes the undulations of Cheltenham as he doesn’t seem to go around there very well. I don’t think he is seen to his best around there, but we might give it another go at some point. If we decide to run in the Cleeve Hurdle I think that will then decide if we run in the Stayers’ Hurdle or not. He is a very good horse on his day and hopefully he is still improving. We talked about going over fences, but with the division he is in I think staying over hurdles is the right thing to do.
I would say he is most likely to go for the Grand Sefton at Aintree next. He has been freshened up and I thought we would look at giving him a spin over the Grand National fences as his jumping has been so good. I thought it might be a nice race for him. I think the wind operation has helped him, but he was a very consistent novice hurdle before going over fences. I think jumping fences was always going to help him, but I didn’t think he was going to get to the level that he has got to. He has just continued to improve. He likes decent ground though so he probably won’t be seen too much over the winter. There is an outside chance he might be a Grand National horse, but we will see how he gets on over the fences in the Grand Sefton.
THE BLUE ROOM
Another for our bumper team. He is a gorgeous staying horse that won’t be seen at his best for another year or two, but he should run well enough in a staying bumper.
I just think he could be a really nice chaser on soft ground. I think he has improved for another summer off. He had some good form last season and he has got a real will to win. If he jumps a fence well, and he seems to have done at home, then he could be a really nice novice chaser. His run up at Ayr was a great run. He is an enjoyable horse and hopefully his winning hasn’t stopped.
He will run in veterans chases this season. At his age we just have to give his body a bit of help, but he seems in good form and hopefully he can win another veterans chase. I would say if we could win a race then he is likely to be retired. He has been a star for me and he got me on the map early. For him to be still running at the level he is running at is a credit to the horse and everyone at home. It was magic watching him win at Warwick last season. He got a great ride off Sean (Bowen) that day.
He looked on a good mark in the December Gold Cup, but he just got out of rhythm very early and it was curtains after jumping three or four fences, but he kind of came back and had a good second half of the season. He is a good horse on his day and he will probably start this season off in the Charlie Hall although he might have an entry in the West Yorkshire Hurdle as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point he does come back over hurdles as his body might just find it easier jumping hurdles than a fence. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was very competitive in those good two and a half mile hurdle races like the National Spirit, the race that was at Lingfield that will be at Windsor, and the Relkeel Hurdle.
He was smart in winning his bumper last year at Market Rasen. The form of his bumper win has worked out well. He is a very likeable horse that definitely saves his best for the track and he has a great attitude. He was very professional at Uttoxeter. He jumped well and quickened away nicely. He is a horse that we could now go to the November Meeting at Cheltenham if conditions are right for him.
WANDERING EGO
He fell when he was still in contention in his only point-to-point over in Ireland. He does everything nicely and he will start off in a bumper.
He has joined us this season from Anthony Charlton. He won two novice hurdle races before finishing a solid fifth on his final start in the EBF Final at Sandown. He was well handicapped for his first start over fences at Stratford. He jumped and travelled great. It looked like he was in trouble turning in before hitting turbo. He is a horse that we hope will tackle some nice handicap chase prizes throughout the season.
He bolted up in a bumper at Market Rasen. He seems a nice type that has been jumping well at home. He was only just beaten on his first start over hurdles at Carlisle but I was delighted with him as he did everything bar win. He gained a lot of experience and we will look to run him in a maiden hurdle in a few weeks time and look forward to seeing him progress through the ranks. However, he is very much a horse to keep on the right side of.
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