On this week’s Sporting Life Racing Podcast Oisin Murphy talks us through his rides on King George day at Ascot this Saturday.
The jockeys’ championship leader takes the ride on John & Thady Gosden’s Middle Earth in the Group 1 King George & Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, although he could’ve ridden Sunway trained by David Menuisier.
Murphy is the retained jockey for Qatar Racing, who own Middle Earth and part-own Sunway, and he has struck up a good relationship with both horses this campaign.
With Middle Earth sporting the Qatar Racing colours Murphy says it was the ‘logical decision’ to ride the Gosden-trained horse, who steps back up to Group 1 company for the first time since he was seventh in the St Leger last season.
“It certainly wasn’t [an easy decision],” Murphy said on the podcast. “Sunway is getting the weight-for-age and is higher rated, but Middle Earth will carry the Qatar Racing colours and with Sheikh Fahad’s family sponsoring the race it was the logical decision to ride Middle Earth.
“He’s certainly ready to have a go at a race like this. He was one-paced last time off a slow pace in the Hardwicke and has a bit to find so hopefully they go a good gallop.
“Auguste Rodin and Rebel’s Romance are the market principals and you can see them sitting first and second, perhaps, as neither of them want a crawl. They could both be happy to press go as we turn in so hopefully it will be run at a good even tempo, but I don’t expect the pace to be crazy.
“It’s probably going to be his last run in the UK before he heads to Australia, depending on how he runs on Saturday.
“If you look at his bare form to now he’s likely to be one of the market leaders for the Caulfield Cup, so that’s very much on his agenda and hopefully he can run a career-best on Saturday.”
Murphy has a good book of rides on the undercard and he gives positive mentions to Handcuffed, Sirona and New Century, with the latter being described as ‘a gorgeous horse’.
In the Moet & Chandon International Handicap Murphy is due to ride King Power’s Fivethousandtoone, who was a close-up fourth in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle last time after he was badly hampered in the Wokingham.
Murphy said: “He deserves his chance in this sort of race. I had no luck on him at Royal Ascot.
“He’s a good horse and seven furlongs is actually okay for him, particularly if I can just get him to relax and find some space when I want him to go.
“That will be difficult in a large field, but he’ll be about 25/1 and I think he’s a horse that’s more than capable of winning a race like this.”
David Ord hosted this week's podcast with Graham Cunningham, Ed Chamberlin, Billy Nash and Matt Brocklebank on to preview the King George and you can listen to the panel and the Murphy segment right here.
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