Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy looks forward to the final Group One of the British Flat season on Saturday in this week’s video.
Speaking in his weekly slot on the Sporting Life YouTube channel, Murphy chats about Royal Playwright’s chances in the William Hill Futurity Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday, where he is tasked with reversing Royal Lodge form with Wimbledon Hawkeye.
Andrew Balding’s son of Lope De Vega was beaten one-and-a-half lengths by Wimbledon Hawkeye at Newmarket last time, but Murphy feels his mount is overpriced to reverse the form (Wimbledon Hawkeye is 7/2, Royal Playwright is 16/1).
He said: “I saw him yesterday (Wednesday) and he's held his coat really well. He's in great shape. It would be lovely to reverse the form with Wimbledon Hawkeye and I don't really see the price disparity now.
"I just feel like Wimbledon Hawkeye can race on the speed and he finds loads for pressure, he's a very loose-moving athletic horse, and you wouldn't want to eyeball him too soon.
“You'd just be hoping, maybe, that someone else eyeballs him early and that Royal Playwright can follow up and hopefully pick him off."
Keep the faith with King’s Gambit
Murphy outlines a couple of other rides he is looking forward to at Doncaster on Saturday, while he reflects on Champions Day at Ascot last weekend including good third places for Tamfana and Flora Of Bermuda.
He’s also looking forward to seeing how Harry Charlton’s King’s Gambit progresses next season after riding him to finish a six-length seventh in the QIPCO Champion Stakes.
“We went too fast and that was really the long and the short of it,” Murphy said. “I went forward on him and I used him up too much. Now the ground is probably a bit slow for him as well, although he ran well in a novice as a two-year-old on soft ground.
“But I think he's a very good horse and he's going to stay in training. And yeah, I look forward to hopefully riding him again next year.
"I have a lot of belief in him and I tell you why - I put the gun to his head, basically, the whole way and as he got a little bit tired up the straight I had to stand up on him because I got interfered with. But at the line I still had horse and it's very rare that one has that much ability."
To watch the full interview with Oisin simply click the video above or visit the Sporting Life YouTube page here.
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