Oisin Murphy thrives upon the relentless fixture scheduling and is raring to go for the chaotic five days of racing at Royal Ascot. Murphy was 21 when landing his first Royal Ascot winner with Benbatl in 2017.
Five winners at the meeting last season, all in handicaps, saw him notch up 20 winners at the Royal meeting and he’ll be a jockey in demand as a result.
Speaking to the Press Association, via At The Races, Oisin Murphy said: “It’s the most important week of the year. But I relish it and I’ve found I can get in a good zone there.
“You are always thinking about the meeting, even in the winter. I never really have horses to look forward to in the Oaks and the Derby. For me it always seems to ramp up straight after the Guineas. That is when I’m really starting to focus on Ascot.
“There is always a lot of pressure. In some races you have horses to choose from and you are always thinking about it.” Murphy told ITV after winning the Diomed Stakes he had the pick of the runners, as he just got up on the well backed Seagulls Eleven.
“I’m always under a lot of pressure to get a winner in the first couple of days. And once you get one it just eases you in. But I’m also under the realisation that it’s possible to draw a blank. No matter how good your book of rides and chances.”
Caballo De Mar the ‘standout ride’
Oisin Murphy will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the handicaps, but he notes Caballo De Mar as his standout ride.
“The standout ride for me would be Caballo De Mar in the Gold Cup” added Murphy. The pair combined to win the Group 1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier. “It’s been his target since Dubai. He ran a great race at Ascot in the Sagaro and did it really well in France.
“He’s won over the distance before and it really shows him to good effect. He’s improved so much in the last 12 months, he’s not bred to go those distances. Yet he gets them very well so his team need a lot of credit.
“I remember Yeats winning the Gold Cup so many times and in more recent years Stradivarius. It’s a race of course I would love to win.”