Murphy hopes Aintree race will be one to ‘Enjoy’
One of the favourites in this Saturday’s Randox Grand National in Aintree is Enjoy D’Allen, trained by Ballymore man, Ciaran Murphy and owned by jump racing legend, JP McManus.
As trainer and horse prepare for the big day, Ciaran has custom made a practice fence at his base, Charlestown Stud in Mullingar, to ensure he is on top form for the big event, one of the most prestigious in the international racing calendar.
A carpenter by trade, Ciaran has purpose-built a schooling fence prepared specifically to train Enjoy D’Allen for Aintree. This is a prime example of the hands-on approach of this trainer who has also built stables, a walker and a lunge ring at his Charlestown as well as his own house.
He no longer has much time for carpentry, but he believes it’s a great skill to have and even if he doesn’t have time to use it, at least he knows how things should be done.
“This is another challenge, but we'll build a nice straightforward fence, nothing too difficult but just so he gets a look at the greenery. If he goes down and jumps that a couple of times and does it well, that would be the height of it,” he told the Racing Post last week.
Having been involved in pre-training winners such as Tiger Roll and Rule the World at the Gigginstown House Stud, Ciaran is fully aware of what is needed to win a race like this.
He believes Enjoy D’Allen, who was third in last year’s Irish Grand National, has plenty of what it takes to win. He is thrilled that the horse joined an enviable McManus Grand National roster last month along with leading fancy Any Second Now and defending champion, Minella Times.
It was Ciaran who persuaded JP McManus to buy this Grand National contender. He called McManus’s racing manager, Frank Berry about buying Enjoy D’Allen. Ciaran was confident this horse was made for Aintree.
“He’s a good stayer and a great jumper who enjoys the hustle and bustle of a big race,” Murphy said.
McManus and Berry were interested, the deal was sealed, and now he’s among the favourites to take one of the most coveted prizes in the racing world.