Murphy aims to add to success of Walhaan and Titanium

Mullingar-based trainer Ciaran Murphy could be sending plenty of runners out from his Charlestown Stud base this week on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Read below for a rundown of Murphy's runner this week courtesy of BOYLE Sports, who offer the very latest horse racing odds. https://www.boylesports.com/sports/horse-racing

Baba Murphy looks set to take her place in a fillies' maiden contest at Dundalk on Wednesday, but isn't given much of a chance by the bookies who make her a 66/1 outsider to get the win with jockey Jack Cleary on board.

There is more action at Dundalk on Friday, where Murphy could send a couple of runners in Curious Jane and Baila Conmigo.

The former could line up in a seven furlong fillies maiden at 6.15pm and will be making sa first racecourse start in her career, while the latter holds an entry in the mile and a half handicap at 8.15pm and could make his first start for Murphy having previously been with the Adrian Murray team and ending there with a fourth of nine at Tramore way back in August.

The weekend comes along with an entry at Fairyhouse for Destivelle in the handicap hurdle at 2.50, but there is some interest over the water too in Britain where Bottler'secret has an entry at Doncaster in a two-mile handicap hurdle in class two, potentially making a second start for Murphy after a seventh place finish on debut for the yard at Fairyhouse in November.

Finally on Sunday, Murphy has Granville Street entered in a handicap hurdle at Navan (12.20) over the two-mile trip, pulled up when last seren at Fairyhouse as a 50/1 chance.

Murphy has tasted recent success with Walhaan (9/1) which registered an eighth career success at Dundalk on Decemeber 3. The nine-year-old landed Dundalk’s concluding Stadium Gift Vouchers Available Online Handicap under a strong ride from jockey Patrick McGettigan.

Racing for the Ask Dot Syndicate, Walhaan raced in second position for much of the race and, having led two furlongs out, battled gamely to score by a neck from Nakasero.

Murphy said Walhann could return to Dundalk, or maybe run over hurdles during the busy festive period: “I suppose he's back down to a rating of 80 which is a help to him, and the jockey’s 7lb claim helped as well.

“Patrick is an excellent claimer and has been very good all year for us. He has ridden winners and a lot of placed horses for us and I thought he gave that horse an exceptional ride, having received a lovely briefing from Ben Coen beforehand. We have a nice team in place with riders, which is a big help to us.

"The horse found plenty and that (1m2f) is absolutely his trip, he hits the line strong over that trip and loves the surface here. He's turning 10 in the new year, so every day is a bonus now. He's a lovely horse for the yard and hopefully he will come back here again or run over hurdles at Christmas."

The success of Walhann followed a fine victory for the mercurial Titanium, who won the €50,000 Finlay Volvo Premier Mile Handicap under Rory Mulligan at the Curragh. Ciaran Murphy dedicated the victory to the late Liam Gavin, whose untimely passing in October was greeted with shock and sadness.

"It was a very hard day for us; we were all devastated at Liam's passing. He was a personal friend; an absolute confidant. I couldn't say enough about him and how good he was. We spotted this horse in France and I spoke to Liam, and we got the four lads together to buy him," he said.

"We were hoping he would be a premier handicap horse. It hasn't been plain sailing, he won one alright. But he got his ground here and I don't know whether it was the visors, or Liam Gavin looking down on him, but he did it really well.

“We said we’d go ahead and run the horse and it’s just amazing that he’s done that. It’s very emotional. Fair play to the horse and Rory (Mulligan) was excellent on him. He did exactly what we asked him to do.

“There was one of these in him. It just hadn’t gone to plan all year and probably the ground hadn’t been soft enough.”

Ciaran recalled how Liam enjoyed many great days with horses like Killian’s Garden, Walhaan, Titanium and - most special to him - the prolific Bridge Native. She was a cherished, homebred mare and always the apple of Liam’s eye.