Under The Radar: Pat Murphy's three horses to follow

The 2026 Flat season has started brightly for Pat Murphy (pictured above), and his team are running well. The trainer had a double at Dundalk at the end of March - Methgal showed a good attitude in getting home by a half a length in the seven-furlong handicap and, a half an hour later, Desert Friend stayed on well to win the two-mile handicap.

The handicapper reacted, of course, but Methgal was only just denied off a 4lb higher mark at Leopardstown in April. He did everything well that day, he led from early and he travelled well around the home turn under Ben Coen. He moved across to bag the stands rail early in the home straight, and it looked like he would last all the way home, but he was just denied by Andy Slattery’s charge, Exceeding, on the line.

Desert Friend also got a 4lb hike for his win at Dundalk, but he ran well off his new rating back at Dundalk two weeks later. He was well beaten at Bellewstown next time out, but that was the following day, so you can easily allow him that, and he proved that that outing was all wrong when he ran out an impressive winner of at Sligo last Sunday.

“We were hopeful going to Sligo,” says Murphy. “We thought that we had him in good form. Bellewstown just came up too quickly after Dundalk, but we got him home and freshened him up, and we thought that he was going there with a good chance.”

A wide draw was not ideal, but rider Conor Cusack had him out smartly and quickly into his racing rhythm, just behind the leaders and no more than three wide around the first turn. They went fast up front, and that suited Murphy’s horse.

“He has got a bit keen in his races,” says his trainer.  “So we thought that Sligo would suit him well. It’s a turning track, we thought that it would help him to relax, and the fast pace suited him well.”

The front two had a break on the rest of the field as they raced past the stands with a circuit to run, but Conor Cusack sat patiently back in fifth place, bided his time. The rider moved his horse towards the outside as they started to run around the home turn, and asked him for his effort at the two-furlong marker. Desert Friend picked up well to hit the front on the crown of the home turn, and he came away from his rivals in the home straight, seven lengths clear by the time he hit the winning line.

“Conor gave him a lovely ride,” says Murphy. “He just slotted in and took his time, which is exactly what we discussed beforehand.  He’s a good young rider, he has developed good horsemanship skills through riding and hunting, and he just turned 18 today, so it was a nice birthday present for him.  It was also a poignant win too, so soon after Harvey’s accident. I’m sure that he was looking down on us.”

Harvey is John Fleming, a good friend of Murphy's, and a good friend to lots of people in racing plus a great friend to Irish racing, who was sadly and tragically killed in a traffic accident at Dublin Airport last week.

“It’s still difficult to believe,” says Murphy.

Murphy’s background is in sport horses. His father bred and sold showjumpers, and eventers, and Murphy spent a lot of his time as a youngster breaking and pre-training young horses. An Agricultural Science graduate from Aberdeen University, he and his brother bred a filly, Wholelotofrosie, who was trained by Dick Donohoe to win a maiden at Galway as a two-year-old in 2012, and to finish fifth in the Group Three C L Weld Park Stakes.

Murphy took out his trainer’s licence himself the following year, and he trained Wholelotofrosie to finish second in a handicap at Listowel as a three-year-old.  He had his first winner as a trainer that September, when he sent Wagadoogoochoochoo out to win a mile handicap at Gowran Park.

“We have a small team here,” he says, “but we’re all the time trying to improve our facilities. We have a great team of people, experienced staff who work hard and who work really well together. We always try to get the best out of every horse we have.  We have new American barns, and we put in a new five-furlong, woodchip uphill gallop. We have done well at the breeze-up sales this year, we sell a lot of our young horses, too, but we’re delighted with how the season is going so far.”

He sold Take Me To Church as a breeze-up horse in 2023, and Take Me To Church went on to win the Madrid Handicap for Jack Davison and to finish fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas before being sold to America. More recently, he sold a Minzaal colt at the Goffs UK breeze-up sales last month for £60,000 to Anthony Stroud.

“He’s a really nice colt,” says Murphy, “and he should do well for his new connections.”

He has proven that he can get the results too when he has the right horses. Hit The Silk won a big-field handicap at The Curragh before going on to win a rated race at Limerick, reaching a rating of 90.  Craft Irish won four handicaps over five and six furlongs, the fourth of them by three lengths off a mark of 85, which took her up to a mark of 92.  She missed out on black type by a half a length in the Listed Yeomanstown Stud Stakes at Naas  in 2023.

This season has started nicely too, and Murphy has plenty to look forward to during the weeks and months ahead.

He was a good horse for Stephen Thorne, and we were very happy to get him.  He should be out now in the next few weeks, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he goes.

Mehman ran well to finish second in a handicap at Bellewstown last time, and the third horse from that race came out and won at The Curragh on Monday.  He’s entered in the six-furlong handicap at Naas on Saturday, and we’re hoping that he can go well in that.

We have a nice two-year-old filly by Cotai Glory out of the Dutch Art mare Clef, who won over five and six and seven furlongs for Cheveley Park Stud as a two-year-old.  She’s a full-sister to three winners, and she has been going nicely at home.  She should be out now soon.  We like her.