Murphy ponders next move with Resplendent Grey after "farce"

Olly Murphy will return to the drawing board with Resplendent Grey after being left frustrated by the standing start employed in the Coral Gold Cup.

The seven-year-old was slowly away and pitched wide, with jockey Sean Bowen finding it difficult to improve his position sufficiently as the race unfolded, eventually settling for a never-involved 11th.

Sent off 9-1 after a win at Carlisle to kickstart the campaign, Murphy has expressed his disappointment that his charge’s main target for the first half of the season was over “within a few strides”.

“It was a farcical start yet again in England and I’m not sure when this will be addressed,” said Murphy.

“Not that Resplendent Grey would have won in a month of Sundays because the winner was very good and hard to beat on the day, but there’s also a lot of prize-money to be played for.

“I had a very angry owner and rightfully so and we’re the only sport in the world where when there is a standing start, competitors are not off a level playing field and there’s always horses who are inconvenienced – Alan King’s horse (The Doyen Chief) didn’t even get chance to jump the first.

“It’s no good for owners, jockeys, trainers or punters and racing fans and our Coral Gold Cup was over within a few strides which is extremely frustrating.”

Murphy is now inclined to bide his time before nailing down Resplendent Grey’s next move, with a return to Newbury in early February for the Denman Chase just one of the options mooted in the days since Saturday’s run.

Murphy added: “I’ve got to have a chat with the owner and Sean has gone down the lines of he might be a horse we should run in a smaller field and something like the Denman Chase, but there are also other handicap options for him.

“The Classic Chase at Warwick maybe and there’s staying handicaps elsewhere but we will freshen him up for a month, see where we are and we won’t make any decisions just yet.”