Oisin Murphy: his highs and lows in and out of the saddle

1995: Born on September 6. He was premature and weighed just 2lb 14oz at birth. Started riding at the age of 4. 

2012: Moves to England in October and joins the yard of Andrew Balding. 

2013: Hits the deck running in his first season, riding four successive winners on Ayr Gold Cup day at at accumulative odds of 9,260-1. 

2014: First pattern success when partnering Hot Streak to victory in the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock. 

2015: Wins the German 2000 Guineas on Karpino 

2016: Became No 1 jockey for Qatar Racing, headed by Sheikh Fahad, and the big winners began to flow. 

2017: first Royal Ascot victory via Benbatl in the Hampton Court Stakes. Later in the year, Aclaim gives him his first Group One success in the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp. 

2018: His glittering association with Roaring Lion includes triumphs in the Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Benbatl and Lightning Spear provide other significant triumphs. 

2019: Is crowned Champion Jockey for the first time. Rides 220 winners in Britain during the year – his biggest tally before or since. Also scoops the Japan Cup on Suave Richard. Barred from racing at Salisbury on June 16 after failing a breathalyser test. 

2020: Wins the 2000 Guineas on Kameko and retains his champion Jockeys’ title. In September, he goes on holiday to Mykonos, moved onto the global pandemic red list when he is there, meaning that he should have self-isolated for 14 days on his return. However, he rode on, saying he instead visited Lake Como. In November, he gets a three-month ban for failing a drugs test in France (in July that year), although the rider’s defence of environmental contamination from a sexual encounter is accepted. 

2021: Secures a third successive Jockeys’ title after a titanic tussle with William Buick, but at the end of the year is given a 14-month ban by the BHA for breaching Covid rules the previous year, plus returning two positive tests for alcohol on the racecourse, at Chester on May 5 and at Newmarket on October 8. He talks candidly about alcohol addiction. 

2022: Spends the whole year on the sidelines. 

2023: Returns to action and finishes second in the Jockeys’ Championship. Highlights include Mawj’s victory in the 1000 Guineas and Shaquille’s victory in the Commonwealth Cup. 

2024: Wins a fourth Jockeys’ Championship. Rattles up 216 winners in Britain and gains 11 international victories, in Canada, France, Hong Kong, India and the USA. He also achieved a long-standing ambition of riding in a race over hurdles. 

2025: Fined £70,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty to drink driving, having crashed his Mercedes into a tree just after midnight on April 27. Is again setting the pace in the Jockeys' Championship.