Oisin Murphy to ride for trainer with just 12 horses in Northumberland Plate
A trainer with just 12 horses hopes top jockey Oisin Murphy will turn her dream of a big race win into reality.
Deborah Faulkner has booked the three-time champion on the Flat to ride leading Northumberland Plate fancy Golden Rules.
A one-time Cheltenham Festival hope, the bargain buy repaid his stable at the first opportunity – during the week of the jumps jamboree. Lacking a warm-up run for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Faulkner sent him to Kempton instead, where he won a handicap after a 638-day absence.
Murphy, on board then, has confirmed his availability for Saturday's feature event at Newcastle, worth £81,000 to the winner. The sum is almost double what Faulkner's entire string of horses have earned since she took out a licence four years ago.
"It would be a dream for a small yard like ours if we could win a race like the Northumberland Plate," said the Monmouthshire-based handler, assisted at the yard by son Thomas, sister Sally and a dedicated team of staff.
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"Golden Rules is superbly bred, we thought he would be too expensive for us at the sales, but he cost about £6,000. He's a big beast of a horse who has had niggly problems.
The Northumberland Plate is run at Newcastle Racecourse (Getty)"We have mollycoddled him and he seems to like it. Oisin said don't be afraid to keep him fresh for the big day – and that is what we have done."
Riding for another of the smaller yards, Murphy inspired Shaquille's last-to-first Commonwealth Cup victory at Royal Ascot.
But an eight-day ban, picked up for overuse of the whip on another runner Valiant King, rules him out of renewing the association in Newmarket's July Cup later this month.
Frankie Dettori will also miss the sprint – the only British Group One to elude him – after he fell foul of the same rule on Queen Anne Stakes second Inspiral.
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