Colm Murphy targets Cheltenham Festival with Impervious

COLM MURPHY, the Killena and Ballycanew-based trainer, has a fine Cheltenham Festival record with four major winners, highlighted by the likes of Brave Inca and Big Zeb, and he is going back there this March with a realistic chance of adding to his tally on what could be a memorable St. Patrick’s Day.

e indicated during the week that his outstanding mare, Impervious, is heading directly to the Festival without another run, taking aim at the Mrs. Paddy Power mares’ chase on the final day, which happens to be March 17.

She is contesting favouritism for the race with Willie Mullins’ Allegorie De Vassy which won impressively at Thurles on Sunday at a prohibitive 1/8.

Now owned by JP McManus, Impervious booked her place at Punchestown last Sunday week when impressively racking up her third win from three outings over fences, a run that began at Wexford at the end of October and was enhanced in a Grade 2 at Cork.

Murphy has confirmed his Cheltenham target: “It will be the mares’ chase all the way and we’ll go straight there. We’re absolutely delighted with her.”

Colm Murphy first tasted major Cheltenham success in 2004 when Brave Inca, winner of ten Grade 1s in a great career, took the Supreme Novices Hurdle, beating future Gold Cup champion, War of Attrition, by a neck.

Two years later he won the Champion Hurdle under Tony McCoy in a thrilling race from Macs Joy and Hardy Eustace. All 16 of Brave Inca’s races from 2005 onwards were at the highest Grade 1 level, and he collected well over a million Euro in career earnings.

Murphy was back in the Cheltenham limelight with Big Zeb, owned by Gorey hotelier Pat Redmond, with six Grade 1s in his eleven chase wins.

He ran in the Queen Mother Champion Chase four years in a row, winning it at the second attempt in 2010 under Barry Geraghty, six lengths clear of Forpaddytheplasterer and Tony McCoy. He was second and third in the next two years.

Murphy recorded his fourth Festival success with Empire of Dirt in the Brown Advisory Handicap Chase in 2016, ridden by Bryan Cooper for Gigginstown.

On September 23, 2016, Colm took the racing world by surprise when announcing his intention to retire from training, saying it was very difficult to make it pay.

He soon joined the Turf Club as a racing official but in May of 2019 he again made the headlines when deciding to renew his training licence. Now he is ready to take on the world on the hallowed Cheltenham turf again in March.

The weather took quite a toll on racing this week and in Britain, it was largely an all-weather diet.

Paul Nolan had a winner and a second at Navan on Saturday. Hms Seahorse (15/2) and Seán O’Keeffe were impressive winners of a €40,000 handicap, his first time over two and a half miles.

He was initially campaigned on the flat with a valuable win at the Curragh, but this was his second win over timber after a near four-month absence.

He had two and a quarter lengths to spare over Gordon Elliott’s Felix Desjy. He was knocked back by a bad mistake at the fourth last and was still only eighth at the second last, but he stayed on very well to power home and he may have booked a run at the Cheltenham Festival, possibly in the Coral Cup. He was fourth in the Grade 3 Boodles Hurdle on a previous visit to Cheltenham.

Earlier Nolan had a second with Ifiwearearichman (10/1) under James O’Sullivan in a two-mile novice hurdle, beaten by Gavin Cromwell’s Path D’oroux (3/1).

O’Keeffe was second in the three-mile beginners’ chase on Tenzing (2/1f) for Willie Mullins, well beaten by John McConnell’s Mahler Mission (10/3).

There was a disappointing turn-out of runners at a decent Thurles meeting on Sunday, with just 49 contesting the seven races for a healthy €150,000 in prize money.There were two Wexford winners, for J.J. Slevin and Barry O’Neill.

It was great to see Seán Flanagan back in action after a lengthy injury absence following a bad fall at the same Tipperary venue away back on October 20. Here’s hoping for some better luck in the big races at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown and then on to Cheltenham.

Slevin had his second of the week in the €36,500 Group 2 Horse and Jockey Chase on Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies (7/4f), staying on well despite appearing to be under some pressure a long way from home.

He had six lengths to spare on French Dynamite (11/2) for Mouse Morris with fading Willie Mullins star, Chacun Pour Soi (9/4), another twelve back in third.

O’Neill had a marvellous win in the concluding Hunters’ Chase on Ferns Lock (1/1f) for regular ally, David Christie. He was a massive 20 lengths ahead of Billaway for Patrick and Willie Mullins, the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals champion last spring.

At Cheltenham he pipped O’Neill and Christie’s Winged Leader on the line, so this was some measure of revenge.

At Punchestown on Monday, Jack Hendrick got second in the John Thomas McNamara qualified riders’ handicap hurdle with Galactic Grey (backed from 66/1 into 25/1) for Monasterevin trainer, C.P. Donoghue.

J.J. Slevin was also second on Rowdy Romeo (33/1) for Caroline McCaldin in a three-mile maiden hurdle, with James O’Sullivan third on Paul Nolan’s Heyjoe De Kerser (7/2). Jamie Codd completed a hat-trick of Wexford seconds in the mares’ bumper on Why Delilah (2/1f) for Gordon Elliott.

The re-fixed Clonmel meeting went ahead on heavy going on Tuesday. J.J. Slevin had a winner in the two-mile maiden hurdle when making all on Cillians Charm (3/1) for Monaghan trainer, Anthony McCann.

He had six lengths to spare over the John Brennan-owned Yeah Man (10/11 f) for Cromwell, with Colm Murphy’s debutant Danada (40/1) outrunning his odds in third under Waterford seven-pound claimer, Sarah Kavanagh.

There was a great finish to the two miles four furlongs maiden Hunters’ Chase when Barry O’Neill was just headed on the line aboard David Christie’s Global Assembly (5/2) by Mikey O’Connor on Liam Burke’s outsider, Grange Island (20/1). It was O’Connor’s 500th career winner.

Gowran Park’s big day of the year, the €100,000 Goffs Thyestes Chase meeting, takes place this Thursday (January 26), an event that always draws a big crowd from the Wexford side of the border.

The race was won three years in a row (1964 to 1966) by the inimitable Arkle, ridden by Pat Taaffe for Tom Dreaper, and has also been won by a number of Grand National winners. The first race is off just after 1 p.m.