Meet the three-horse trainer taking on racing giants in Ireland

One remark from Irish jumping’s biggest name has stuck in the mind of Bob Murphy, a man whose operation is about as far removed from such a scale that it is possible to imagine.

Darrens Hope has proved that Murphy can take down the sport’s giants despite being one of just three horses that he trains, coming out best in a compelling head-to-head with Gordon Elliott’s Minella Crooner in the Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown.

"A friend of mine was standing behind Willie Mullins that Sunday and he told me that Willie Mullins said to someone she was one of the finest National Hunt mares in the country," says Murphy. "Willie Mullins said that. It meant an awful lot to hear that from him."