'The big question for me right now is whether to move to France permanently'
Julian Muscat meets a trainer still enchanted by her three-month stint in France
Amy Murphy extends a typically Gallic welcome at her Southgate Stables on Newmarket's Hamilton Road. With irrepressible joie de vivre, there are kisses on both cheeks from the trainer who has just returned from the Chantilly stables she rented for three months until the end of June.
It was an eye-opener for Murphy in many ways. She exceeded her target of £120,000 in prize-money and premiums by 50 per cent, in the process doing good business in selling horses on. But that near-fantasy experience has run its course. She must now revert to competing for a fraction of those purses back in Britain.
It is a bumpy return to planet earth for the 29-year-old, who sat down with her family last Christmas to consider a different approach.
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- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- 'He must have his breakfast earlier than Willie does' - Patrick Mullins goes behind enemy lines at Gordon Elliott's yard
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- 'He must have his breakfast earlier than Willie does' - Patrick Mullins goes behind enemy lines at Gordon Elliott's yard