Former trainer Murphy begins new career as stewards' secretary

Former leading jumps trainer Colm Murphy has begun a new career as a racecourse official with the Turf Club, making his debut as a trainee stewards' secretary at Navan on Wednesday.

Murphy, who won a number of Grade 1 contests as a trainer – including the 2006 Champion Hurdle with Brave Inca and the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase with Big Zeb – quit training in September 2016 and has since been buying and selling store horses and working from the family farm near Gorey.

"Since I ceased training I've been keeping all of my options open and when this opportunity came along I saw it as a new challenge," he said. My contract with the Turf Club is for the next year so we'll see how it works out."

Murphy is aware of the experience he brings to the position from the other side of racing's divide.

He said: "I have a lot of experience from the other side so it will be interesting. It's a new way of looking at things but it involves things I'm fairly familiar with. Before now I'd have been walking into a stewards' room hoping for a good outcome but it will be easier walking in there now!"

Asked if he missed being away from the day-to-day of going racing, he replied: "You miss the good days, although you don't miss the days going to one of the country tracks with a horse that finishes down the field. But I did miss racing when my circumstances changed. It's great to be back in the industry."

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