'I don't know what's happened' - chaos at bend gifts Oisin Murphy win

Oisin Murphy winning on a Michael Appleby-trained odds-on favourite at Chelmsford may seem like a regulation success, but this was anything but routine after drama at the home bend saw all Murphy’s three opponents carried out.

That gave the trio an impossible task of making up a ten-length deficit, leaving Murphy to cruise home on stable debutant Saatty.

Saatty was bought out of Kevin Prendergast's yard for 22,000 guineas and made a strong start before being restrained approaching the bend on the inside away from the impending chaos.

At the bend the strong-travelling Independent Beauty, ridden by apprentice Aled Beech, hung markedly right to the centre of the course, taking Conrad Allen’s Mick’s Spirit and David O’Meara’s well-fancied Taylored with her.

Independent Beauty (blue right) leads the small field at a strong gallopCredit: RacingTV

Oisin Murphy (black) holds Saatty back on the inside after initially leading when breaking wellCredit: RacingTV

The chaos begins to unfold as Independent Beauty begins to hang right approaching the bendCredit: RacingTV

Saatty and Murphy disappear into the distance as the rest of the field attempts to recoverCredit: RacingTV

Despite the small number of runners the field are spread across the track after the drama at the bendCredit: RacingTV

Murphy has the simplest of tasks to guide Saatty homeCredit: RacingTV

Saatty wins by a wide margin of seven and a half lengths to give Murphy his 120th winner of the seasonCredit: RacingTV

That left Murphy comfortably clear on the 4-6 shot and they eased home to win by seven and a half lengths.

The disruptive behaviour of Independent Beauty came as a shock to her trainer Lisa Williamson, who said: "She broke well and she travelled well. I don’t know whether it was the crowd or whatever.

"She’s been very straightforward, so I really don’t know what’s happened. I’ve not spoken to Aled yet, but she just didn’t go round the bend."

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The three-year-old had finished seventh on debut at Nottingham before improving to finish third at Ffos Las on Wednesday with Williamson bemused at the behaviour of her filly.

"It's out of character," she said. "She's galloped twice at Wolverhampton before she made her debut, so it’s not like she’s not been round a bend.

"I just don’t know. She was a bit upset by the crowd before and I just think there [Chelmsford] hasn’t helped her. It’s very busy and very noisy."

Murphy, beneficiary of the chaos to secure his 98th winner of the season, sympathised with events when speaking to Racing TV.

"It was a small field and it looked a good opportunity for the horse anyway," he said. "We can all see that horses can be difficult to control and the leader ran off the bend. It was pretty straightforward; I was able to go the shortest route and I was on the right horse.

"I just didn’t want to get into a speed duel. I jumped very well and luck had it that I was able to get to the rail and go the shortest and best way."

No sanctions were handed out as it was judged there was no riding offence involved in the race-changing drama.

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