'I'm going to be 67 on Thursday, I've been at this since I was 14' - trainer Pat Murphy reluctantly decides to bow out

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East Garston trainer Pat Murphy has decided not to renew his licence when it expires on March 5 and instead is preparing to bring a training career spanning four decades to an end at the start of next month.

A popular figure in the quaint West Berkshire village on the outskirts of Lambourn, Murphy has been training since 1992 and has sent out more than 200 winners, most recently from Glebe House Stables.

He enjoyed his biggest success with Grade 2 winner Shooting Light, who won the Finesse before finishing third in the Triumph Hurdle in 1997 and filled the runner-up spot in the 1999 Fighting Fifth, and staying chaser Supreme Glory, who won the 2001 Welsh National and chased home Monty's Pass in the Grand National two years later, but his numbers have dwindled over the past ten years.

Murphy was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer at the end of 2023 and, although he has responded well to treatment after a tough 2024, the 66-year-old has somewhat reluctantly decided now is probably the right time to bow out of a sport he has dedicated his life to.

"I'm going to be 67 on Thursday and I've been at this job since I was 14 years of age," Murphy tells The Front Runner. "After going through the year like I have with cancer treatment and all the side effects, I thought maybe it was time for me."

He has had to shake off pneumonia, hepatitis and colitis over the past 12 months but had he not been left with only a couple of Flat horses, he may well have continued training.   

"I'm a dyed in the wool jumps enthusiast and I haven't got any jumps horses," he explains. "I've a couple of Flat all-weather horses and that just doesn't light me up. I don't feel ready to leave but circumstances are telling me it's probably time to step away.

"The problem with being a small yard is that when a horse gets injured they're not replaced. Also you haven't got the cover you probably need. Since the end of October I've been in brilliant shape and I'm winning the battle, but the war hasn't been won yet and I'm still going through cancer treatment. That means I need somebody responsible to cover, but a small yard can't afford to pay somebody of that level because the figures just don't add up."

Supreme Glory: winner of the 2001 Welsh Grand NationalCredit: Julian Herbert (Getty Images)

Moorgate, a horse close to Murphy's heart, will be one of his last runners when tackling division one of the 6f handicap at Wolverhampton on Monday night. He would certainly be a well-timed winner, although he has a tendency to make life difficult for himself in the stalls. 

"He's suddenly got a bit of a phobia about coming out of the stalls which I haven't been able to crack as yet but he's been brilliant for me," says his trainer. "Even when I've had bad days over the past year I've ridden him out and he's been a godsend."

Taking a trip down memory lane, Murphy says the exploits of Shooting Light and Supreme Glory were undoubtedly the highlights but it was winning when losing was not an option that gave him the most satisfaction.

"Everyone will remember the big winners but there were some days with much smaller horses when you could say they had to win and one that sticks in my mind was with a horse called Jalb," he recalls.

"I bought him from Newmarket for £25,000, which was plenty of money in the '90s. I bought him for four London-based lads who never came up with the money. Tattersalls were absolutely brilliant about it, gave me time and finally after about three months I managed to get him syndicated."

On his first run for us at Newbury he landed awkwardly over the first hurdle and fractured a bone in his hind leg. I said to the owners the next day, once we knew what was what, 'Listen guys, I will give you one day to get your investment back' and sure enough that day came on the Flat at Warwick. He was backed from 10-1 down to 3-1 favourite, they'd all had their money on and he won with stones in hand. Those are the days, when you tested your mettle as a trainer, I'll remember most fondly."

Having grown up in Limerick, Murphy initially rode for trainer Jim Old when he moved to Britain in 1982. Three years later he joined Richard Holder's yard at Portbury in Somerset, eventually taking on the training licence before moving to Lambourn.

"I've had 53 brilliant years in racing," he says. "Yes, there's been trials and tribulations along the way, but God it was enjoyable. I've had a ball and absolutely love East Garston."

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