Oisin Murphy: Royal Ascot 2021 reflections after winning top jockey award
Royal Ascot – what a week!
I never thought I’d be in the position to be top jockey at Royal Ascot, I know I ride for brilliant people but this sort of thing normally belongs to Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori.
I couldn’t believe I was in with a chance to win it and then the final day I was able to hang on, a brilliant feeling.
After racing on Saturday I felt very proud, it was a wonderful week, to get five winners was something really special.
BERKSHIRE SHADOW kicked things off in the Coventry Stakes and I saw him the next morning when riding out on the Wednesday.
He came out of the race really well and he’s a horse we’re just going quietly with as he’s not really a ready-made two-year-old.
He’s definitely a horse for the future. He’ll just canter away now and then Andrew will make a plan for him, but we don’t know where his next race will be yet. You need to bear in mind that he’s a miler in the making.
I didn’t expect PEROTTO to win the Britannia as I wasn’t sure that he would stay, but it was unbelievable how well he relaxed – he didn’t race for the first half of the contest.
He really dug deep and hit the line hard, it was a brilliant result.
The most satisfying win of the week was aboard ALCOHOL FREE in the Coronation Stakes. She was another who relaxed beautifully, I didn’t have to touch her mouth and the pace wasn’t breakneck but it was even.
She travelled like she was going to win and she picked up when I said go. We didn’t do that lead change where she gets disunited behind and disorganised, she felt really really good and she won with a bit in hand.
Lots of people were questioning why I hadn’t told Andrew to drop back in trip, but I always viewed her as a miler because last year, when she won the Cheveley Park, she only won because we made plenty of use of her.
She’s definitely a miler and to win the Coronation was fabulous for everyone. Again, we don’t know where she’ll go next but it will be one of the obvious Group One races over a mile.
QUICKTHORN was handicapped to win and he duly bolted up in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.
If he stays sound he’s going to be a proper Group horse. He was always going to improve for the slower ground and he loved it. He’s an absolute dude.
I was so pleased for Hughie Morrison. He’s a family friend and our strike-rate together is a very healthy 24%, I just get a massive buzz out of riding for him.
FOXES TALES was my final winner in the Golden Gates Handicap and that was satisfying, too. He’s a lazy horse and he doesn’t work well at home but we knew from his form at Newbury and Chester that 93 was lenient.
I thought if I could get him in amongst them he might actually travel, but I got wiped out early on, although it wasn’t that dramatic as we were going slow down the hill. First Jamie Spencer’s horse crossed me, then Colin Keane was all over me and the inside horse was coming out, too, so I just took him back and got onto the tail of Jim Crowley.
He actually began to travel into it turning in, then once he got that gap up the rail it was like something interesting for him and he just took off. Then he lost concentration for a few strides and went left-handed, before running straight and true to the line with loads in hand.
We’re very excited about him stepping up in class into black type races, he’s definitely that kind of horse, for sure.
Shuffled back to last, change of plan, what a way to end a dramatic week…… #OM #RoyAscot #FastHorses #JockeyCam pic.twitter.com/Ht2yW7qqgY
— Oisín Murphy (@oismurphy) June 20, 2021
Royal Ascot – the ones that got away
As for the defeats, I’m still gutted about losing the Commonwealth Cup in the stewards’ room. DRAGON SYMBOL was the best horse in the race and I hope we can go forward and win Group Ones with him.
He’s a horse I’ve been heavily involved with, I bought him off Norman Williamson and he does a great job with these horses. I just felt bad for everyone, the trainer, the owner, Norman, everyone.
I don’t know why he hung. He’s never hung before and I still don’t understand it. Maybe it was the ground, he definitely doesn’t want slow ground even though he acts on it and I’d love to get him on fast ground in the July Cup.
He’s got a massive engine and I just want a fair shot at winning a Group One with him.
If I could have one ride again from last week, though, it would be KING’S LYNN in the King’s Stand.
I started in a similar position to Cieren Fallon but I was just unlucky in the run, I ran into horse after horse when they were stopping in front of me.
We thought five furlongs on that track would suit him and it was just a nightmare passage, when you think Her Majesty the Queen will have been watching at home and Princess Anne was there, it would’ve been unbelievable to sail through and win.
I can’t go back in time and what’s done is done, it was just one of those unfortunate things.
Of the others, don’t lose the faith with MASEKELA. He found the ground a little tacky in the Chesham and he felt a little bit weak, he was slow on Saturday but he’s not slow.
I was mindful of that and I don’t think he was at his best, so he’s worth another chance and I’m sure he’ll bounce back. Hopefully he can show everyone what he’s made of later on in the season.
HAPPY POWER ran a cracker in the Diamond Jubilee when he was a close-up fourth, but he enjoyed that race set up.
Everything went perfect for him and those are exactly the sort of conditions he needs to show his best.
SATURDAY RIDES: NEWMARKET
1.35 – ACHELOIS
She was unlucky at Sandown last time out. I ran straight into the back of the ones in front of me and she deserves credit for finishing third. She should’ve won that day but she’s in again and the ground will be fine for her, she’s pretty versatile, so the fact it’s drying out at Newmarket doesn’t concern me.
2.05 – DESERT DREAMER
She’s interesting tackling six furlongs again after finishing midfield in the Queen Mary over five last week. She has obviously won over six and it would be nice to get some black type for her. I do think she’s better than her Ascot run, she was drawn away from the good ones and I think we can forgive her that.
3.15 – THE LIR JET
He’s bounced out of Ascot where he was seventh in the Commonwealth Cup and he kept on that day like he needs seven. That’s what he gets on Saturday so hopefully he can run like he did in the Greenham over the trip on his seasonal reappearance.
3.50 – QUENELLE D’OR
I won on her at Kempton and she’s a big filly. She dropped in class after her run in the Cheshire Oaks and won a handicap at Goodwood for which she’s gone up 5lb. Hopefully she can go in again here.
4.25 – GREYSTOKE
He won a couple of races in April and is almost back down to his last winning mark now so we have to be hopeful. I don’t have a bad record for Mick Channon – we have a 19% strike-rate together – but I’ve never ridden this horse so I’ll find out more about him on Saturday.
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