Oisin Murphy to pick up fifth British Jockeys' Championship at Ascot on Saturday

Rollercoaster. It’s a word the Kerry-born rider uses on more than one occasion during Thursday morning’s press call organised by Great British Racing and while he occasionally leans back to draw from a cigarillo (“my second one of the morning”), you get the impression Murphy isn't a man one could ever necessarily describe as being relaxed. Especially so just two days out from QIPCO British Champions Day.

"I always want to ride better, and I’d love to be riding at a 25% strike-rate every month,” he reflects following a mere 13 winners from 61 rides (21%) so far in October. “But I can pick up that trophy on Saturday with some sort of pleasure and I can be proud of what I’ve done since the 1st of May."

Charged with drink driving and failing to co-operate with police after a road traffic accident in April this year, the 30-year-old has opened up about his struggles with addiction in a recently-published book entitled ‘Sacrifice’, and none would argue that jockeys at every level of the game require a huge amount of dedication.

Murphy, who goes into the weekend with an unassailable lead of 36 winners over this year’s runner-up Billy Loughnane, is about as self-critical as they come but is driven by the sense of having to prove to himself and others that he remains one of the best in the business.

"Obviously, with the incident in April – I then had to really perform and show to people that I could still ride in races and that I wasn’t allowing what was going on off the horse to affect me,” he says.

"Every jockey is trying to prove to the world every day that they’re capable of doing their job because every ride is going to be criticised. But when there’s something going on in the background, you want to show that you have determination and some sort of steeliness that you’re able to carry on no matter what.

"I had a good start to the season, after a week or two in I already had a lead, and then it became important to me, personally, to win this championship and it’s been like that in other years too.

"In 2021 I knew I was going to get a long suspension from the BHA for saying I went to Lake Como when I went to Mykonos, and I really had to make the most of that season as well.

"Group 1-wise, this year has been very strong numerically, maybe my second best-ever Group 1 tally. Only three in Britain, but plenty abroad. So, I’m doing well, this was a very good season and since Guineas weekend to now, there have been no setbacks."

Among Murphy’s obvious highlights in the 2025 campaign have been high-class victories aboard See The Fire at York, Lead Artist in the Lockinge, plus Asfoora in the Nunthorpe and Abbaye.

He also enjoyed a terrific Royal Ascot, riding five handicap winners, but nominated a recent spell when riding four-timers at Doncaster (on his 30th birthday), Kempton and Salisbury as a particularly satisfying achievement.

“I thought Ascot went well, I don’t think I’ve ever ridden at a higher level in a week. I was never stuck three-deep and gave every horse every chance. That isn’t always the case when you have 30 rides in a week.

“Maybe the best I rode most recently was at Kempton, Doncaster and Salisbury, with the three four-timers.

“There are certain periods – you can’t control them, you don’t know when they’re coming – but for a couple of hours you feel like you can win on anything. And that’s very nice when you can get into that zone, unfortunately it doesn’t hang around for very long and you don’t know what it’s going to appear or whether it’s going to happen ever again. But it’s nice when it does go like that.”

Murphy admits Champions Day hasn't been such a happy hunting ground for him so far in his career ("most of the winners are trained by Coolmore or Godolphin") but will be hoping to be in the zone again as he looks to cap the title with six rides back in Berkshire.

They include the Andrew Balding-trained Never So Brave, one of his Royal Ascot winners who has since struck at Group 2 level (under David Probert) and in the Group 1 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes with Murphy back on board last time out.

He faces Irish Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Field Of Gold in the QEII but is considered one of the champion jockey’s best chances on the card.

“I rode him yesterday and he feels great. He’s had a good break between York and now, and he’s an improving horse,” Murphy said.

“It’s a deep field as you’d expect. There isn’t really much pressure as on ratings he has a bit to find but I see a couple of the TV pundits like him and he’s probably my best ride on the day, particularly in the Group 1 races.”

So with a fifth championship sewn up, his name on the bookshelves and the likes of Saeed bin Suroor recently stating he could go on for another 15 years, what next for Oisin Murphy?

"I suppose maybe this is the best I've ever ridden in a year, and that's very kind of Saeed, but I don't know that jockeys always have a choice, you either get injured or you stop getting the opportunities, or maybe you don't ride as well and your instinct isn't as strong. And I don't want to ride in future at a level that isn't as good as it once was, that's very important to me.

"I won't be riding into my 50s, that's for sure. I would hate to get to an age and all I have done in my life is ride horses around a field. I love riding horses but there are other things as well, life can be very short."

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