MURPHY GOES SOUTH FOR SATELLITE STABLE

The Jockey Club has granted Ferdy Murphy a licence to use the yard formerly owned by the late Geoff Hubbard as a satellite stable, it was revealed today.

The trainer knows the yard in Woodbridge, Suffolk well as he sent out a host of winners from the base in the early 1990s.

Middleham-based Murphy takes over from the previous incumbent Chris Kinane who has split from the current owners.

Murphy sent out Sibton Abbey to win the 1992 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup from the yard for Hubbard, whose daughters approached him once it became available.

He explained: 'I trained Mr Hubbard`s horses for many years and his daughters Janet Reader and Sandra Rodwell approached me with the offer to take over the yard.

'Janet and Sandra Rodwell have an equal say in the running of the yard and while it is a pity Chris has left, it was an offer I couldn`t refuse and it is a another exciting challenge.'

'We had been looking for satellite yard for some time and looked into he possibility of setting one up in France but we were getting a lot of difficulty sorting one out.

'There are 30 horses already there at the moment. We intend to work some on Sunday morning and then make some entries for next weekend when hopefully we will have our first runners out of there.

'We already have some owners based in the south and it will be ideal switching horses from one stable to the other if they need freshening up.'