John Joseph Murphy

A veteran trainer from Fethard, County Tipperary, Joe Murphy is perhaps not one of the bigger names in the sport but he has been training for a long time and his CV is not to be sniffed at.

Here we take a closer look at his profile and some of his flagship winners.

Taking out his license in 1977, Murphy has had a significant amount of success throughout his career and achieved a first Group 1 victory, and also a first Royal Ascot win, when Cercene battled to victory in the Coronation Stakes last summer.

He has also achieved success in some lesser Group races over the years, as well as some key handicap victories at the Galway Festival. Primarily a Flat trainer, he does also have some runners over jumps and has one winner from 10 runners in that sphere this season.

Career stats

Murphy has over 300 winners on the Flat in Ireland and a significant percentage of his victories have come at the home of Irish Flat racing, the Curragh. He has also landed 27 winners over Jumps in his native Ireland.

Notable victories for Murphy include a host of group race successes; one apiece in Group 1 and Group 2 company, as well as several in Group 3s. The likes of Insignia Of Rank, Flying Fairies, Ask Jack and Rose Hip have all won Listed races for the yard.

Notable horses

The previously mentioned Cercene tops the list, after landing Murphy his first Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot in June. She won her maiden in good style at Naas as a two-year-old and placed in three Group races before winning the Coronation Stakes.

Showing a good attitude to regain the lead after being headed late on, she then travelled to Glorious Goodwood for the Nassau Stakes and only Aidan O?Brien?s Whirl was too good that day.

Gustav Weston won three group races for the yard, coming out on top in the Group Phoenix Sprint Stakes in 2019 and 2021. His career-best effort came in the 2021 Greenland Stakes, however, as the gelding won by just shy of a length, with two-time Group 1 winner Glen Shiels back in fourth.

Another Group 3 success was provided by Only Mine in the Lacken Stakes back in 2016.

Euphrasia won the Blue Wind Stakes for Murphy three years before that, while 2007 Park Express Stakes winner Ardbrae Lady also hailed from this yard.