Caffeine crisis led to Murphy’s top legal career

DOMINIQUE Murphy knew she wanted to be e a legal eagle – and nd most probably work in racing – when she watched her legendary grandfather wrongly disqualified from racing during the 1985 “caffeine crisis”.

Murphy’s grandfather was the late trainer Eric Kirwan, a renowned trainer of two-year-olds who was inducted into the Queensland Hall Of Fame last year.

Back in 1985, Kirwan, who went on to train two Magic Millions winners (Sunblazer, 1989, and Brave Warrior, 1994), was disqualified from racing for 12 months.

Murphy, who is now the general (legal and governance) counsel for the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, was just a kid in 1985.

But she was shocked at what happened to her grandfather, with over 100 positive swabs in the racing industry later found to have been caused by faulty testing sticks used in the QTC laboratory containing caffeine. It inspired her legal path. “It’s why I became a lawyer, to watch that injustice happen it was quite profound,” Murphy said.

“My grandfather was disqualified for 12 months and he served almost all of it.

“He and the other trainers who were wiped out were later cleared, they were innocent men.

“There was no compensation in those days, even though it was the fault of the equipment.

“My grandfather was on a real peak in his career and lost all his private owners bar one family.

“People these days ask why governments get involved in racing but that incident was one of the key reasons that the government took over the racing science centre.

“Basically that crisis occurred because of a decision to cut corners and buy cheap equipment.”

Murphy is thrilled to be heavily involved in the racing industry.