Enjoy D’allen can catapult Ciaran into top league
WALSH, Elliott, Murphy, Tizzard, De Bromhead, Mullins. The trainers associated with the most fancied runners in the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday are all household names with strong records in the great race.
Or are they? The Murphy isn’t Ollie Murphy, who has saddled 85 winners over jumps in Britain this season. It’s Ciaran Murphy, who has sent out 80 fewer, from his yard at Charlestown Stud, outside Mullingar.
Murphy may not be a familiar name across the Irish Sea but that would all change should Enjoy D’allen, his first runner in the world’s most famous race, scoop the first prize of €666,000.
Within Irish circles, Murphy is well known, and well regarded.
For many years, he was assistant to Dot Love at Charlestown Stud, and together they enjoyed Irish National success in 2013 with Liberty Counsel. When Love retired at the end of 2020, Murphy stepped up to take the reins.
His first winner? Enjoy D’allen. Which was also his second winner too.
The eight-year-old, who ‘got the ball rolling for me pretty quick’ is the apple of Murphy’s eye and has been aimed at Aintree since running third to Freewheelin Dylan in the Irish Grand National last year.
‘From Fairyhouse, we’ve trained him for Aintree. That’s been the plan. When you’ve a horse like this on a decent mark (10st 10lbs), you have to train him for a race like the National and have one good go at it.’
On the race track, Murphy saddled Enjoy D’allen in the Paddy Power Chase, where he was staying on third to School Boy Hours, before a sharpener over hurdles in the Dublin Racing Festival in February when fifth to Good Time Jonny.
‘It’s gone as we’ve visualised it, which is unusual, ticking all the boxes as we went through the year. We wanted to go to Aintree with a fresh horse, and we are.’
Away from the track, Murphy tipped away preparing for the National, working his charge over poles, tree trunks and, more recently, an Aintree-style fence. As a carpenter, Murphy can put his hand to anything.
What pleased him most was Enjoy D’allen’s appetite to learn and ability to improve. ‘He’s extremely athletic. We’ve done a lot of conditional work with poles and flat work.
‘We gave him a pop over an Aintree fence the other day and he was electric over it,’ said Murphy.
‘He has to have luck in running and a lot of things have to go right, but he does show the right attributes for a race like the National.’
Aware he had a decent ticket for the National lottery, Murphy took the plunge and rang Frank Berry, racing manager to JP McManus, to let him know Enjoy D’allen was for sale.
Berry confirmed the horse had been on their radar and the purchase went through to give Murphy’s yard a leg-up and also deal McManus a very strong hand on Saturday – he also owns the favourite Any Second Now and Minella Times, the winner last year.
‘We’re very excited that JP has trusted us with the horse to go for a race like that. It’s a compliment to the yard and we’re delighted to have him as an owner,’ said Murphy.
‘It (the sale) has really risen the profile of the yard over the last six weeks, that’s what you need to attract the bigger owners, put yourself out there, put your neck on the line. Hopefully, the horse will do us justice. And if he does, hopefully there’ll be more owners on board.’
Jockey arrangements have yet to be confirmed but Conor Orr has enjoyed a great relationship with Enjoy D’allen and Murphy would be chuffed to give the Donegal jockey the leg-up next Saturday.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Enjoy D’allen was bred near Vichy in France by Bruno Vagne, who was also responsible for Espoir D’allen, the ill-fated 2019 Champion Hurdle winner, and Envoi Allen, a dual grade one winner at
the Cheltenham Festival in 2019 and 2020. Curiously, all three were born in February 2014, within a week of each other.
Murphy is no stranger to handling Grand National winners. With Love, he oversaw the pre-training and breaking in of young horses bought by Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House operation, 20 minutes away.
‘We’d Rule The World through our hands. We had Tiger Roll in for schooling. We also had the Gold Cup winners, War Of Attrition, Don Cossack,’ recalled Murphy. Murphy’s team at Aintree includes two runners Love part owns, Down The Highway and Michael’s Pick, which are entered in the Foxhunter’s Chase on Thursday, while Jack Hackett may run in the Red Rum Handicap Chase the same day.
So can Enjoy D’allen ‘enjoy’ the demands of Aintree and run the race Murphy believes he’s capable of? ‘The hustle and bustle won’t affect him. He jumps and he’ll stay.
‘It’s a massive deal for our yard. We’ve come from nowhere and we’re looking forward to Aintree.’