Oisin Murphy has set his sights on emulating his heroics from last year's All-Weather Championships Finals Day as he prepares to make a comeback to Newcastle on Good Friday.
The 28-year-old had an exceptional outing at Gosforth Park a year ago, securing a hat-trick in the highly lucrative races featured on the eventful racecard, all in partnership with his trusted trainer, Andrew Balding.
Murphy has returned to the northeastern region with a full schedule of rides. In addition to teaming up with trainer Andrew Balding from Kingsclere, he will also receive opportunities from John and Thady Gosden, Rod Millman, and Roger Varian throughout the day.
One of the Irish jockey's prime prospects for victory is Fire Demon, owned by Juddmonte, who holds the status of the overall favourite in the BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap.
Nevertheless, Murphy holds a high regard for several prominent contenders in the six-furlong race, acknowledging his recent partnership with David Evans' successful runner Blue Prince, who has excelled over the same track and distance in his last two outings.
Reflecting on the upcoming event, Murphy commented, "I had an exceptional day at Newcastle during this event last year. However, this time around, the competition appears to be fiercer, with many of the races being handicaps."
"Fire Demon put on an impressive performance at Kempton and has maintained good form since then. It seems like he's progressing well. However, I have a great deal of respect for Blue Prince and Sommelier. Blue Prince has already proven his ability at the track, and I believe the conditions at Newcastle will suit him much better than Lingfield, where we narrowly missed out in our previous race together."
Murphy will be sporting the blue and white silks of King Power Racing while riding for trainer Andrew Balding. Among his mounts will be recent Kempton victors Fivethousandtoone and Teumessias Fox.
It was in the distinctive King Power silks that Murphy combined forces with Balding to secure victory in the Easter Classic with Notre Belle Bete back in 2023. Now, the synthetic surface specialist Teumessias Fox is expected to replicate that success.
"Teumessias Fox is a fan of the all-weather tracks and performs admirably when coming off a break. He possesses several favourable qualities, is straightforward to ride, and I anticipate he will put on a strong performance," Murphy further expressed his confidence.
Continuing his insights, Murphy added, "Fivethousandtoone put on an impressive display in his recent victory at Kempton. He's in excellent condition and showing good form. It's a competitive race, but based on his previous performances, he seems to have a fair handicap rating, and I hope he will perform well."
Among his other rides, Murphy will also be aboard Just A Spark trained by Rod Millman and Vaguely Royal trained by John and Thady Gosden. To conclude the afternoon, he will ride Fantastic Fox, another contender owned by King Power Racing and trained by Roger Varian, in the BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap. Fantastic Fox, a six-year-old winner over the same course and distance, comes into the race with three victories in his last five outings.