Mumbai: Murphy to ride the Mahalaxmi tide

The Mahalaxmi racecourse is known with good reason as the green emerald of SoBo The sobriquet is because of the lush green space smack bang in the midst of a buzzing megapolis where grey concrete towers dominate the skylineGiving this emerald even more sheen is the arrival of top jockey Oisin pronounced Oshin Murphy Murphy will be riding trainer Pesi Shroffrsquos filly Jendayi in the Mumbai seasonrsquos first Classic the Indian 1000 Guineas to be run at the Mahalaxmi race course on Sunday December 17Rich heritageThe eloquent Irishman based in the UK took time out from his tight schedule to speak about being aamchi Mumbai and add Mahalaxmi to his list of centres he has raced at Murphy said about his schedule at an interaction at the racecourse on Thursday December 14 evening ldquoI arrived early Thursday morning I am eager to ride Jendayi I know that she is a filly with a massive amount of ability she has a high reputation and I am hoping for a really good result on Sundayrdquo Trainer Shroff described the horse as ldquostraightforward which means that she is honest and simple no bother to riderdquoIn response to questions about what he has heard about Indian racing the jockey said ldquoI know there is a rich equestrian heritage here the track is fast with a long home stretch it looks lush with plenty of grassrdquo Murphy took a wide lens look at the optimism about the Indian economy amrit kaal like they say hoping that the racing industry will be part of the bullish buoyancy of the desi economyThe banMurphyrsquos successstudded career though has its share of controversy He was banned for 14 months for a couple of issues and got back in the saddle early this year ldquoDuring that time I focused on show jumping eventing it gave me something to do and kept me in the groove When I came back I had to rebuild my connections prove I was as hungry for successrdquo explained the 28yearold who cannot see a life for himself beyond the horse industryOne of the toughest challenges for some professional jockeys is not just getting past the finish post first ldquoThat Murphy does so often because of his extraordinary balance and very strong finishrdquo said Mumbai owner Neville B who is the facilitatorinchief for bringing Murphy to Mumbai but also keeping their weight in check through their riding careerMurphy laughed as he called himself a ldquoTypical Irishman brought up on potatoesrdquo and added like some others he needed to watch his waistline with the same care as he does the competition on the track ldquoMumbai vada pavrdquo he asked in response to a question of whether he would try some typical Mumbai foods and when explained it was a burger with a potato filling he said he may try that He added ldquoThough I would like to see the city I do not do too many touristy things in different places I exercise horses exercise in the gym and sleep and race thatrsquos it for me when I travel to racerdquo Typical Mumbai sights like the Gateway of India etc can wait as Murphy has other priorities like winning Classics for instance Herersquos to a bit of Ireland in India and maybe toasting the Guineas with some Irish GuinnessDec 17Day Murphy will ride Jendayi in Mumbai seasonrsquos first Classic