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Probably the best sequence of Royal and Sun Alliance Hurdle winners you will ever get. Can’t believe how French Holly was motoring all the way home despite huge jumping mistakes and the wardrobe riding him. That must have felt like he was carrying 14 stones. Barton and Monsignor were also true NH machines, though Barton wasn’t quite as good over fences and Monsignor had his injury problems that limited him to only 6 starts over hurdles (remained unbeaten) and four in bumpers.
Nowadays, they only have to be owned by the Ricci family and trained by Willie Mullins and the result is just the same. But times have changed and I must admit that the French breed is an admirable one.
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Probably the best sequence of Royal and Sun Alliance Hurdle winners you will ever get. Can’t believe how French Holly was motoring all the way home despite huge jumping mistakes and the wardrobe riding him. That must have felt like he was carrying 14 stones. Barton and Monsignor were also true NH machines, though Barton wasn’t quite as good over fences and Monsignor had his injury problems that limited him to only 6 starts over hurdles (remained unbeaten) and four in bumpers.
Nowadays, they only have to be owned by the Ricci family and trained by Willie Mullins and the result is just the same. But times have changed and I must admit that the French breed is an admirable one.
Allez
Monsignor was awesome. The roar at Cheltenham when he came up the hill was super.
Good memoriesIf you would have added Istabraq to your list, as he took the race the year before French Holly, then I would have probably agreed with you but as a trio of winners on their own, I would say that Simonsig, The New One and Faugheen would be my choice.
If you would have added Istabraq to your list, as he took the race the year before French Holly, then I would have probably agreed with you but as a trio of winners on their own, I would say that Simonsig, The New One and Faugheen would be my choice.
I will add the real 1998 winner to the list: Mighty Moss
It’s still a mystery to me how Mr. Fred Hutsby threw that race away.Monsignor was awesome. The roar at Cheltenham when he came up the hill was super.
Good memoriesI loved Monsignor, what a horse and who knows how much he would have achieved over fences? He certainly had the size and we know he had a great engine, I reckon he would have gone to the top.
Monsignor versus Best Mate could have been a great rivalry over fences.
Amazing that it was something as innocuous as corns that did for his racing career
ExRL, oh wow this post of yours sent me back and got me checking the form of French Holly, I never got many nods about unraced NH horses back then but was told this one was special just before it’s bumper debut and it was special.
On checking this, on the same day James Reveley hit his 50 in France I couldn’t find what Ferdy has accomplished there since his relocation, Wiki has nothing.
I used to follow him since when he was asst.to Geoff Hubbard and totally forgot since he left and this post of yours got me remembering the old days.
Around the time Declan Murphy and Robbie supple rode them all, great memories for me but whatever has become of FM ?ExRL, oh wow this post of yours sent me back and got me checking the form of French Holly, I never got many nods about unraced NH horses back then but was told this one was special just before it’s bumper debut and it was special.
On checking this, on the same day James Reveley hit his 50 in France I couldn’t find what Ferdy has accomplished there since his relocation, Wiki has nothing.
I used to follow him since when he was asst.to Geoff Hubbard and totally forgot since he left and this post of yours got me remembering the old days.
Around the time Declan Murphy and Robbie supple rode them all, great memories for me but whatever has become of FM ?Ferdy moved to France about 2 years ago, if I’m right. I know that one of his daughter’s is married to a top French bloodstock agent called Guy Petit. But other than that I haven’t heard or read much about him recently. I mean he is only in his mid 60s, which is not an age to retire from training these days. I always liked the way he “campaigned” his horses, especially when you knew that he would have to have a winner at the Festival. One of his last stars was in my opinion Aces Four. The horse that almost gave Denman a scary moment in the straight (RSA Chase 2007), but for stumbling on the flat and throwing every chance away. At that time the Ricci’s were rather unknown and there were races to be won at the Festival, even for smaller trainers. I really miss him.
Details of Murphy’s French exploits are thin on the ground. Or, as they might say in France, ‘mince sur le terrain’.
Anyway, there is some vague news from July this year:
http://www.geegeez.co.uk/lost-in-france-but-not-forgotten-ferdy-murphy/
“Based in the North-East of France, Murphy runs a small yard and is also involved in the sourcing of racehorses. He’s even taken to Twitter in an attempt to check-in on old friends in the UK. He appears to have settled well into his new life across the channel.
It’s hoped that one day we may see a Murphy raiding party at the likes of Cheltenham or Aintree. But for now, tracks in Northern France can expect to see a host of Murphy trained staying chasers scooping their major prizes.”
If anyone can find out how he is doing results wise over there that would be great.
RubEXL, sorry for clogging your thread here mate but Ferdy was doing just great here and as you say not at retirement age but went to France to do….nothing really, he had a few young promising riders coming through Tony Kelly who has never been given the opurtunities due to so many good young Northern riders.
He can’t just be sipping wine and eating baguettes over there, Wiki normally tells some sense but Ferdy ?
The Green and White of Hubbard, Cuddy Dale, Brandeston,…..forgive me reminiscing and i’ll get my coat.On the whole I do not miss Murphy. You felt you had to have an interest in his festival handicap runners just in case but a lot of them ran atrociously.I
d given up by the time of Joes Edges 50-1 festival win. I was on the short head second and it cost me a nice payday so Im jaundiced no doubt.He was associated with a lot of good horses in his time but he never seemed straight and I was pleased Panorama thought he was one worth catching out. His last few seasons here were abysmalRubEXL, sorry for clogging your thread here mate but Ferdy was doing just great here and as you say not at retirement age but went to France to do….nothing really, he had a few young promising riders coming through Tony Kelly who has never been given the opurtunities due to so many good young Northern riders.
He can’t just be sipping wine and eating baguettes over there, Wiki normally tells some sense but Ferdy ?
The Green and White of Hubbard, Cuddy Dale, Brandeston,…..forgive me reminiscing and i’ll get my coat.Could we stop talking about Hubbard please?
I still haven’t forgiven myself for talking my brother out of backing Sibton Abbey when he won the Hennessy at 40s.
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