Dubai: Oisin Murphy, the new stable jockey to former UAE champion trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam’s Jebel Ali Stables, is looking forward to displaying his talent and demonstrate that he is ready to take the next big step in his burgeoning career.
The 19-year-old, whose reputation has been growing since he rode a four-timer at the Ayr Gold Cup meeting last season, says he intends to grab the opportunity and to ride as many winners as he can for his new boss.
“This is a great opportunity to ride nice horses in better races,” he told Gulf News. “It will be a great education because you are learning all the time and hopefully we can be successful.
“Lots of high profile and top class jockeys like Johnny Murtagh, Pat Smullen, William Buick and James Doyle had the job before me, and all being well, I can follow in their footsteps.
“I was bit surprised when I got the call because Dhruba could have picked any other top class jockey for the job, so I want to make the most of it.”
Murphy, who had impressed Selvaratnam with the intelligence and patience he employed in the saddle when booting home 70 plus winners during the British season, said he was looking to forging a solid, effective relationship with the long-serving master of Jebel Ali Stables.
“It’s important to build a good working relationship and to know what a trainer expects from you and hopefully you can deliver,” he said. “Certain trainers like horses to ridden in a certain way and that’s our job and also to provide feedback so they know as much as possible about their horses. So it important for them to be told what they need to know.
The Killarney native clearly boasts a maturity that belies his young age and says that he is not inclined to set himself any specific goals.
“Obviously it will be nice to ride my first Group 1 winner in the UAE, but for the moment I’ll be concentrating on riding at Jebel Ali on Friday and Sharjah the next day,” he said.
“Numerically its important to ride as many winners as I can and hopefully my riding will get better as the season gets on,” he said.
“I’m very fortunate to get this job and I want to make as big an impression as I can before I go back to England for the season where I’ll be taking up my role as second jockey to Shaikh Fahad Al Thani.
“But I’m looking forward to the next couple of months here and hoping to take my profile forward,”
