Champion jockey Oisín Murphy ‘getting away with blue murder’, claims leading trainer

One of the most well-known and prosperous trainers in Britain, William Haggas, feels that Oisin Murphy uses riding techniques that constitute a “professional foul.”

Leading trainer accuses champion jockey Oisín Murphy of “getting away with blue murder.” Oisin Murphy, the champion, is “the best around” and “an outstanding rider,” yet…  One of the most prominent and accomplished trainers in Britain, William Haggas, stated on Sunday that he thinks Oisin Murphy uses riding techniques that are equivalent to a “professional foul.”

Haggas added that local stewarding panels are concluding that the meddling that has resulted is unintentional, and that the champion jockey has been “getting away with blue murder for a while.”

Murphy, who won the title of champion jockey for the fifth time at Ascot on Saturday, is “the best around” and “an outstanding rider,” according to Haggas, who made this statement on Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday program. However, Haggas also stated that he believes the jockey can let his mount “lean across” an opponent, taking their momentum away at a crucial point in a race.

Haggas cited a juvenile maiden race at Sandown in August where Murphy, riding Corinth for John and Thady Gosden, got in the way of Loz Vegas, who was ridden by Harry Davies and trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, in the last moments. Although Loz Vegas won the race in the stewards’ room because Corinth crossed the finish half a length ahead of her, the interference was judged to be unintentional because Corinth was “racing green.”

Haggas remarked, “There was an example that really, really upset me.” “The professional fouling that jockeys do, such as leaning across a horse and then pulling the stick through and winning by a length, has really irritated me in recent years.

“But if you are in a bicycle race and you have to stop suddenly, then you can’t actually get going again. When horses win by a length, they say ‘it’s won too easily’ [to be sure that the runner-up has been denied the win]. The jockeys know and they do it a lot.

I believed that Murphy purposefully prevented Harry Davies from winning that race in the Corinth incident at Sandown. It was removed from him, but it would be absolutely insane to claim that this was an accident. This kind of thing is something we have to tread on because, in my view, it was almost dangerous. They would have created a song and dance about [Davies] if he had fallen and ended up in the hospital. That is not how our champion jockey should be ridden.

Haggas also pointed the finger at stewarding panels for not treating such incidents as intentional and for accepting jockeys’ explanations, like that inexperienced horses are running “green,” too easily, even though he was harshly critical of what he saw as potentially dangerous tactics used by Murphy and other riders.

Haggas asserted that Murphy was not at blame. He has been given the opportunity to get away with it. Stewards ought to be paying more attention to that. Since jockeys take care of themselves, I personally would not include them in stewards’ investigations.

Murphy, who is riding at Longchamp on Sunday, has not responded publicly to Haggas’ comments – but they were reposted on his official X account. The British Horseracing Authority have been approached for comment.