Murphy drives the cold snap away

THE SUNNY south east got a whole lot whiter yesterday with heavy snowfalls but it isn’t likely to keep Colm Murphy from his sleep because the Co Wexford-based trainer hasn’t been getting much anyway.

Since the cold snap has started, much of his concentration has been directed on keeping a vital all-weather gallop in working order to keep his powerful string of horses on the move.

That has meant constant harrowing every two hours, even through the night. Murphy has got to know his tractor a helluva lot better than his bed recently.

“I’m not seeing much of the bed unfortunately but the important thing is that we have everything going and the horses haven’t missed a day since the cold weather has started,” he said yesterday.

In many respects Murphy is luckier than most of his training colleagues. Based near Killena, east of Gorey, the yard that contained the 2006 Champion Hurdle winner Brave Inca is just three miles from the sea, and has largely escaped the worst of the weather that has so curtailed any racing activity recently.

Yesterday, however, heavy snow covered much of Wexford and Wicklow and the prospects of a quick thaw look about as promising as a snowball’s chance in hell.

“It is a headache and I suppose the biggest problem might be even getting into the yard,” Murphy said. “We had snow on New Year’s Day too but we haven’t missed a day so far. For fellas further inland it must be wicked hard.”

When racing does eventually come back those nights spent harrowing a gallop could provide a vital fitness edge and with a series of vital races coming up for some of Murphy’s top prospects, that’s enough to resist any temptation to turn over and go back to sleep.

Voler La Vedette didn’t impress everyone when eventually justifying 1 to 3 odds at Leopardstown over Christmas but she remains on track for a return to the Dublin course in the Irish Champion Hurdle later in the month.

She is currently a 20 to 1 shot in ante-post betting for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham but even victory before then may leave Murphy unmoved when it comes to deciding Voler La Vedette’s eventual Cheltenham target.

“She’s 20 to 1 for the Champion and second favourite for the mares race (David Nicholson Hurdle) so I think you’d need your head examined not to go for the mares. It looks the obvious one. She’s only turned six and there’s always next year,” he said.

“She got herself beat at Fairyhouse last season by being too keen over two and a half miles and the same thing nearly happened at Leopardstown. They simply didn’t go quick enough for her and she didn’t settle.

“In many ways she was probably too well in herself. She was fresher than ever because all we could really do was routine canters instead of a piece of work and she probably felt too good,” Murphy added.

Also towards the end of the month is the Tied Cottage Chase which is being targeted as Big Zeb’s final prep before the Queen Mother Champion Chase. A lack-lustre effort in last month’s Tingle Creek at Sandown is dismissed by his trainer, who insists the dual-Grade One winner is best fresh.

“We found a little problem in his off-fore pastern after Sandown and he is in right good order again. The plan is the Tied Cottage and even though the weather is bad, all these horses have run already and the idea is to just keep them ticking over,” Murphy declared.

Another top Cheltenham prospect remains Zaarito who bounced back to winning form with a vengeance over Christmas and whose options are admirably diverse.

“He’s a three-time bumper winner and they usually want three miles over fences. But this horse has loads of pace too so we’re spoilt for choice a bit. I’ve put him in the Irish Arkle and he’s also in the Moriarty so we will decide closer to the time.

“I was thrilled with the little horse the last day. He finally got a bit of luck when he avoided getting brought down at the first and then he settled like a sheep for Denis (O’Regan.) He jumped great too,” the trainer said.

In the shorter term, Murphy has two options for this Sunday’s scheduled Leopardstown feature, the €100,000 MCR Hurdle, with Don’t Be Bitin and The Wandering Man among the 32 still left in the valuable handicap.

“The Wandering Man is out of the handicap at the moment and I’d like him to get in. But the way the weather is, I can’t see it going ahead,” he said.

That, however, isn’t likely to result in a quiet weekend down Wexford way.