Murphy readies Relegate for hurdles campaign

Resurgent trainer plots route for 2018 Champion Bumper winner.

Colm Murphy plans to stick to hurdling as he plots the future of last year’s Champion Bumper winner Relegate.

The former Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old recently joined Murphy, who returned from retirement and renewed his licence in May.

Murphy was responsible for the careers of both Brave Inca and Big Zeb – who scored a collective 12 Grade One victories, including three wins at the Cheltenham Festival.

He also runs a breeding and pre-training operation from his yard in Gorey, County Wexford, and can be credited with sourcing Relegate from the December Sale at Tattersalls in 2016.

Following her 2018 Weatherbys Champion Bumper success at Cheltenham, the mare graduated to hurdling and won one of her three starts in a light campaign last season with Mullins.

Relegate has yet to run for Murphy, who said: “She’s done some really nice canters.

“I’m not sure where we’ll go – but I hope she’ll be ready in a month, maybe six weeks.”

Murphy has no specific targets yet, but it is certain the daughter of Flemensfirth will stick to the smaller obstacles.

“Where we go is dependent on her handicap mark,” he said.

“That will decide for us, but she will stay hurdling.”

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