MY Murphy notched up the biggest win of his career to date when springing a 16/1 surprise in the Grade A Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase over three miles, one furlong at Gowran Park recently.

The 10-year-old, who was bred by Simon Tindall, is a son of Glenview Stud’s multiple champion sire Presenting (by Mtoto) and the two most high-profile winners in his family are a dual Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival star and a Group 1 classic hero.

Sold for €16,000 in Fairyhouse as a yearling, he is a full-brother to the lightly-raced mare Fruits De Mer who was placed in bumpers at Navan and Fairyhouse and in a maiden hurdle at Sligo. Her two-year-old son of Oscar (by Sadler’s Wells) made €24,500 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale.

Their dam Fine De Claire (by Teenoso) won a bumper at Punchestown, was placed over hurdles both at that venue and at Downpatrick, and she is a half-sister to the bumper and dual hurdles scorer Wright (by Broadsword), to the triple point-to-point winner Scholar George (by Classic Cliche), and also to Dusty Too (by Terimon), a dual bumper winner who also won twice over hurdles.

SIMONSIG

The name of that mare may sound familiar to some and that’s because Dusty Too is the dam of the exciting grey Simonsig (by Fair Mix).

Also bred by Tindall, the 10-year-old is trained by Nicky Henderson, he won the Grade 1 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (registered as Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival and his only three starts over fences, so far, have been in a pair of Grade 2 events, which he won by a total of 84 lengths, and 2013’s Grade 1 Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase, in which he beat Baily Green by two and a quarter lengths.

Simonsig’s only outing since then was in a two and a half mile hurdle race at Aintree in November, in which he chased home Bobs Worth, and at the time of writing he is available at around 12/1 for the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase and at around 25/1 for the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase.

If you want to find the classic star in the family then you have to go back to fourth generation as Queen Vega (by Te Vega), the winning third dam of My Murphy, was a half-sister to 1980’s Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) winner In Fijar (by Bold Commander), the sire of 1988s Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris scorer Fijar Tango.

My Murphy is not in the same league as his ‘cousin’ Simonsig, but he has plenty of ability and this latest success is his third in blacktype company as he took a Grade C chase at Navan two years ago and the Grade 3 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle at Limerick in December 2011, both over three miles.