Gift horse Tidal Volume keeps on giving

When Tidal Volume won his fourth straight race in last weekend’s $50,000 Temperence Hill at Louisiana Downs, it brought Robin Murphy to tears. The horse was given to her after he fractured a knee at 2 and has now given the small business owner a sense of financial freedom. Tidal Volume, who was making his stakes debut in the Temperence Hill, picked up $30,000 for the win, which pushed the 5-year-old’s earnings to $116,956.

“I call him my little sugar daddy,” Murphy said. “He has helped me be more financially secure. Financially, he has relieved some stress for me. I appreciate every stride that horse makes.”

Murphy, 48, owns and operates Poplar Creek Horse Center in Bethel, Ohio. She trains Quarter Horses for the show circuit, and boards the occasional Thoroughbred layup. Her clients have included Preston Stables, which races the top older handicap horse Flat Out. Murphy said Preston Stables gave Tidal Volume to her as a gift. The horse is a striking gray who now stands about 17 hands tall. He is by Murphy’s longtime favorite stallion, Tapit.