Murphy takes flight to ride Mawj in QEII Cup at Keeneland

If only horses could fly. Then Oisín Murphy would have a more reliable mode of transportation to get him from Europe to North America.

“Hopefully this weekend will go smoother,” he said Thursday, the day before he started his trek to Kentucky to ride 2-1 morning-line favorite Mawj in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

It also was four days after he was supposed to be in Canada to ride in the E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) at Woodbine. Instead, Murphy was grounded back in England, where his flight Sunday was delayed too long to get him to Toronto on time to make the race.

“It was a little bit disappointing,” Murphy said in an interview for Horse Racing Nation’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod. “That flight was delayed five hours, but there’s nothing we could do about it. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the ride.”

It may have been just as well. Rey Gutiérrez stepped in for Murphy and could do no better than sixth on Aspen Grove, a Grade 1 winner this summer who did not seem to take to the rainy, fall weather that softened the turf to good.

Presuming his flight to Boston on Friday night and his connection to Kentucky early Saturday were on schedule, Murphy may face some tricky conditions at Keeneland. The National Weather Service predicted showers to end in the morning with more coming in the evening on an otherwise cloudy, windy day.

Mawj scored her biggest triumph on soft ground. That was five months ago in an eyeball-to-eyeball duel to the finish against otherwise undefeated Tahiyra in the 1,000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket, England. But Murphy would like to see firmer going this weekend.

“I’d like the ground to be on the faster side,” said Murphy, a native of Killarney, Ireland. “She has won on slower ground, but if you asked me what my ideal conditions would be, I would say it would be atop of the surface.”

Weather may be the least of Murphy’s concerns, though. The Guineas win is the most impressive on the past performances of the dozen 3-year-old fillies plus one also-eligible entry who were drawn into Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race. But Mawj, a Godolphin homebred, has not raced since for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

“She’s trained very well,” Murphy said. “She had a nice, long break, and she’s been prepared for this race over the last few weeks. I sat on her, and I was delighted with her. Obviously it’s a long way from Newmarket to Kentucky, but as long as she can take the travel well and arrive at the track on Saturday as she felt last week, I think she’ll run very well.”

Usually a stalker who presses the early pace, the daughter of Australia stallion Exceed and Excel never has been asked to race longer than a mile. She also will go two turns for the first time. Murphy suggested that might work to the advantage of Mawj, who won the Guineas going a straight mile against 19 other fillies.

“Just the fact that you’re turning twice,” Murphy said. “That maybe doesn’t have the stamina-sapping qualities that a straight nine furlongs would have or nine furlongs around one turn. I would hope that distance is within her comfort zone.”

Eight of the other 11 fillies in the main draw for the QEII have graded or group wins to their names. Five of Mawj’s rivals also raced in Europe, including recently transferred Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3) winner Elusive Princess, who is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, and Lindy, the runner-up in the France guineas (G1) whose allowance victory last month at Kentucky Downs influenced her being made the 6-1 third choice.

Murphy said he hopes to get the jump on all of them right at the start.

“She normally breaks well, which will be important obviously at Keeneland when you’re straight into the turn,” he said. “Hopefully, she can get away well and use that early speed to get a nice position, and let’s see what unfolds after that.”

Presuming there are 12 starters Saturday, this will be the biggest field for the QEII since 1984. It is a far cry from last fall when the race had its smallest. That was something pointed out by Murphy, who clearly did his homework for this trip.

“When Gina Romantica won it (last year) there were six,” he said. “It’s going to be quite a competitive race. I think Mawj deserves to be favored off the back of her 1,000 Guineas win, but we’re under no illusions. It’s a tough contest.”

Even though it is not a win-and-you’re-in qualifier, Saturday’s race also may springboard Murphy and Mawj to the Breeders’ Cup in three weeks at Santa Anita either in the Mile or the 1 1/4-mile Filly & Mare Turf.

“Hopefully, Mawj can come through this task and run very well,” Murphy said. “The plan will be to go to the Breeders’ Cup afterwards. And I hope to ride Porta Fortuna for Donnacha O’Brien (in the Juvenile Fillies Turf). She’s owned by a couple of Americans including Medallion Racing.”

Murphy, 28, famously won the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar on the Japan-based mare Marche Lorraine, who went off as a 49-1 long shot.

“It was massive. There’s no denying it,” he said. “It was a huge personal achievement. I don’t give myself lots of credit for winning on these horses, but I was able to take a deep breath and soak it all in. I was over the moon. Certainly as a European rider, I don’t get a lot of opportunities on dirt and particularly in Grade 1s. The Breeders’ Cup is the Breeders’ Cup, so it was a great day.”

That came on the heels of his third consecutive riding championship in Great Britain. But six weeks later Murphy was charged by the British Horseracing Authority with violating COVID rules in 2020 and failing two alcohol tests in 2021. He served a suspension that took him off the track until this past winter.

“I was off for a very long time, and I missed out on plenty, and I was keen to hit the ground running,” said Murphy, whose first race back Feb. 16 resulted in a win at Chelmsford City, England. “Fortunately, it hasn’t been a bad season.”

Owners like Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing and trainers like Andrew Balding stayed loyal to Murphy, who has won four Group or Grade 1 races including the Guineas with Mawj, the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot with Shaquille, the Belmont Oaks Invitational this summer in New York with Aspen Grove and the Cheveley Park last month in England with Porta Fortuna.

“Hopefully I can add to it before the end of the year,” Murphy said. “But the most important thing to me is trying to find these good horses and then achieve when I get on them.”