Murphy poised for first ride over jumps at Wincanton on Thursday Four-time champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy is set for his first ride over jumps at Wincanton on on Boxing Day. Murphy, who is a nephew of Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning rider Jim Culloty, has a long held ambition to compete under National Hunt rules. He was originally due to make his jumps debut at Wincanton, where his sister Blaithin Murphy is general manager, in early December of last year after being booked to partner the Cian Collins-trained Lets Do This, but the fixture was abandoned. Twelve months on, Murphy is belatedly set to get his opportunity to try his hand over obstacles in Somerset aboard Neil Mulholland’s Ike Sport in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. “I was having a chat with him the other day and I think it’s something he’s been wanting to do for a while, especially with his sister working at Wincanton,” said Mulholland. “I was having a chat with him, he told me to keep him in mind and the horse should give him a grand spin, hopefully. He’s got some decent form and he should be ideal. “There’s no rain forecast and that should play into his favour as well.”
