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Michael Murphy hits Yeppoon for four

2 November 2020

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By Tony McMahon

Brisbane jockey Michael Murphy launched his career from his new Rockhampton base by blasting off four winners at Yeppoon’s Keppel Park racecourse on Saturday.

Murphy, 23, came north for five rides at Keppel Park with Rosaire (fourth) his only non-winner out of Poetic Pete, Raiden, Alsaurusfirst and Regal Reece.

Rockhampton’s Adrian Coome trains both BM60 winner Poetic Pete - which carried 1kg overweight on 56kg - and QTIS Maiden Plate winner Alsaurusfirst.

Murphy’s other winner Regal Reece, which he brought with a well-timed run to overhaul Le Dude in the G.J. Gardner Yeppoon Cup (1400m) is prepared by Chris Attard and therein lies a tale.

“I am in the process of moving to Rockhampton and am just at this stage trying to arrange suitable accommodation, I’ll be riding for Adrian and Chris,” Murphy said.

Michael Murphy was originally indentured to Chris Munce at Eagle Farm, and his best successes in an Ipswich Cup and LR Bernborough Stakes came about with Steve Tregea’s Bergerac.

Murphy’s win of Poetic Pete - managed by Richard Wilson - continued the grand-producing General Nediym mare Poiym’s successful line of winners as a broodmare.

While nothing could be taken away from Poetic Pete’s win, runner-up Meatball (Nathan Thomas) was courageous to go down by less than a length, considering he carried 62.5kg and couldn’t get fully into the clear at a vital stage.

Maiden winner Alsaurusfirst and Julie Lancaster’s Fairybower Flyer (Nathan Thomas) fought out a thrilling finish with, Coome and Murphy’s horse prevailing by a head.

Regal Reece earned a spot in the $100,000 TAB Queensland Country Cups Challenge at Doomben on December 5 by taking out the Yeppoon heat in Saturday’s Cup.

Likewise, Murphy’s other winner - the John Manzelmann-trained Raiden - has qualified for the $100,000 Country Stampede to be run on the same Doomben program in December.

Raiden made light of his 65.5kg to claim the 1000-metre Qualifying Heat in runaway fashion, on what was rated a Soft 6 track.

Approximately 123mls of rain had drenched Keppel Park in the week prior to last Saturday, but the grass track had dried out surprisingly well.

Rockhampton trainer Allan Jones was rewarded for his astute placement of Carrara gelding Bittergreymagic when the speedster scored a half-head win behind Robert Faehr.

Jones had travelled Bittergreymagic to Emerald and Bundaberg during the winter for placings before a last start Maiden win at Emerald on July 26.

First-up on Saturday, Bittergreymagic was strong at the finish under a good ride from the under-rated Faehr.

In other racing news, the Ricky Vale-trained Absolut Artie has been announced as the 2019-20 Queensland Provincial Horse of the Year.

Rockhampton’s Vale also had the distinction of winning the award the previous season with Mr Attitude. 

Racing heads to Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park on Friday for the Breeders 2YO Plate TAB race meeting, a day which is open to the public.