Beaudesert trainer Diane Murphy looks to Kilcoy

By Glenn Davis

Beaudesert trainer Diane Murphy is hopeful bargain buy Scenic Rim can claim a hat-trick of wins at Kilcoy on Tuesday ahead of a well-earned summer break.

Scenic Rim – a Justin Huxtable mount – has won his past two starts at Gatton and is looking to extend his winning sequence in the Benchmark 62 Handicap over 1500 metres.

Murphy took over Scenic Rim’s training just over two years ago and won three races with the son of Scissor Kick before his owners decided to sell the six-year-old.

“I’ve trained him for a few years so I bought for $8,000 when his previous owners wanted to sell him because they thought he wasn’t going to make the grade,” Murphy said.

“He’s been in my name for two starts now and he’s won them both.”

Scenic Rim won a Class 3 Handicap at Gatton in October before an all-the-way win at Gatton in a 1600 metre Class 4 Handicap last month.

Although he jumps sharply in weight from 56kgs to 60.5kgs, Murphy is confident Scenic Rim can atone for his only defeat at Kilcoy when he ran fifth in a maiden in January of last year.

“He was going to run in another race since then at Kilcoy but the meeting was washed out,” she said.

“He goes up a fair bit in weight but I’ve decided not to claim and Justin (Huxtable) will ride him again as he knows the horse well.

“He’s dropping back a bit it distance but I doubt that’ll worry him after he won so well last time.

“From barrier one he’ll be very competitive again and he won’t have to carry much dead weight.”

Murphy has been training for more than a decade after learning the ropes working for New Zealand trainers Roger James, Gary Stewart and Kaye Tinsley.

She also had two stints, one for six months and another for a year, riding work in Japan.

Murphy has already recouped Scenic Rim’s purchase price and hasn’t ruled out a shot at the winter races in North Queensland next year.

“He’s due for a break after this as he doesn’t like the heat,” she said.

“We’ll see how he’s going at the time but there might be a suitable race for him up north next year.”

Murphy’s best horse in recent times was Peacock who claimed the Rockhampton and Cairns Newmarket’s in 2018.