Image: John Reidy
A YOUNG Killarney jockey, whose uncle is Gold Cup legend Jim Culloty, has got the break he had hoped for after being booked to ride in the prestigious Investec Epsom Derby on Saturday.
Rising riding star Oisín Murphy will pilot Red Galileo for Ed Dunlop and although it is a 150-1 outsider, the young apprentice will relish the opportunity to mix it with the big boys.
Oisín, 18, will also compete in the Coronation Cup on Saturday when he will partner Beacon Lady.
The young Killarney star already registered a notable success this year when he steered Hot Streak to victory in the Temple Stakes at Haydock Park.
“We had a list of possible jockeys and after watching him win the Temple Stakes, the decision was made to book Oisín,” said Dunlop on confirming the Derby ride.
Last September Oisín won the Ayr Gold Cup on 20/1 shot Highland Colori.
Given that his uncle Jim is a three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey and rode the winner of the Aintree Grand National, it’s hardly a surprise that young Oisín was determined to follow in his footsteps.
“Growing up and watching my uncle riding winners on the TV developed my love of racing.
“As soon as I was old enough I starting doing pony racing and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to be a jockey,” he said recently.
When he was just 15 he worked for a summer at Tommy Stack’s yard in Tipperary and he spent much of the next summer in Ballydoyle with Aidan O’Brien.
To further his career, Oisín then moved to the UK to join up with classic winning trainer Andrew Balding and he has made remarkable progress since then to become one of the most exciting prospects in racing.
