Litigant (Oisin Murphy) wins the Ebor
Litigant made up for lost time on Saturday as the seven-year-old landed the Ebor, Europe’s richest handicap, on his first time on a racetrack for 491 days.
When Donnacha O’Brien, on Fields Of Athenry, kicked for home with three furlongs to travel it briefly appeared as if the 17-year-old could land the prestigious race, but the youngster’s mount began to falter.
Litigant came through to lead with a furlong to run and the 33-1 shot was driven home to a one-and-a-half length victory by Oisin Murphy, from the Willie Mullins-trained Wicklow Brave.
Litigant did not only deny a huge layoff but also became the oldest horse to win the Ebor since Sea Pigeon, who took the race in 1979 at the age of nine.
The man who deserves is trainer Joseph Tuite, a guy who only started training in 2011 and has a small yard of 20 horses under his care. Tuite achieved what all the big trainers were trying to achieve on Saturday, to land the feature race at York’s four day Ebor Festival.
Tuite, who has trained 54 winners in his career, beat ten-time Irish Champion National Hunt trainer Mullins into second.
Reflecting on his biggest win of his career so far, Tuite said: “You hope and you dream you’re going to come and do this but after nearly 500 days of the track it’s hard.
“Every day for the last two months has been about the Ebor but he is a very delicate horse. He has only had seven races in the seven years of his life.”
To win the Ebor is a massive milestone in anyone’s training career and for a small trainer like Tuite this success has shown what he can do given the right type of horse.
He admitted after the Ebor that: “Two years ago I could have walked away, I had sick horses, I had five winners in my third season and I just wanted to cry. Horses can do that to you sometimes. But we had faith in what we do and trying to do it right.”
The last time Litigant ran Oisin Murphy was still a claimer. A lot has changed in that time – Murphy, who was hot property as an apprentice, secured the job of second jockey to Qatar racing at the end of last season.
No matter how good an apprentice a jockey is, it’s always a hard transition turning professional, as you no longer have the appealing weight dispensation. Yet Murphy has still been in demand, maybe just to the left of the spotlight in which was previously on the Irishman.
However, Saturday’s success has put Murphy right back under the heat that comes from the gazing spotlight.
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