Murtagh to link up with Loder

DERBY-WINNING rider Johnny Murtagh yesterday confirmed that he will ride for David Loder next season.

The Newmarket trainer celebrated his return to the ranks of public trainers by saddling a double at Lingfield on Wednesday, and his partnership with Murtagh adds an exciting dimension to the forthcoming Flat season.

Loder vacated the Godolphin Stables in the Bury Road at the end of a five-year contract with Sheikh Mohammed last autumn and is now based at the Egerton Stud, where he has 150 horses, 90 of which are two-year-olds.