Newmill ‘would have really put it up to’ Brave Inca in Champion Hurdle
The Norwich gelding was a most impressive winner of the feature on Wednesday, making all to win by nine lengths under Andrew McNamara at odds of 16-1.
Brushed aside by Brave Inca in two Grade One hurdle races earlier in the season, it was obvious that Newmill had improved considerably in the interim to the extent that Murphy nearly planned a rematch with Colm Murphy's stable star.
"It was actually only a fortnight before Cheltenham that we made a decision about the Champion Hurdle. I have absolutely no doubt that if we met Brave Inca again, it would be a different story," Murphy enthused yesterday.
"Basically, it was about confidence-building when we took Brave Inca on earlier in the year over hurdles, but he's a different horse now. If he had a stiff two miles and good ground like last week he would be a different story over hurdles.
"I was afraid for all the people that backed him ante-post for the Champion Chase, but it was a really late decision."
Murphy readily contests the theory that his was a below-par Queen Mother winner, with Moscow Flyer past his best and favourite Kauto Star getting no further than the third fence.
"I was quite confident without being cocky, and I don't believe that Kauto Star could have beaten him if he stayed up. It was a very fast time.
"I have absolutely no doubt that he'll improve and people shouldn't discard the fact that he'll stay."
So much so, indeed, that Murphy may aim the eight-year-old at staying trips sooner than many might expect even if the Gold Cup at Punchestown is the next target.
"People have a notion that he won't stay," he went on, "but his family is from Gold Cup winners and the older he gets, the better he'll settle. He'd get three miles now if you wanted him to."
Murphy paid tribute to the role that Newmill's former handler, Tom O'Leary, played in the horse's development. "He was a top horse with Tom, who did a brilliant job and won some top races with him," he added.
Apart from Newmill, the ambitious handler's main attention over the next few months will be the flat. Accordingly, he is expanding his yard and nominates Crookhaven, who ran an exciting race on his debut to finish a close third to Jim Bolger's Derby hopeful Heliostatic, as one to bear in mind. "Crookhaven is very exciting and I'm really looking forward to him. He'll run in an early-season three-year-old maiden, and hopefully we'll build upwards then."
