Ferdy's winning formula

IT might have taken Ferdy Murphy quite a long time to find his own feet in the racing business, but over the last ten years or so he has established himself as one of the top trainers in England.

Major prizes are coming his way with greater frequency and his recent brace of winners at Cheltenham (L’Antartique and Joe’s Edge) underlined the fact that his ever-growing prominence is far from being a flash in the pan.

To some, Murphy may appear to be something of an overnight success, but nothing could be further from the truth for a man who made his name as a private trainer before establishing himself as a serious handler in his own right.