Liam Burke achieves lifetime ambition as Murphy powers to Thyestes win

Liam Burke achieved a lifetime ambition when the Curraglass trainer’s My Murphy repelled the late challenge of well-backed favourite Mala Beach to land the prestigious Thyestes Chase at a packed Gowran Park yesterday afternoon.

Winner of a Grade 3 hurdle in younger days and runner-up in a Grade 2 novice chase, he contested this race last year and finished an honourable second behind subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam.

Running off the same mark, and not unsupported at odds of 16-1, the ten-year-old was intentionally brought wide throughout by jockey Robbie Power and the ploy worked a treat. Never far off the pace, he took up the running on the turn in to the straight, was joined by Mala Beach at the second-last, but responded generously to pressure to see off that challenger by a length and a quarter.