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Winning races at Hawkesbury is nothing new to Pat Murphy.
But that was in a former role as a jockey, and now he is hoping to continue on a "roll" and win his first race there tomorrow when he returns as a trainer.
Goulburn-based Murphy, who has made an excellent start to his new career by winning 30 races (including two city successes with Body Bob) already since taking out his licence in the 2021-22 season, runs ex-Queenslander Victory Roll ($5.50 on TAB), in the XXXX Gold Class 1 Handicap (1600m).
Previously trained on the Sunshine Coast by David Vandyke, the three-year-old gelding is a younger half-brother to his brilliant 2022 Group 1-Queensland Oaks winner Gypsy Goddess, who was retired prematurely because of breathing issues and exported to Japan to begin a breeding career.
"Victory Roll's part-owner Jimmy Bergin lives at Gerringong, the same as my Mum and Dad (Lindsay Murphy retired in 2019 as ATC general manager of racecourses after a stellar 42-year career in the industry)," Murphy explained today.
"They have become good friends, and Jimmy was keen to give this horse another chance and bought him back online (for $2250) when he was put up for sale in March.
"We have a really good crew, which includes my mother Bernadette and sister Jill and Dubbo Turf Club chief executive Sam Fitzgerald, now racing Victory Roll."
Murphy gave the syndicate an immediate return when Victory Roll, who fetched $115,000 when sold as a yearling in New Zealand, landed a Wagga Maiden Plate (1600m) on May 31.
He was pleased to learn Hawkesbury's 'Heavy 9' rating as the gelding's Wagga success was also on similar-rated ground.
"I had a sleepless night before Wagga wondering how Victory Roll might handle the heavy track, but I looked at the form of Gypsy Goddess (who won six from 10 starts and was never unplaced), and she handled it well enough, including a second in the ATC Oaks at Randwick on a Heavy 10," Murphy said.
"Obviously, it's a step up going from a country Maiden to a Class 1 at the provincials, but his work has been good since Wagga and I'm expecting him to run well."
Mitchell Bell, coming off the back of a Newcastle treble last Saturday, rides Victory Roll.
Murphy rode seven winners at Hawkesbury, and has had a couple of placegetters there this season from only a handful of runners.
He recalls taking El Lago, raced by a similar syndicate, to the provincial track in February, and said he ran "out of his skin" in finishing third in a Benchmark 64 Handicap (2000m) at double figure odds before winning at Goulburn at his next start. Bell was his rider in both races.
Murphy says he is enjoying his new role, and has a barn of 14 horses and another three in wife Emma's barn.
"I knew there would be challenges taking on training, but things are going great," he said. "If there is expansion of stabling accommodation at Goulburn, I would certainly take more horses on."
Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup has three acceptors at his home track meeting, including last start Wyong winner and dual venue acceptor Guzumped.
Widdup has switched from senior jockey Tyler Schiller to his apprentice Zac Wadick for Guzumped ($5) in the Lander Toyota Benchmark 64 Handicap (2000m) to ensure he carries the same weight (59kg) as in his Class 1 Handicap (1600m) success at Wyong on June 6.
He also accepted with the lightly-raced four-year-old for the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1900m) at Canterbury on Wednesday, and will make a decision after studying the fields for both races.
The gelding's Wyong triumph was his first in 12 months, but he had encountered a couple of issues including a quarter crack to a foot and needed time off, and had been placed four times in between the wins.
"Guzumped has trained on well since Wyong, and is ready to step up in distance," Widdup said.
Stablemates Hyperbolic (Schiller in the Fowler Civil Contracting Maiden Plate, 1000m-$11) and Troika (Wadick in the Clarendon Tavern Benchmark 64 Handicap, 1100m-$15) will line up at home.
Proisir two-year-old Hyperbolic, who races in the same colours as recent Canterbury winner Jedibeel, was a $240,000 NZ yearling purchase last year and is making her debut, whilst Troika is resuming from a break.
"Hyperbolic is a nice filly who will have one or two runs before going out," Widdup said. "From a future viewpoint, I'm sure she will be okay.
"Troika drew the outside barrier, but it's not as bad as it first seems as only 10 can start. He also came from the outside (nine) when he led and won a Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m) at Hawkesbury in February."
Fellow Hawkesbury trainers Jason Attard and Lucy Keegan-Attard have called on last Saturday's Group 1-Stradbroke Handicap winning rider Zac Lloyd to lift Cryptonic ($3) into the winning list in the HRC Motel 3YO Maiden Plate (1000m), the horse being part-owned by Sky News presenter Tim Gilbert.
Team Attard's three-year-old, who was narrowly beaten on debut at home on May 14 before finishing fourth there as an odds-on favorite 16 days later, was withdrawn from a Newcastle engagement last Saturday.
Lloyd, with 13.5 wins, is a runaway leader in the Hawkesbury apprentices' premiership, and also leads last year's winner Tyler Schiller by one and a half wins in the senior riding title.
Chris Waller, with 10 wins, has a two-win advantage over Peter and Paul Snowden, with three meetings remaining after tomorrow before the season ends.
The rail is out 5m from the 1100m to 450m, and in the TRUE position for the remainder of the circuit. Course manager Kyle Cassim this morning posted a Heavy 9 rating with a penetrometer reading of 6.14.
