Donn McClean

WHITE BIRCH WAS slowly away, but he was in no rush. Rider Shane Foley allowed him settle easily into his racing rhythm, dropped him in behind runners and made his way towards the inside rail, last of the six runners, about six lengths behind the leader after they had gone a furlong.

George Murphy, assistant trainer to his dad John, watched from the side of the stands as the race unfolded. He was a little concerned that White Birch might have been a little far back, he tells you, but he knew that they were going a good gallop, and he had every confidence in the horse, every confidence in the rider.

White Birch stood out in the PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes field at Leopardstown on Sunday. A 22/1 shot, sixth best of the six runners according to the market, the only grey in a field of bays — and he isn’t just grey, he’s as close to white as you can be without being officially white. (He’s well named.) John Murphy, trainer, in a field that was made up of Aidan O’Brien and Joseph O’Brien and Jim Bolger. Even the colours of Shane Foley’s silks stood out, bright red and yellow in a sea of navy and purple and maroon.

Easy to spot him, then, as they raced to the end of the back straight. Still stone last as the three-furlong pole flashed past and the leader Serious Challenge kicked for home. Still last as they straightened up for home and passed the two-furlong pole. By then, however, Shane Foley had wheeled his horse to the outside and asked him to pick up. They moved up on the outside of Up And Under and Alexandroupolis, but they all still had about four lengths to make up on the leader.

It all got a bit tight between the three pursuers as they raced to the furlong marker, and White Birch shipped a bump that interrupted his momentum and could have been detrimental to his chance of winning. But he quickly recovered his equilibrium and, grabbing the ground willingly, up on the outside, widest of all, he got up to win by a half a length.

“It was a fabulous feeling,” says George now, reflecting on the performance. “To win the Ballysax Stakes, a Group 3 race. Very exciting. I was delighted for the owners, the faith that they showed in us, to leave the horse with us after they bought him. I couldn’t be more thankful to them. And I was delighted for the horse, that he could show on the racecourse what he was showing us at home.”

George liked White Birch – then an unnamed son of Ulysses – from the moment that he saw him as a yearling at the O’Callaghans’ Tally Ho Stud.

“Roger (O’Callaghan) told me that he was a nice horse,” he recalls, “so we went to see him, and we liked him immediately. He was a tall horse though, so we didn’t want to rush him. He didn’t make his racecourse debut until late last year.”

That was in a one-mile maiden at Naas in early November, at the back-end of last season, when, from a wide draw and back in the field early on, he stayed on encouragingly down the outside on the heavy ground to take fifth place behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained Sierra Blanca. He ran once more last season in George’s mother’s colours, in a seven-furlong maiden at Dundalk in late November, which he won by six and a half lengths.

“He’s a big, powerful horse,” says George, “so we were hopeful that he would handle the heavy ground at Naas, which he did. And we were delighted with the pace that he showed to win over seven furlongs on the all-weather at Dundalk.”

The plan after that was always to start off in a Classic trial this season, in a Guineas trial or a Derby trial. You could have argued the case for either on breeding: his dam’s four wins were gained over six and seven furlongs, but he is by Ulysses, a son of Galileo and winner of the Gordon Stakes over a mile and a half, and of the Eclipse and the Juddmonte International over 10 furlongs. Also, his half-brother Anatomic proved his stamina for middle distances.

“Shane Foley rode him in a piece of work last week, and he was confident that he would stay a mile and a quarter at least.”

White Birch had to stay well to win on Sunday too, his first time going beyond a mile as well as his first time racing in the colours of Mrs Regalado-Gonzalez. The ground was testing and the pace was fast, and he hit the line strongly. And on Sunday’s evidence, you would give him every chance of staying a mile and a half.

“He isn’t in the Derby,” says George, “but we do have the option of supplementing him. We will talk to the owners before a decision is made. In the meantime, we are looking at the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial back at Leopardstown next month. That looks like a good next step.”

The Murphys’ best-known horse up until now is probably Newmill, winner of the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, winner of the Champion Chase at Punchestown. That was in 2006. George was 13. Back then, they majored in National Hunt racing.

“Dad had a couple of tough years with jumpers,” says George. “Injuries and the like. It’s nice to have a couple of jumpers still, but we concentrate mainly on the flat these days.”

It is a concentration that is reaping rewards. Brazos won the Irish Cesarewitch in 2018, Sweet Gardenia won the Listed Churchill Stakes in 2020, Charterhouse finished third in the Group 3 Desmond Stakes and won the Listed Ruby Stakes last August. Big Time was a top-class juvenile in 2013, finishing second in the Group 2 Railway Stakes and in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes.

White Birch was talented as a juvenile too, but, early signs are, he is even better as a three-year-old. More exciting times ahead.