By Peter Moore at Salisbury 11th June 2024
Oisin Murphy increased his healthy lead at the top of the jockeys championship to 14 with a treble at Salisbury on Tuesday afternoon.
Murphy, who currently has a mighty impressive 27% strike rate, rode the last three winners at the Wiltshire track to continue his imposing start to the campaign.
The first of the Irishman’s treble came in the sixth race on the card with the Andrew Balding trained three year old Leicester Square losing his maiden tag at the second attempt.
Murphy, managed to get the four year old filly Quietness with her head in front with a superb ride to narrowly get the better of Alhattan by a short head and complete a second consecutive win for in form Marcus Tregoning.
It wasn’t long before Murphy was in the winners encloser again with a comfortable ride on Regal Envoy to complete a successful afternoon. In fact Murphy came within a whisker of riding a four timer on the odds on shot Stratusnine, only to be denied by Arabian Sun. The novice two year old came with a late run to win at the second time of asking. It was also the first leg of a double for Hungerford trainer Clive Cox who saddled his first ever two-year-old winner at the course through Arabian Sun and followed up with Miss Stormy Night to win the 6f handicap with Richard Kingscote in the saddle who also brought up a double after earlier riding Arabian Sun to victory.
It was also a good day for in form trainer Ed Walker who saddled both Ardennes and Perennial to victory.
Walker, who has made a fine start to the season with his two year olds saw Ardennes prevail to bring up his fifth winning juvenile in the 6f restricted novice race over 6f.
The son of Soldiers Call ran green on his debut at Bath 18 days ago but had come on for that race and scored at the second time of asking under in for rider Tom Marquand with the 11-1 shot beating Cayman Tai by a length.