It would be untrue to suggest that there are only a few dual-purpose trainers out there, but it is probably fair to say that most of them lean one way more than the other. When you consider, therefore, that Olly Murphy had trained nearly 800 National Hunt winners and fewer than 50 on the flat by the end of 2025, it isn’t outrageous to say that he has a preference for training horses over jumps.
Given the information that he worked under famed National Hunt trainer Gordon Elliott, though, that isn’t a shock. Coming from horse racing blood, he was perhaps always destined to work in the industry.
About
Oliver Murphy, better known as ‘Olly’, is the son of Aiden Murphy, who was a well known bloodstock agent. His mother, Anabel Murphy (née King), was a trainer herself. When he was younger, Murphy was an amateur rider and then became the assistant trainer of Gordon Elliott, working with him up until the point that he decided to get a training licence of his own back in 2017. He was a 25-year-old at the time, meaning that he was decidedly young for such a responsibility, having to work hard in order to win over the trust of the countless owners of racehorses in the United Kingdom.
Based out of Warren Chase Stables in Wilmcote, which is close to Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire, it took him until the July of 2017 to saddle his first winner. That was his very first runner, Dove Mountain, suggesting great things to come for the trainer. By the time the Cheltenham Festival took place in 2020, however, he hadn’t won a race at the famous race meeting, even though he had come close a couple of times. Keen to emerge from the shadow of Elliott, not least because of the Irish trainer’s controversial reputation, he has worked hard to train the horses in his care.
Major Successes
Although Murphy struggled to win any races at the Cheltenham Festival in the first few years of trying, he did see Thomas Darby and Itchy Feet come second and third respectively in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2019. That was a shot across the bow for other, more established trainers that he wasn’t just in the game to make up the numbers. He has picked up countless wins in his burgeoning career, even if he isn’t quite at the level of many of the names that you would more commonly associate with the world of National Hunt training, on account of his relative youth.
Here is a non-exhaustive look at just some of the races that Murphy has trained the winner of:
- Christopher Shinton Memorial Hurdle
- Racecourse Ready Handicap Hurdle
- Ascona Group Holdings Maiden Hurdle
- Angela Nettleford Memorial ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle
- Bet365 Hurdle
- Quinnbet National Hunt Flat (Conditional Jockeys & Amateur Riders)
- Adept GRP Cabinets Open National Hunt Flat
- BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
- Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase
- EBF and Charlie Longsdon Racing ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle
Horses Trained
There have been numerous horses that have made their way through the stables at Warren Chase, such as Thomas Derby who came close to winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Obviously being a relatively inexperienced trainer without a huge number of big wins to his name, it’s fair to say that the names of horses that Murphy has trained aren’t as numerous, nor as well known, as those of some of his competitors can boast about. That being said, there are still some winners that are worth mentioning, including the following:
Itchy Feet
When it comes to horses worthy of a mention, you’re going to struggle to do much better than Itchy Feet. The young horse made a name for himself when coming third in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, also winning a Grade 1 chase and a Listed hurdle. That meant that he became thought of as one of the best young horses in training in the world of the National Hunt. Having won his second start in a bumper early on his career, Itchy Feet’s success in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase was just his second start over the larger obstacles.
Strong Leader
When Olly Murphy sent his entrants in for the Cheltenham Festival in 2023, it was Strong Leader and Chasing Fire that were considered to be his best hopes of picking up his first winner at the meeting. That goes some way to explaining why Strong Leader is so highly thought of, even if he ended up coming ninth in the Supreme. In fact, it is arguably Aintree Racecourse that he prefers, winning the Novices’ Hurdle there in the December of 2022, as well as enjoying success in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle in the April of 2024, following that up with a win in the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle in the November.
The Blue Room
Supporters of Everton Football Club might find themselves listening to the Blue Room podcast about their team, but it’s not to be confused with this gelding that Murphy has trained. He came second in his first outing, which was the National Hunt flat qualifier run at Aintree in the December of 2024. Less than a year later and he had won back-to-back events, firstly in the National Hunt flat event at Ffos Las and then in the National Hunt Maiden Hurdle at Chepstow in the November. Little wonder, therefore, that the horse is being looked at as a major hope for Murphy moving forward.
