After more than a decade training in partnership with Danny Champion, Kezia Murphy has enjoyed spreading her wings over the last month and tackling training under her own account.
It’s been a bittersweet transition for the Riccarton trainer, with Champion’s move to Waipukurau last month ending a two-decade association between the pair.
“We had been training in partnership since the 2010-11 season, but I had been working with Danny for 20-odd years,” Murphy said.
“He has always wanted to train up north and the opportunity arose for him. I am really grateful for everything that Danny has taught me.
“I think it was time and it (solo training) is something that I have been looking forward to. I have got a really nice team of horses, great staff, and excellent owners. I am really enjoying it.”
The pair enjoyed plenty of highlights, with a few in particular standing out for Murphy.
“Orovela winning the Canterbury Belle (Listed, 1200m) was a real highlight for us. Danny bought her as a weanling and only paid $1200 for her,” she said.
“Shamrox winning her first four starts was great. She was my first runner to the races in partnership and she was a really important part of my career.
“Getting Perfect Moment back to the races and winning in November was a more recent highlight. She had a really bad floating accident and we saved her and rehabbed her, and getting a win was a really rewarding result.”
While reflecting fondly on her training career with Champion, Murphy is now focussed on her solo career and is excited for the future.
It didn’t take long for Murphy to welcome back her first winner in a solo training capacity, with Royal Wings giving her a fairytale-like result at Kurow last month.
The daughter of Proisir had been off the racing scene for 18 months with tendon issues and made the perfect return to the racetrack when winning first-up at the holiday meeting.
“It was really rewarding to get her back to the races after her tendon trouble, and to win first-up was sensational,” Murphy said.
“She tore a small hole in her tendon in March 2022. We did a full rehab programme with her but unfortunately when I worked her up again she tore another hole just below it.
“The owner put her out at his place for a long break and we were undecided whether we would try her again, but we eventually agreed to give her another go and it has gone really smooth.
“We didn’t want to trial her on the synthetic, so I just took her for a few outings to the beach to get her ready and she did the rest.
“She has had a good, long prep and has got a lot of base fitness. I don’t gallop her, I just give her a lot of slow prep work and all of her work is on the poly to keep her nice, sound and happy.
“She is a really nice horse, she has got loads of ability, and to get a little fairytale to win first-up was fantastic.”
Murphy is hoping to keep that fairytale going at Riccarton on Thursday when she lines her up in the Karaka 2024 Rating 75 (1400m).
““She has trained on excellent but she might just be looking for a mile being second-up,” she said. “We just opted for a soft run rather than go for one of those tough qualifying miles.”
Murphy is set to have four other runners at her local meeting and has highlighted Perfect Moment in the Ford Contracting Rating 65 as one of her better chances.
“I like Perfect Moment, but she has got a sticky draw (10),” Murphy said. “Her Riccarton record is a wee bit average but I think it has mostly been circumstantial. I think she is going to be a nice chance if she gets a good run from the draw.”
