Oisin Murphy’s sole winner in two meetings in South Africa to date was aboard the Justin Snaith-trained Sail The Seas in a Middle Stakes race over 1400m at last year’s L’Ormarins King’s Plate meeting (Picture: Neil Morrice (PA))
David Mollett
Neither King Charles III nor Queen Camilla will be at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in Cape Town for Saturday’s King’s Plate, but the meeting will still have a star attraction in five-times UK champion jockey, Oisin Murphy.
30 year-old Murphy returns to South Africa to partner eight horses for champion trainer, Justin Snaith. They include Eight On Eighteen in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and Double Grand Slam in the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes.
Lambourn-based Murphy is rarely out of the headlines and 2025 was no different. He was involved in a car crash in April and was later charged with driving over the limit. He appeared in Reading Magistrates Court in July and was banned from driving for 20 months and fined 70 000 pounds.
However, Murphy feels 2025 was still a good year.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 4 he said: “You don’t get many chances at life and I have another chance now and this year has been great. I have had lots of big days in the saddle and lots of happy days outside racing as well.”
He added: “People here see me riding winners most days. I have a good life, travelling around the world, often on private flights, helicoptering here and there. But it’s rose-tinted because behind the scenes there can be great turmoil. Any sportsperson realises before they ever get involved that there are going to be good and bad days.”
In the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, Muphy’s mount, Eight On Eighteen, returns after an absence. The son of Lancaster Bomber hasn’t been seen in action since running second in SA’s most popular race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, some 27 weeks ago.
No surprise then that the market has Mike de Kock’s talented three year-old, Jan Van Goyen, a three lengths winner of the Cape Guineas, as the firm favourite.
The jockeys who miss out as a result of Murphy’s arrival is Richard Fourie and Andrew Fortune.
Fourie is the regular pilot of Eight On Eighteen and also rode Double Grand Slam before his contract with Ridgemont saw Andrew Fortune having to take over.
Fourie could miss out on some jockey percentages of decent prize money. First prize in the King’s Plate is R1 781 250.
Fourie has been booked for Questioning in the King’s Plate and – despite his Matchem Stakes win in September – he faces an uphill task against the likes of Jan Van Goyen, Eight On Eighteen and Gladatorian.
Fourie and Fortune know the strength of Double Grand Slam but have serious chances of upsetting the Snaith-trained favourite in the Paddock Stakes in which Fourie rides the Ridgemont homebred James Crawford-trained filly, Reet Petite, who has won three of her four starts, while Fortune is aboard Wish List, who has just 1,25 lengths to make up on Reet Petite from the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas.
Murphy has a chance of kicking off Saturday’s meeting with a winner as his mount, Sweet Green, made a pleasing debut when second over the course and distance last month. The filly will sport the colours of Gaynor Rupert, backer of the L’Ormarins King’s Plate.
His mount in the Gr 2 Premier Trophy, Okavango, will strip fitter following his comeback run in November and has an each-way shout against Regulation, Zeitz and former Aidan O’Brien inmate, The Equator.
