Oisin Murphy made a winning return to race-riding at Chelmsford on Thursday evening, after which he described his actions that led to a 14-month ban for alcohol and Covid breaches as “silly” and admitted to “many, many errors”.
The three-time champion jockey had just the one ride on the card, the Mick Appleby-trained Jupiter Express, and after partnering that horse to victory, he opened up about his time away from the saddle.
He told Racing TV about his behavior that led to a hefty ban, “Realistically, very silly. I made many, many errors that I wish I hadn't done. I've had a period of time to think about that and come back with a different mindset. Hopefully, over the next year and the following years, I can prove the person I'd like to be.”
Murphy credited the support of the Andrew Balding stable and the Qatar Racing team as being a major help to him during his suspension.
He said, “It's been incredible. When you start listing people, you will leave someone out. From my family to the Baldings and all of the Qatar Racing team, I never felt left out.
“I obviously focussed primarily in the first few months [of the ban] on me being sober and well. But from then on, I felt really good and I was able to carry that through for a long time and here is where I wanted to begin my riding career again. There is much to look forward to.”
Murphy had not ridden in public since November 2021 but showed no ring rustiness in driving the quirky but capable Horse Watchers-owned Jupiter Express to a narrow success at odds of 15-8.
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