William Haggas criticizes Urphy for ‘professional misconduct’ while driving

William Haggas, one of Britain’s most successful and respected trainers, said on Sunday he believes Oisin Murphy is using riding tactics that amount to a “professional error”.

Haggas also claimed the champion jockey has been ‘getting away with blue murder for some time’ as local stewarding panels decide the resulting interference is accidental.

Speaking The luck of Racing TV on Sunday Speaking on the programme, Haggas said Murphy, who was crowned champion jockey for the fifth time at Ascot on Saturday, is “the best there is” and “an excellent rider”, but added that he believes the jockey can let his horse “hang over” an opponent, halting their momentum at a crucial stage of a race.

Haggas pointed to an incident involving a youth girl at Sandown in August when Murphy, riding at Corinth for John and Thady Gosden, hindered Loz Vegas, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam and ridden by Harry Davies, in the closing stages. Corinth crossed the line half a length in front and although Loz Vegas was awarded the race in the stewards room, the interference was ruled accidental due to Corinth “racing green”.

“There was one example that really upset me,” Haggas said. “I have been very angry in recent years about the professional mistake that jockeys make, that kind of leaning over a horse and then pulling the stick through and winning by a length.

“But if you are in a cycling race and you have to stop suddenly, you can’t really continue. When horses win by a length, they say: ‘It was won too easily’.” [to be sure that the runner-up has been denied the win]. The jockeys know it and do it often.

‘The Corinth incident at Sandown, I thought of him [Murphy] deliberately prevented Harry Davies from winning that race. It was taken from him, but to say this was by accident is complete madness. We have to deal with things like this because, in my opinion, it was almost dangerous. If [Davies] had fallen and gone to the hospital, they would have made a song about it and danced about it. That is not the way to ride from our champion jockey.”

While sharply critical of what he sees as potentially dangerous tactics employed by Murphy and other riders, Haggas also suggested that the blame lies with stewarding panels who fail to consider such incidents as deliberate and accept jockeys’ explanations too readily – such as that inexperienced horses run “green”.

‘That’s not his [Murphy’s] Wrong,” Haggas said. ‘He can get away with it. That’s something stewards should look at more closely. Personally, I wouldn’t have any jockeys in the stewards’ surveys because they look after themselves.”

Murphy, who rides at Longchamp on Sunday afternoon, has not publicly responded to Haggas’ comments, but they have been reposted on his official X account. The British Horseracing Authority has been contacted for comment.