Resplendent Grey

That top table means Class 1 races — the very best the sport offers — and Resplendent Grey has won 2 from 8 at that level, a 25% win rate that tells you this is not a horse who flatters to deceive against weaker rivals. The Sandown win in April 2025 was described by Murphy as "a good way to win a big one", with jockey Sean Bowen given licence to ride the race differently after a less successful approach at Cheltenham, the cheekpieces helping sharpen his focus and allowing him to come home strongly. Then in November, Resplendent Grey was back at Carlisle, winning another Class 1 with what Murphy described as genuine maturity — sitting patient, waiting for the sprint finish, and picking off a rival who had led into the last fence. For a horse who has won over three and a half miles, the fact he out-sprinted a field of stayers says something about his versatility.

The partnership with Sean Bowen is one worth noting: together they have won 7 from 17 races, roughly 2 in every 5 times they line up. That is a remarkable number and suggests a real understanding between horse and rider.

Murphy is refreshingly honest about what Resplendent Grey is: talented but not quite clockwork. "When he's good, he's very good, but when he's bad, he can throw in a stinker," is how he puts it — and the recent form (two fifteens and a fifth among his last six runs) shows the inconsistency is real. A bad start cost him in the Coral Gold Cup, and things need to go right early for him to produce his best. Still, Murphy has not lowered his ambitions. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the stated target — a long shot by the trainer's own admission — with the Ultima as a backup and even a Grand National entry lodged. A yard that has sent out 146 winners this season does not lack for confidence, and with Resplendent Grey freshened up, that next big day could come at any time.