Paul Murray was left scratching his head when Harry’s Bar missed a place as $3.00 favourite in a BM72 at Canterbury on June 18th. The mare had enjoyed a perfect run in fourth spot to the turn before gaining a split between horses which put her in exactly the right spot on straightening. She actually put her head in front for a few strides at the 200m but her usual tenacious finish was missing. Harry’s Bar wasn’t disgraced in finishing fourth just 1.3 lengths from winner Denman Star, but the trainer felt she was below her best. Eighteen days earlier the daughter of Harry Angel had run a very game third to Lady Extreme and Let’s Go Again in a Rosehill Midway, and looked to be down in grade at Canterbury. The answer became clear to Paul over the next couple of days.
“You’d think an eighteen day gap between runs would have been more than enough, but it obviously wasn’t,” said the Kembla trainer. “At her previous start she chased the leader in a fast run race before fighting on tenaciously to finish third. She’s a very genuine trier and really felt the effects of that run. I realised the Canterbury race had come a little too quickly and changed my approach leading up to last Saturday’s Midway. Not only did I back off her work a little, but I made sure she had a full month between runs. Before the race her strapper, my partner Michelle Ritchie reported that the mare had dragged her from the race day stalls to the swabbing area and back and was right on her game.”
Although Harry’s Bar isn’t a regular leader, Paul was happy enough when the mare landed in front with very little effort. Jean Van Overmeire was able to rate her as he desired, and it was obvious the four year old had plenty of petrol in the tank as she led into the straight from My Shalom, Pretty Tavi, Denman Star and Miss Checkoni. It was a different Harry’s Bar to the one seen at Canterbury as she gave Van Overmeire a strong kick and had the race in her keeping at the 200m. Denman Star ran into second place late, but was safely held in the closing stages. “You learn about horses as you go along,” said Murray. “We’ll keep her race starts well apart from now on. The next one could be in a BM72 on the Kensington track on August 13th over 1300m. After that we might give some thought to the Gr 3 Mona Lisa at Wyong on August 31st. We’ll take it step by step.”
Jean Van Overmeire took his tally of NSW wins for the season to 102 with this win on Harry's Bar at Rosehill - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Harry’s Bar joins an ever growing list of horses drawn from the enormously popular Inglis Digital Online Sale. Originally a $150,000 purchase at the 2022 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, the Harry Angel filly was an unraced three year old when she found her way into the catalogue for John Singleton’s unreserved Strawberry Hill Stud dispersal in August 2023. She was knocked down for $20,000 and immediately put into work at Hawkesbury by her new owners.
The situation changed dramatically early last year when an ownership anomaly resulted in her nomination for the February edition of the Inglis Digital Online Sale. After due research and consultation with stable clients, Paul Murray was delighted to secure Harry’s Bar for $18,000. He immediately formulated a syndicate of fourteen enthusiastic members who are currently enjoying a fun ride.
From her first seven starts the filly recorded an easy Super Maiden win at Canterbury, four seconds, a fourth in good company on Gong day at Kembla and a well beaten eleventh in a listed stakes race at Eagle Farm just before Christmas. That was her final run of the preparation and simply a bridge too far. She thrived during her spell and wasn’t seen at the races for five full months. On May 22nd she defeated Godolphin’s Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile in a Warwick Farm barrier trial, before beginning her current preparation. Those fourteen owners are pinching themselves to believe their $18,000 online purchase is already looking at a prize money haul of $173,000 from two wins and five placings in just ten starts.
Members of the ownership group listened intently as Paul Murray recorded post race comments from Jean Van Overmeire - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Paul Murray has been around thoroughbreds for his entire life. The sixty two year old is the youngest son of the late Bede Murray who lost his battle with cancer at age 80 in 2016. A gifted trainer and much revered racing industry figure, Bede ascended from a low key start at his Lake Conjola base in the early 60’s to racing’s biggest stage over a period of more than fifty years. There was one period of about two years in the early 2000’s when Bede enjoyed a stellar run with a trio of special horses. The headline act was Universal Prince who raced thirty times for seven wins, seven placings and a whisker short of 3 million dollars. His AJC Derby win of 2001 was one of the most dominant in the history of the classic, as he decimated classy New Zealanders Sir Clive and Danamite.
Bede skilfully guided brilliant filly Victory Vein to twelve wins and almost two million dollars. She won two Gr 1’s and was second in two others. In the same time span the master trainer won six races with Half Hennessy including a six lengths romp in the 2002 Queensland Derby with Scott Seamer on board. A few years later Bede and Seamer executed a unique achievement when they boldly crossed the Tasman to win the NZ Derby with Coniston Bluebird.
The late Bede Murray with jockey Justin Sheehan after Universal Prince's win in the 2000 Spring Champion Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Paul and brother Graeme learned the ropes from a dad whose training success was based largely on the power of observation and attention to detail. Paul currently trains a team of twenty eight horses from the Kembla Grange stables established by his father in 1994. His brother Graeme continues to live on the Murray family’s 250 acre property at Lake Conjola where the horses are spelled and pre-trained. Also living on the farm is the resilient Edie Murray, in robust health at 85 and keenly supportive of sons Paul and Graeme, and daughter Brenda.
Paul continues to marvel at the dream start he was afforded as a professional horse trainer. He acquired his own licence in the early 2000’s with no intention of embarking on a solo career. He was content to fill the role of stable foreman for his father and dabble with a horse or two in his spare time. Paul was stunned in 2007 when long time client and prominent studmaster Tony Hartnell invited him to train a two year old Street Cry colt from Shady Stream. He was absolutely gobsmacked to learn that the youngster was a much younger half brother to iconic sprinter Takeover Target who’d also been raised at Meringo Stud near Moruya on the NSW south coast.
At the time of Tony Hartnell’s generous offer to the relatively inexperienced commercial trainer, Takeover Target had already won six Gr 1’s and was on his third trip to the UK. Fully aware that he’d be under the microscope as the trainer of the champion sprinter’s sibling, Paul bravely seized the opportunity and took delivery of the colt by the stallion who would soon earn fame as the sire of Winx. Named Predatory Pricer, the colt from Meringo Stud wasn’t destined to reach the heights achieved by his half brother, but he was good enough to take his new trainer on an unforgettable journey.
Under Paul’s guidance Predatory Pricer raced only eighteen times for four wins, six placings and a very respectable $814,000. The trainer raised a few eyebrows when he accepted with the colt for the Gr 3 Run To The Rose at just his third start and coming off nothing more glamorous than a Kembla maiden win. Paul’s decision was partly vindicated when Predatory Pricer finished sixth of eleven only two lengths behind Desuetude.
Undeterred by the fact that Takeover Target had never raced beyond 1400m, Paul pressed on with a plan to step the Street Cry colt up in distance. He opted not to run him for four weeks and go straight into the 1400m Ming Dynasty Quality at Rosehill. With Glyn Schofield up, Predatory Pricer charged home from a long way back to beat Caymans and Dreamscape in the listed event. The trainer again followed his instincts when he decided to step the three year old up to 1800m a week later in the Gloaming Stakes. His judgement was vindicated when Predatory Pricer stormed home to beat Stalingrad in the Gr 3. Two weeks later he was beaten soundly into second place by Sousa in the Spring Champion Stakes, but did enough to earn due recognition for his “freshman” trainer.
The horse to launch Paul Murray's training career was Predatory Pricer seen here winning the 2008 Ming Dynasty Qlty at Rosehill with Glyn Schofield in the saddle. Runner up was Caymans - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Predatory Pricer would run eleven more times for the Murray stable for a third to Roman Emperor in the AJC Derby, a close fourth to Pompeii Ruler in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and a win in the J.J. Liston Stakes. His career looked to be in jeopardy when he pulled up with a tendon injury after finishing midfield in the 2009 Caulfield Cup won by Viewed. The stallion came back ten months later to run second in the Liston Stakes for Mick Price, but was lame on cooling down. It’s not hard to understand why he remains Paul’s all time favourite.
There are no Predatory Pricers in Murray’s Kembla stables at the moment but he’s justifiably excited about a promising bunch of two year olds he has in work currently. None of them have been named but he’s especially impressed with youngsters by Tassort, Sandbar, Harry Angel, Trapeze Artist, and Pierata. Obviously, he’s looking forward to natural progression from Harry’s Bar who’ll be spelled after one or two more runs. And of course there’s Welcometobarbados, a rising five year old mare who’s been impressive in five wins so far including the Provincial Championship Qualifier at Newcastle in March. A bone chip was discovered in a front joint soon after, and she had to miss the Championship Final, a bitter blow for all connections. Paul looks forward to her return at the end of the month. With ordinary luck there are exciting times ahead for Murray Racing Stables.
Welcometobarbados (Jean Van Overmeire) was game in beating Lord Of Biscay (centre) and Matcha Latte in the Provincial Championship Qualifier at Newcastle in March. Injury kept the mare out of the Final - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Harry's Bar led throughout to score an emphatic win in Saturday's Midway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)