Murphy, Timmy

Yet something was happening in the background which, later, would have a devastating effect on his life.

In an attempt to keep up with the other lads at Noel Chance's, Timmy had begun drinking. Every weekend for three nights, every stable lad drank. The problem for Timmy was that the other, bigger, lads could handle their drink. Timmy, so much smaller, couldn't. He began sleeeping in, failing to hear the alarm clock.

His growing plight did not go unnoticed: his friends Adrian Maguire and Mick Halford urged him to stop but to no avail.

In a haze of drink, Timmy began losing it at the yard: laziness, then indifference, began to seep into his attitude.

This came to the attention of Dermot Weld.

Timmy was sacked on the spot.

He found work shortly afterwards with Declan Gillespie on the Curragh: again, Timmy found himself at odds with his new environment and its military precision. He was sacked after a month.

Having been fired from two of the top yards on the Curragh, things looked bleak: then rookie trainer Mick Halford threw him a lifeline with the offer of work.

'You are starting afresh here,' Halford told him. 'But the first time you're late or you vent your anger on one of my horses, you're out.'

Wisely, Timmy kept his head down and threw himself into the stable's routine. His change of attitude was rewarded when Halford put him up on Lisdowney Lass in a bumper at Naas in January, 1993.

He also rode her twice more that spring. She finished down the field on all three outings but gave Timmy valuable experience.

He was then asked to ride Bens Buck in a race at Leopardstown on St Patrick's Day. Timmy finished fourth but showed enough in the saddle to draw a favourable mention from Halford's father.

That year, on May 23, Timmy's new-found resolution paid off.

Four weeks earlier, Timmy had been beaten on Gayloire but it's owner, George Halford – Mick's uncle – insisted that he keep the ride

Gayloire was entered for a point-to-point race at Kilmuckridge. It was Timmy's chance to atone for the indifferent ride he'd given the horse previously.

He atoned all right, but it took a photo to show that he'd won by a short head from the favourite, Brandy Cross, ridden by John Berry.

Timmy was to ride Gayloire twice more that season; on 21st June at Kilbeggan where he finished third and at Kilbeggan three weeks later when he won (once again beating John Berry into second).

It was Mike's idea that Timmy should spend the next winter at Michael Hourigan's where, Mike suggested, he would learn much more.

He was right: it was hard work for Timmy and obviously he was some way down the pecking order – behind the likes of the ill-fated Shane Broderick (the stable's conditional), David Casey and other good amateurs – in the queue for rides, but his time there was a valuable learning curve in many ways.

Then, on 20th March, 1994, Mike put Timmy up on For Kevin at a point-to-point at Corrin. He won, but his luck for that afternoon had not yet run out. When Robbie Byrnes was concussed and stood down later at the meeting, Mike put Timmy up on that horse (Screen Printer) as well. Once again Timmy won and, from that point, things began to snowball.

He came in for Robbie's rides while the unfortunate jockey sat out a mandatory 21 day 'holiday'.

Timmy did not waste his opportunity

A second double, this time at Liscarroll, a week later on Mr Glynn & Fur N Money, underlined his growing ability.

That season he rode a total of fourteen point-to-point winners. He also rode a further 16 under National Hunt rules.

The next year, 1995, was his last as a point-to-point rider. He rode 29 winners, the last off which, Ideal Partner, he kicked home on May 31st at Ballingarry. Again, he supplemented that total with eleven further winners under Rules.

But it was time to move on.

He was getting more rides and his style was constantly improving, but the real money, he knew, was to be made riding in England. When, in March, 1995, he got a call from Tom Mahony asking him to ride a mare for him at Ballynoe the following week, Timmy readily accepted. Tom explained that he was trying to sell the horse, called Goldenswift, to Toby Balding who would be coming over to watch her run.

Balding was the trainer who had set both Adrian Maguire and Tony McCoy on their way in England.

Timmy won easily on the mare: Toby bought her but not before inviting Timmy over for an interview at his yard.

It went well, but Kim Bailey was also on the lookout for a conditional rider. Bailey had just trained the winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup & Champion Hurdle plus he had over 100 horses in training.

Kim offered Timmy the job. There was no way he could turn it down. He informed Toby Balding who instead took on Barry Fenton.

Timmy packed his bags and moved to England, finding it difficult at first to acclimatise. He lived with Norman Williamson.

He was back in Ireland for the Galway Festival after which he turned professional and returned to Kim Bailey's yard as such.

Back in Lambourn, Timmy found himself living next door to the Malt Shovel where everyone drank after work. Soon Timmy found himself back on the treadmill again...work, pub, bed.

Once again he began falling out with his guvenor.

In Ocober, 1996, after a particularly heavy night's drinking, Timmy slept through his early morning duties. He was awakened by Kim Bailey himself.

Bailey sacked him on the spot.

Timmy, then on his own, faced a tough few months. He rode out for Henrietta Knight a few times hoping for a proper ride later but once again he turned up late on a couple of occasions and was dispensed with.

Without having a choice, Timmy began riding as a freelance, mainly for Jeff King.

He had ridden 29 winners the previous year (1996) but, by the time Cheltenham came round (1997) Timmy had only ridden three winners since the start of the year.

Then Martin Pipe approached him, offering him the ride on outsider Terao in the Mildmay of Fleet. Tony McCoy would be riding the stable's main hope, As Du Trefle.

Timmy won the race (20/1) and was suddenly back in fashion.

That August, Timmy's agent, Chris Broad, took a call from up-and-coming trainer Paul Nicholls. Would Timmy ride one for him at Newton Abbott the following Monday?

Timmy accepted, and won. A few weeks later Paul offered him the job as stable jockey. Paul had by-passed stable conditional Joe Tizzard thinking him too young for such a role.

Timmy took the job but Paul had done his homework. He knew Timmy was poor in the monings, but that suited Paul. He wanted someone good in the afternoons, not at the crack of dawn.

Timmy and Paul got on well, and the winners began to flow. Lake Kariba won twice for Timmy early on, Call Equinane obliged at Cheltenham in November and See More Business began to show his true worth. Paul decided to aim it for the 1997 King George at Kempton Park.

It should have been Timmy's greatest success to date, but his temper had over-clouded his riding: he lost 52 days through suspensions in his first season for Paul - these were from the misuse of the whip and he was warned by the stewards to change his ways or lose his licence.

Not heeding the warnings as he might, Timmy got himself suspended once more, this time on Boxing Day, 1997.

Paul booked Andy Thornton to replace him on See More Business. They won by two lengths, leaving Timmy 'gutted' as he said at the time.

On March 19, 1998, Timmy and See More Business lined up at Cheltenham fo the Gold Cup. Timmy's chance to make amends.

Paul Nicholls still hadn't had a winner at the Festival and he really fancied his chances.

The race, however, turned into a nightmare.

Tony McCoy, riding Cyborgo, suddenly pulled the horse (which had boken down) away fom the inside. In doing so he cannoned into Jonothan Lower on Indian Tracker. In a knock-on effect, Lower's mount pushed Timmy and See More Business violently right causing the horse to run round the outside of the fence instead of jumping it.

Once again Andy Thornton benefited from Timmy's misfortune as he kicked home Cool Ground.

By November, a gathering storm of unrest among Paul's owners resulted in him phoning Chris Broad, Timmy's agent, with the news that they were not happy with him and that he had in effect been sacked.

Timmy was certainly blameless for the See More Business debacle at Cheltenham but Timmy's moods were again re-surfacing as results began to go against the stable and Paul found it difficult to communicate with him.

Moving on, Timmy began riding for Jim Old whom he had known since his days at Jeff King's in 1996. Things went well and memories of Paul Nicholls began to fade.

Then, one day in 2001, Paul rang Chris Broad.

He wanted Timmy back.

Timmy's replacement, Joe Tizzard, simply hadn't woked out – he was still a shade too young – and Paul's owners were once again on his back.

That April Timmy had finished second on Smarty in Red Marauder's National: that effort had not gone unnoticed and, in May, Paul telephoned.

By November Timmy had ridden 50 winners, his fastest ever, and was third in the jockeys' table.

By April, 2002, his score had increased to 98.

Only an earthquake could prevent him riding his first century.

The 'earthquake' struck on 14 April on the plane back from Japan shortly after.

The team had flown there to contest the Nakayama Grand Jump – the richest steeplechase in the world – and Timmy had finished fifth on Cencos. Paul had already warned Timmy about his drinking on the flight over and had ordered him not to drink before the race.

On the journey back, sat at the bar downing vodka and orange, Timmy became increasingly boisterous and was asked to return to his seat by a hostess. He did so and fell asleep, guarded by Mick Fitzgerald.

When he awoke the staff refused to serve him more drinks which deepened his rage. A steward claimed that he put his hand up her skirt.

As the plane taxied to a halt, two armed officers entered and arrested him.

At Isleworth Crown Court, he was sentenced to six months in pison

Timmy had reached rock bottom.

Having served his time, he returned to the racetrack – Wetherby – on Friday Noveber 1 and finished second on Fireball Macnamarra.

It was another twenty rides before he rode his comeback winner, Santenay for Paul Nicholls.

When, in Apil 2004, Tony McCoy left Martin Pipe's to join the J P McManus operation.

Timmy was eventually offered it, but only after Richard Johnson, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty had turned it down.

Since then Timmy has become teetotal, kept his head down and worked his socks off.

There is just one more episode to be added to Timm's story and redemption, and it's best told by the newspaper article below.