
Share
5th May 2017
04:58pm BST

“I developed a great instinct for riding ponies, falling off ponies. Nobody asking you were you okay, you got up, you got back on. You’re developing a confidence at that part of your life that you never ever think that you will depend heavily on at a later part of your life.” "I never wanted to be a jockey. To me, it was just a hobby. I loved being challenged by horses or ponies and honing that relationship, really refining that and getting feel with a horse. That’s what I loved. The part of racing horses never really appealed to me."It was a meeting with the gambler turned trainer Barney Curley that prompted him to pursue a career in horse-riding. Murphy went on to enjoy a short but successful career as Josh Gifford’s stable jockey, winning a Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase along the way. It was a short career because of that fateful Haydock day. A day that caused him to forget his entire riding career leading up to the accident.
*****
Murphy's brush with death came on the Bank Holiday Monday after a weekend that saw Austrian motor-racing driver Roland Ratzenberger die during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix. The next day at the same track, iconic Brazilian Ayrton Senna was killed in a similar accident when he crashed into a wall. Senna, ironically was a sporting hero of Murphy’s. Murphy arrived to Haydock that morning, with the place understandably reeling in shock of the sporting tragedies of the previous days. Little did Murphy know that he would end the day in hospital after a crashing fall and impact from his horse Arcot plunged him into a coma from which doctors believed he wouldn’t wake.The Racing Post even ran a headline ‘Declan Murphy dies after horror fall’ ... such was the hopelessness of his situation.Murphy’s family came to the Liverpool hospital in which he lay, with a decision to make on whether or not to turn off the life-support machine that sustained him. Had they flown to Liverpool they’d have reached Murphy in three hours; but his father's fear of flying meant they took a boat - a 12-hour journey. Murphy woke seven hours into his family's journey. https://youtu.be/TT4wqTejPjc So began his road to recovery, which was dominated by his indomitable spirit and steely determination. He recalled:
"I was in a very deep, dark place. I had to crawl through a darkened tunnel filled with danger on my hands and knees.”It was almost like beginning his life again, from square one. "I had to be prepared to lose everything just to gain that one something," he said, "but that one something was of such significance, it was my life." His ambition and drive highlighted by the fact that he rode a horse, a winner to victory 18 months later. This was a key moment in his recovery and shines a light on his admirable drive and 'never say die' attitude. "When I won that race I felt many emotions: elation, jubilation, everything... but relief was the one emotion that overpowered me." Murphy has recovered step by step. He learned to walk, to run, to ride again, and went on to get his life back on track becoming hugely successful property developer living in Barcelona. https://youtu.be/rvFkEUIbtcU He has now released Centaur to tell us more on his remarkable story.
Explore more on these topics: