'You get lucky sometimes' - bargain buy wins again

Bargain buy Space Age (7/2) completed a double for jockey Conor Stone Walsh in Killarney's Bordeaux Racecourse Rated Race today, scoring for the Hewins Hoare Partnership and trainer John Murphy.

Stone Walsh had won the opening nursery on Nor Time Nor Tide for his employer trainer Joseph O'Brien, whom he subsequently beat through Space Age's defeat of O'Brien's Sandy Creek

Space Age , a strapping son of Make Believe , was purchased as a yearling for a scarcely believable €2,500 by Murphy's Highfort Stud and was following up a recent Tipperary maiden win.

Murphy, with a fourth winner from ten recent runners, was initially represented by son George Murphy who said “Space Age is a lovely horse who stepped forward from every run and from his win at Tipperary the last day.

“His only disappointing run was at the Curragh in June when all of ours we under the weather. There didn't seem to be anything amiss with the horses but they just weren't firing at the time.

“He was gutsy there and stayed at it well.

“We have no plan but he is a tall big, good-looking horse who could even go up in trip. Dad picked him up cheaply at the sales”

Regarding the gelding's cheap purchase price, Murphy senior added “he was much smaller at the sales but kept growing. You get lucky sometimes but I love that type — good hardy horses.

“We didn't do much with him at two (years old) but he is going forward now and is a nice horse.”