Image © Healy Racing
Few results over the Christmas period gave as much satisfaction at grassroots level as Affordale Fury’s Grade 1 Savills Chase success at Leopardstown, a victory that resonated far beyond the winner's enclosure for Gary Murphy, the handler who first introduced the gelding to racing.
Affordale Fury was Murphy’s first-ever point-to-point winner as a handler, scoring on debut at Ballycahane in March 2022, and watching him develop into a top-class staying chaser for Noel Meade has delighted Murphy.
“It was brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” Murphy said. “It’s great when you buy these three-year-olds, put the work into them, and then see them go on and do everything right at that level.”
The Savills success marked Murphy’s first Grade 1 winner to emerge from Cudgley Stables, although he has previously produced another top-class performer in Only By Night, who also began her career under his care before going on to record graded success for Gavin Cromwell.
Even so, Affordale Fury’s journey carried particular significance for Murphy who watched the race on the television at home.
Even so, Affordale Fury’s journey carried particular significance for Murphy who watched the race on the television at home.
“He was my first winner when I took out my handler’s licence, so of course it was a big day.
“He was just a lovely horse from the start.”
Bought for just €8,000, Affordale Fury was sourced privately from Terence Leonard, having been bred by Deirdre Connolly, who still owns the dam.
“They bred him and still have the mare,” Murphy said. “He was bought cheap enough, but he always had a nice way about him.”
The gelding even carries a small reminder of his humble beginnings in his name as Murphy recalls the funny story about his name.
“He was meant to be called Affordable Fury,” Murphy laughed. “There was a spelling mistake on the naming form and it went through as Affordale, and we just left it that way.”
Affordale Fury was offered at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale following his point-to-point success but failed to find a buyer.
“He came out unsold, so we brought him home and sold him privately to Noel Meade after that.”
Murphy admitted that while he always liked the horse, seeing him develop into a Grade 1 winner has still been deeply rewarding.
“It’s something you never really expect, you hope they’ll be good, but for him to go on and win a Savills Chase is unbelievable.”
The well-backed Affordale Fury (7-1) gets Noel Meade back in the big time and keeps the in-form Sam Ewing in it, with victory in the Grade One Savills Chase
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 28, 2025
%uD83D%uDCFA Watch https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/HVp2mips7t
The Savills success also reinforced the value of the point-to-point system as a proven pathway to the very top.
“Over Christmas there were an unbelievable amount of ex-point-to-point winners on the track,” Murphy noted. “It’s great to see it, and it shows the system works.”
While Affordale Fury was the headline act, Murphy is also watching with interest as another former inmate, Rattlin Home, begins his own track career.
The four-year-old made a taking winning debut at Portrush in October, getting the better of The Mourne Rambler, who has since franked the form emphatically by winning a Leopardstown bumper over Christmas.
“He was a very big, scopey horse and a lovely individual,” Murphy said of Rattlin Home. “It was great to see the second horse come out and win like that. You’re always delighted when the form stacks up.”
Rattlin Home has since moved to Dan Skelton, and Murphy is optimistic that the gelding can continue the stable’s recent record of producing quality young horses for the track.
The current pointing season has started more quietly for Murphy than last term, but he is open about the challenges.
“The horses just haven’t been right.
“They’re not seeing out their races, and their bloods weren’t right. There’s no secrets there, they’re just not firing at the minute.”
Murphy believes the timing of the dip is unfortunate rather than alarming.
“I had a great year and a half where everything stayed very healthy, so this was probably going to come at some stage. We’ll ride it out, that’s all part of training.”
Encouragingly, Murphy expects the tide to turn as the spring approaches.
“Hopefully we’ll come back around March with a nice bunch of four-year-olds. That’s where we’d normally start to hit our stride.”
For now, however, Affordale Fury’s Savills Chase success stands as a landmark moment, one that encapsulates the satisfaction of the point-to-point game at its very best.
“When you see one go all the way like that,” Murphy reflected, “it makes all the early mornings worth it.”
“When you see one go all the way like that,” Murphy reflected, “it makes all the early mornings worth it.”
