Desert Friend
Veteran has done a bit of everything and recorded his fifth Flat win early this month when landing 1m6f Sligo apprentice handicap in emphatic fashion under today's rider (yielding-to-soft); 8lb rise allows him to remain in this grade and has won over 2m.
Ask anything about Desert Friend. Furlong reads our database — form, ratings, trainer 14-day stats, spotlight commentary, connection quotes — and gives a short data-grounded answer.
Furlong answers from our data — Racing Post Spotlight, ratings, trainer form, connection quotes — and may be wrong. Verify before staking. Opinion, not advice. 18+ · BeGambleAware.org
Breeding
- Sire
- Universal
- Dam
- Assabiyya
- Damsire
- Cape Cross
Trainer history
- CurrentP J F Murphy
- 23 Oct 2025Mrs Denise Foster
- 15 Jan 2024Philip M Byrne
- 16 Oct 2023Denis Gerard Hogan
- 14 Sept 2021David Simcock
- 21 Jun 2019Mark Johnston
From the connections
“Desert Friend took me through the race very well. I came wide but it didn't make a jot of difference - Conor Cusack, jockey.”
“Desert Friend likes it around here. There wasn't much pace on, I was happy enough. He travelled and he jumped well, and he done it really well in the end. We didn't go much of a gallop which suited him down to the ground and he galloped all the way up the straight - Donagh Meyler, jockey.”
Past runs (tracked here)
| Date | Race | Type | Pos | SP | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2026 | Gowran Park 8:20 Ladies Day July 25th Handicap | Flat | — | — | 40.5 |
Only runs Racing Alpha has synced are shown. Lifetime form is in the Racing Post form section above.
Spotlight commentary and quotes are editorial content from the Racing Post / Racing API. Ratings (OR/RPR/TS) are from Racing Post. Racing Alpha's AI score is in the “AI” column for runs we rated. 18+ only · Bet responsibly · BeGambleAware.org