'I don't think any of us want to sell Happy Romance, we may give breeding a go'

To say the McMurray family - mum and dad Claire and Ray, son Oliver and daughter Jordan - struck it lucky with their first horse, Happy Romance, is to put it very mildly, with the four-year-old's recent fine second in the Al Quoz Sprint taking her earnings to more than £600,000. The Richard Hannon-trained filly is a six-time winner to boot, including of two Group 3s, and with the promise of more to come a broodmare career lies ahead - which could turn her owners into first-time breeders. Oliver McMurray tells us about the journey so far and looks forward to more excitement.

Happy Romance is your first horse, as is well documented now; are you continuing to pinch yourselves as to how well it’s going?

It’s incredible really. We were down at Richard’s the other week and he said when you pay 25 grand for a Dandy Man you’re usually deciding whether you’re going to Lingfield or Southwell, not Riyadh or Dubai. We’re under no illusions as to how lucky we are, and we’re looking forward to another really big season with her hopefully.

Did you travel to Riyadh and/or Dubai, and if so how was it?

Me and Dad went out to Riyadh, and then the whole family went out to Dubai. None of us had ever been to either Saudi or the UAE. The track at Riyadh is lovely and we were very well looked after, and it was the same in Dubai. We didn’t know what to expect but they were amazing experiences.

We were in Saudi for only four or five days and they are still quite heavy on the Covid rules, so we didn’t really get the time or chance to go out and sightsee, we just milled around the hotel and racecourse. But in Dubai we managed to get out, we went up the Burj Khalifa and did all the touristy stuff. It was awesome. It was a reality check to come back and for it be snowing! Quite depressing.

At £25,000, Happy Romance has turned out to be a brilliant buy by the Doyles - do you keep in regular touch with them?

Yes, we do. They were out in Saudi, and also out in Dubai. We celebrate when Happy wins or runs well, and sit down and have a drink with them. Without them and Richard, there would be no Happy Romance.

She ran two excellent races in the Middle East; any short- or long-term targets in mind?

The secret with Happy is that she needs quick ground, the quicker the better. She’ll be entered in all the Group 1 sprints in this country and France, and we’ll just go where the ground is. She’s got an entry in the Duke of York next month. If the ground’s suitable we’ll be going there. If not, then we’ll wait for Royal Ascot, probably the Platinum Jubilee.

Happy Romance giving her all as usual under Sean Levey to finish second in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan last monthCredit: Edward Whitaker

She’ll be entered in the King’s Stand too, though, simply because of what happened last year. We were really looking forward to getting the good to firm ground [in the Commonwealth Cup] that they’d had for the King’s Stand on the Tuesday, but by the time it got to Friday the heavens had opened and it turned into an absolute bog, and she finished tenth.

We’ll enter her for the King’s Stand and Platinum Jubilee and cover all bases. I think she’d run well in either, she’s got the speed for five furlongs – she won the Super Sprint at two and came fifth in the Queen Mary, and as a three-year-old last year ran a massive race in the Group 3 Coral Charge at Sandown, finishing a close third and if she’d got out sooner we’d like to think she’d have won it. I think a stiff five furlongs at Ascot would do her no harm.

Being a sprinter, and a pretty good one you’d have to say now, there’s the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year, and Hong Kong, though they’re a very long way away. It’s food for thought, and the way she ran in Saudi Arabia and Dubai showed she can handle travelling. The world is her oyster really.

Speaking to Richard and other people, handling the travelling and being able to run to form is a huge deal. She seems to handle it like an old pro, so what we have seen this year opens doors. Whether we focus on domestic targets this year and look at more races further afield next year, we’ll have to see. It’s a long old season.

There will obviously come a time when a broodmare career beckons, any thoughts at this stage as to whether you’ll sell her or breed from her?

General consensus at the moment within the family, given what she has done for us, providing life-changing experiences – at one point in Saudi Arabia me and Dad just looked at each other in awe and said, ‘What on earth are we doing out here?’ – is that should she continue to gather up nice pots of prize-money we’ll be wanting to keep her as a broodmare.

We have potentially two more seasons left with her. I don’t think any of us want to sell her, and Dandy Man has had his first Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire too, so at this point I think we want to give breeding a crack. Whether that changes between now and when the time comes, we’ll just have to see.

We’re under no illusions as to how hard breeding is, it’s a jigsaw puzzle, but we’re on this rollercoaster and I don’t see why we’d get off halfway.

Be it relating to Happy Romance, or generally, are there any stallions you particularly admire?

There’s Frankel and Sea The Stars, the former being a son of Galileo, and she’s a speedy Danehill line filly, so you’d have to say either would be a great match-up. I also love Circus Maximus. I thought he was a really tough miler, and obviously another son of Galileo. Dubawi and Kingman are brilliant sires too and we’d have to sit down and go all through that if and when the time comes for us.

Any plans to reinvest some of her earnings into another horse?

I think we’ll end up getting another filly at some point. We’ll probably have a look at the sales this year, see what Richard buys. We’ve got the bug now so I think it’s inevitable, I’d like to think we’ll get another one.

Happy Romance: Group 1 win would cap it all for her first-time owners and the filly has plenty of options at home and abroadCredit: Megan Ridgwell / Pool

Happy Romance came from the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale – would yearling sales be your preferred auction type, or are you potentially open to foal, breeze-ups or horses in training sales?

I don’t think we’ve any preferences. I’d never say no to a breeze-up sale. The Hannons have had a lot of luck from Goffs, but there’s no real specific one I’d go for, no. You could buy a good horse from anywhere.

Cheeky one to finish with, but any other horse from the Hannon yard we should be watching out for in 2022?

I heard Etonian was doing very well. I was down there the other day and saw him, and he looked in fine fettle. He ran in the Spring Cup [finished ninth] and I think he’s a miler to look out for this season.

Read more

Put The Kettle On sells for £380,000 - and now for a date with Planteur

Havana Grey claims first winner

Thinking caps on! Competition to name Qatar Racing homebred by Roaring Lion

'It's been wonderful' - Frank Mahon proud as punch for homebred star Pink Legend

'When you succeed you really feel like you've achieved something'

1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone lovingly remembered after death at 29