Rider-turned-agent Murphy finds calling as steward

Glen Murphy, the retired rider who has been representing jockey Jareth Loveberry at Oaklawn, will be embarking on a new career path next week.

Murphy will be serving as a state steward during the Will Rogers Downs meet in Claremore, Okla., which opens in March. Murphy reports to work Feb. 19.

“I went to stewards’ school in California and was the association steward last meet at Arapahoe,” Murphy said. “I really enjoyed it. It’s hard to replace the funnest job in the world, but I enjoyed being a steward.”

Murphy, 49, retired from race riding in October 2016. He compiled a career record of 3,169 wins from 24,776 starts for mount earnings of more than $42 million, according to Daily Racing Form statistics. Murphy was the regular rider of the popular sprinter Highland Ice, and also won stakes with Dreams Gallore, Sure Shot Biscuit, Smack Smack, Cease, and T.B. Track Star. Murphy retired after back-to-back injuries in New Mexico.

“A horse had kicked me in the femur,” Murphy said of a saddling paddock accident. “I waited three months, and my first day back up I broke my hip in the same leg. That did it. I thought, ‘I had my 3,000th win, I’m going to try a new avenue.’ I had a hard time not riding. It was hard to come to grips with, but I was able to jump into stewards’ school and I learned a lot in a short amount of time. It kept my mind busy, and the more I got into it the more I liked it.”

Murphy had an opportunity to try out the stewards’ stand at Arapahoe in his native Colorado and after that meet came to Oklahoma, where he shares a home with his wife, Joy, and daughter Noelle, and worked as agent at Remington Park. He represented his former riding rivals Loveberry and Quincy Hamilton, who is now based at Sam Houston. Murphy said that after this week Loveberry will be represented by Monty Penney.

Murphy had spent more than 30 years riding races, with his first win coming at 16 on Oct. 28, 1984, at Sunland. He will wrap up a successful tenure with Loveberry at Oaklawn, as the rider has gotten off to a nice start at the meet, among his wins the $125,000 Dixie Belle with Amy’s Challenge in January. Loveberry is now 3 for 3 on the undefeated filly, who is under consideration for a pair of upcoming stakes at Oaklawn.

“We’re looking at the Martha Washington, but will probably wait for the Honeybee,” said Mac Robertson, who trains Amy’s Challenge.