Murphy left proud of Resplendent Grey following Windsor effort

Olly Murphy is pondering his next move with Resplendent Grey having been left delighted by his performance at Windsor in the Fleur de Lys Chase.

The eight-year-old, who was making his first outing since being hindered by the standing start in the Coral Gold Cup, was tasked with giving 4lb to Protektorat in the Winter Million weekend contest and was staying on strongly at the finish to claim second behind Dan Skelton’s dual race winner.

Left proud of the performance over a trip that was always going to challenge the stamina-laden grey, Murphy is now looking ahead to the spring where he holds an entry for the Cheltenham Gold Cup among a plethora of options.

“He ran a cracker and it was always going to be a tough task giving Protektorat weight over two-miles-six and around a sharp track like Windsor,” said Murphy.

“I think it was probably a career best and he was in fifth gear the whole way, but I was very happy with him. He’s just a very strong stayer, but I’m very proud of him though and he ran a great race.

“I’m not sure where we go next and he is entered in the Gold Cup. There are plenty of possibilities for the spring but Roger Skan, his owner, is quite keen for a runner at Cheltenham so I will speak with him.

“He’s still got limited experience, this was a good run and hopefully now he can start being more consistent than he’s been and he deserves his place in these better races.”