The daily briefing

Bath stages the sole UK Flat fixture on Wednesday afternoon while there is jumping action at Southwell and Uttoxeter.

Hope Is High, owned by Emma Berry and trained by husband John, captured the Bath Summer Staying Series Final Handicap in 2017 – though the race was transferred to Yarmouth – and the six-year-old mare is one of five runners in the Doubletree By Hilton EBF Fillies’ Handicap (1m3½f), the most valuable race on the card, at 3.30pm.

Hamilton and Chelmsford (aw) race in the evening and undoubtedly the most fascinating runner at the Essex track is three-year-old Dubai Warrior, trained by John Gosden for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.

This son of Dansili, unbeaten in two starts on artificial surfaces, is out of South African Grade 1 winner Mahbooba and is a half-brother to all-weather specialist Mootasadir. He looks tough to stop in the Irish Lotto at totesport.com Handicap (1m2f) at 7.15pm.

There is also an afternoon Flat meeting at Gowran Park in Ireland.

Death of Ferdy Murphy

Ferdy Murphy, the popular and much-respected trainer, died on Tuesday in France aged 70.

From his base in North Yorkshire, Murphy was renowned as a shrewd operator and enjoyed a dozen successes at the Cheltenham Festival over the years, including the 1996 Triumph Hurdle with Paddy’s Return.

Murphy masterminded the careers of Ballinclay King and Kalahari King, both successful in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree, while Paris Pike, Joes Edge and Hot Weld gave the handler a famous treble in the Scottish Grand National.

Aside from brilliant jumps mare Anaglogs Daughter, officially trained by Bill Durkan and whose big-race wins included the 1980 Arkle Chase, Murphy’s best horse was French Holly.

An outstanding novice hurdler, winning both the Tolworth Hurdle and Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle by 14 lengths, French Holly also won the Christmas Hurdle and chased home Istabraq in the Irish Champion Hurdle, Champion Hurdle and Aintree Hurdle.

Tragically, French Holly was killed in a schooling accident not long after scoring on his chasing debut at Wetherby in October 1999.

Lido up for sale

Michael O’Leary’s Valseur Lido will find a new home at the Goffs UK Horses in Training Sale in Doncaster on September 18.

The three-time Grade 1 winner will be offered as part of the 31-strong Gigginstown House Stud dispersal, along with the likes of Cheltenham Festival winner Blow By Blow and talented six-time chase scorer A Toi Phil.

The two-day sale starts on September 17 with a yearling section before the jumpers take centre stage the following morning.