Murtagh takes short break from racing

Johnny Murtagh is to take a few days off from race-riding in order to stabilise his weight.

Johnny Murtagh is to take a few days off from race-riding in order to stabilise his weight.

But the Meath man, who has been plagued with weight problems for the past couple of seasons, plans to be back in action at the three-day King George meeting at Newbury.

"It's been difficult for him to keep going into the sauna in this heat, so he thought he'd take a few days off to stabilise his weight without having to go into the sauna, but he'll be fine," said his agent Dave Pollington.

Murtagh has been replaced by Jamie Spencer on the James Fanshawe-trained Bamzooki in the Winter Gardens Fillies' Handicap at Yarmouth tomorrow.

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And Geoff Huffer has said that Ryan Moore will take over on Banjo Patterson in the Stanley M Threadwell Memorial Handicap.