County Louth breeder Judy Murphy of Java Sport Horses has achieved almost unparalleled success in terms of mare to result ratio. Out of a small string of no more than six broodmares, she has farm-bred six 1.60m, three 1.45m jumpers and a CSI4* eventer.

Despite that success, it is very rare to get an interview with her.

“I don’t think I’m that good!” she replied when I asked to talk about her breeding programme. But you can’t argue with results and her results are astonishing.

In January, Java’s Miss Jordan ISH (Luidam – Ally Angel x OBOS Quality) got hearts racing as she won the $137,000 1.55m FEI Brown Advisory Grand Prix in the US with Ireland’s Nicky Galligan.

The combination also placed second in the 1.50m Thermal California CSI3* in February and won the CSI3* $36,600 1.45m speed class and the $250,000 four-star Grand Prix at the same venue in March.

Unlike many breeders, horses haven’t always been Judy’s life, it wasn’t until she became a farmer’s wife and was raising her children, that she felt she needed something else to do and looked towards horses. She had always loved quality cobs and piebald horses and decided she would have a go at breeding a couple. She admits that she always heeded the advice her husband Frank gave her, and has stuck by it ever since.

“Frank bred pedigree Charolais cattle and he said to me, “I know nothing about horses, but if you want to breed top stock then you’d better have the best and breed to the best,” Judy says.

Although she began with a piebald pony, it was a nice one and like much that followed, the podium soon called. That piebald mare was Susie All Sorts (pedigree unrecorded) and from her she bred 14.2hh Javas Alun (ISH) (Cavalier Two For Joy – Drumhowan Bits ‘n Pieces x Ruben James).

Javas Alun won team bronze on the British team with Hallie Lunn and went on to win the 2018 Norwegian Championship and to perform successfully many times internationally with rider Madeleine Lein.

Before selling her, Judy put Javas Alun in foal to stallion Wivollet Vanbeek KWPN. That foal was Javas Lady Bug (ISH) who was very talented just like her mother and competed first in Ireland and then internationally. Sadly, Javas Lady Bug was lost to colic.

When Judy moved into horses she began to build a small and considered broodmare herd. This herd has remained small and quality and has included the incredible Cruising mare, Javas Honey who was purchased from George and Heather Allen of Mullentine Farm.

Javas Honey has not only produced Mikey Pender’s 1.60m rising star HHS Java’s Gucci (Luidam – Javas Honey x Cruising) who is showing Olympic potential, but she also bred 1.60m Javas Georgie B by Ard VDL Douglas who competed with Kyle Timm (USA).

Javas Honey was lost, but she left behind two daughters, Javas India by Pacino and Javas Katie by Kannan both mares remain in Judy’s breeding programme.

Healthy mares

Like in most things, Judy has her own way of doing things. She believes the secret to healthy mares is plenty of good grass and keeping things as natural as possible.

She admits to a few hairy moments in the field over the years, saying: “One time I parked the jeep in the field, I used to just sit in it and keep warm and watch for the mares. I remember one night it was a really wild storm: I could hardly see anything with the lashing rain.

“Suddenly in the distance, I saw the black silhouette of a mare on the horizon of the hill and following behind her the tiny silhouette of a new born foal, of course we named it Javas Keltic Storm!”

Killian Norris and Java's Alun on their way to winning the 148cm 1.30m HSI in 2013 \ Prime-photography.com

Judy doesn’t always rely on cars and jeeps though – cameras are much improved today, but when first developed years ago, she was ahead of the game and bought a set to hook up to the TV.

She got more than she bargained for as she explained to me laughing: “I thought I was the bees’ knees! The cameras were all set up in the shed so we could see the images of the mare broadcast live onto our analogue telly.

“I sat with a cup of tea safe in the knowledge I could see everything the mare was doing, then the house phone rang, then rang again and again ...

“As it turns out not only could I watch my expectant mare, but so could the entire neighbourhood because the images were coming through on every channel on every TV in the area!”

Stallion choices

Judy has always been brave. Her choice of stallions in the beginning was contentious – stand up rows in Teagasc breeding meetings over her use of the foreign horse, people were disgusted. She was more philosophical about the whole thing and saw it as a logical decision.

“When I first saw Cavalier Royale, I saw in him so many positives that would mix well with our sound, solid Irish horse,” she says.

Judy confesses it wasn’t always easy and she admits to learning much from Ballycastle’s international rider, producer and dealer Liam McGarry who had faith in her breeding and who came back to buy her foals year after year.

Vets have also played a vital role in Judy’s progress and she is quick to point out trailblazer repro vet John Hughes as a vet who supported her greatly when she started out.

The second vet who she says has been a great help to her and has done all of her embryo work is Carrickview Stud’s John Haughey, “John is brilliant. It was such a day to remember the day Javas Katie flushed twins by Kentucky and both held in the recipients – we couldn’t believe it, it was amazing! And last year he flushed and retained twins by Pegase van’t Ruytershof for us.”

When it comes to stallions, Judy believes she has never had a bad one. She used Luidam early in his career and always believed he was going to be a great sire.

She is keen to show appreciation to the people who supported her from the beginning and Richard Wright she describes as being a great support. Richard was formerly based at Ard Cherry Mount Stud where Luidam and Ard VDL Douglas stood.

Nicky Galligan and Javas Miss Jordan, bred by Judy Murphy

Continuing with the Ard Cherry Mount crosses, another outstanding mare of note in Judy’s herd was traditionally-bred Lady Clover Kilkenny TIH (Clover Hill – Kilkenny Rose x Balboa xx) who produced the 1.60m Javas Wild Child ISH by Ard VDL Douglas who was campaigned internationally by world renowned Robert Whitaker (GB).

Lady Clover Kilkenny also bred the 2003 mare Javas Purple Rain (Courage II – Lady Clover Kilkenny x Clover Hill) who looks to be continuing the genetic propensity for success through Grand Prix offspring Javas Gold Rush and Javas True Colours both by Luidam.

Judy’s mares seem to know a secret and have almost all produced top performers. Mares such as Octane d’Orcival (Kannan – Tanagra van ter Moude D’10 x Capitol II) bred 1.60m Double T (Java’s Foreign Affair) by Lux Z, and Celtic Tiger (Clover Hill – Culmore Bay x Penistone xx) produced 1.60m Javas Keltic Mist by Ard VDL Douglas ridden by Brian Cournane (IRL). It doesn’t stop at show jumping either as mare Porsch Spice bred Javas Spice ISH by Poltarf who has evented at CCI-S 4* level with rider Chloe Bell (UK).

Moving forward, Judy admits that she is not getting any younger, and as yet her family don’t seem to share her passion for breeding horses, so she plans to move forward and sell a few youngsters on.

I’m not sure I fully believe her when she says she’s slowing down though, as her yearlings by Poker de Mariposa, Don VHP, Grandurado and twins by Kentucky look incredibly exciting and destined for more international successes.

My money is on her grandchildren taking over and until then, as spring edges in, she will be back in the jeep at night parked up in her field of dreams waiting for some very special foals to arrive.