Performance People Oisin Murphy | 5x Champion Jockey on Alcoholism, Sacrifice & the Price of Greatness
Oisin Murphy is one of the most successful jockeys of his generation, a x5 Champion Jockey whose career has been defined by brilliance, pressure, relapse, recovery and an unrelenting pursuit of winning.
In this episode of Performance People, Oisin speaks with rare honesty about the reality behind elite success. He reflects on the horse that changed everything for him, Roaring Lion, and explains why winning major titles has never brought the sense of fulfilment people assume it should. He opens up about the mental strain of race riding, his obsession with strike rate, the exhausting demands of making weight, and the psychological cost of constantly trying to stay at the top.
Most strikingly, Oisin talks candidly about alcohol, blackout drinking, sobriety and the damage addiction caused in both his personal and professional life. He explains why his 2025 comeback title mattered so much, how he felt people had had enough of him, and why proving people wrong became part of the fuel behind that season.
Oisin's book: Sacrifice: A Year in the Life of a Champion Jockey - available now
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:58 Why 2018 Changed Everything
01:23 Roaring Lion and the Horse That Made Him
08:24 Why the Book Is Called Sacrifice
10:51 The Reality of Riding 1,000 Horses a Year
13:45 Why Being a Jockey Is So Unforgiving
15:49 The Obsession With Strike Rate
18:21 Alcohol, Blackouts and Hitting Rock Bottom
23:52 How He’s Approaching Sobriety Differently
27:16 Why Sobriety Made Him a Better Rider
30:03 Why He’s Already Thinking About Retirement
39:36 Why Winning the Champion Jockey Title Brings No Joy
42:10 The 2025 Comeback Title and Proving People Wrong
53:54 The One Race He Still Dreams of Winning
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The Performance People podcast, in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.
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