John Murphy stands up in his little office just round the corner from the stables on Highfort Stud, near Upton. It's been a busy old day in a busy week what with people wanting a piece of him - the reason why is plastered all over the wall in clippings and photos - and he's just got a small job to do while you wait. You suggest the interest is a sign things are going well. He smiles the good smile, brings you through to the front room of his house and though it's hardly top of his list of ways to pass away a half-hour with a million and one things to be done and he's not one for babbling on, he'll chat away about that reason.

So, Newmill, holder of Champion Chase trophy and going back for another tilt.

The story has its Bethlehem when Batt Hayes (the owner) drove into Murphy's yard a couple of years ago with the horse in a trailer and designs on dropping him off.

Murphy knew of the horse and accepted the challenge, wanted to see what he was made of. What were first impressions?

"Nice horse. . . we didn't really have an idea what kind of trip he needed. But we started working him and after a few months I suppose we realised he had this exceptional speed, a cruising speed that he can keep up for a long time and makes it hard for other horses to go with him."

That speed was one thing. The ability to sustain it was another. And if it's that lasting power that caught others on the hop and ultimately battered them last year, well it was noted a good while back around the fields of Highfort. The trainer remembers when that particular lesson was learnt and ticked off.

"We've a very, very demanding gallop here and if a horse goes fast up there once, they'll find it difficult going up it next time.

They learn to take it handy. This animal actually went faster the next time. So you've got jockeys who've been riding it for years and they're coming back to me saying, 'Whoa, this is a bit different you know, a bit special.' But that's his forte, the relentless gallop he has. He's just a high-energy horse naturally."

Not that it flowed together as swimmingly as all this. Murphy realised fairly quickly that the horse was a sensitive one that'd need a certain type of handling.

Confidence was rickety. "We were only toying with him for a while, " he explains, "trying to get him to be confident in himself. We found that if we put him under too much pressure he wasn't a happy horse. He had to think he was completely in control of the situation and once he was in that frame of mind, we could do some serious work on getting him fully fit."

They had him build the confidence back slowly and worked on his jumping by employing some showjumping techniques (In fact Newmill still uses showjumping poles in training along with a good whack of dressage work. John Murphy's background is in showjumping and he's mentioned a few times how the greater detail and knowledge of this discipline has helped his horse). He ran him over hurdles just to get the eye in for jumping. Gradually it came together.

Leopardstown in December 2005 was not so much a turning point for Newmill as a realisation point where potential became crystal clear to those close to him. Andrew McNamara (who'd been on him in Punchestown a while before where, according to the jockey, "he'd been travelling well and then just cut out") remembers thinking that the horse came third at his ease that day and had stayed with some fine horses.

John Murphy came home contemplating similar thoughts. "He definitely still wasn't 100 per cent that day but he stayed with them. I was thinking to myself, 'If we got him right, what'd he be capable of?'" They'd soon find out.

A smooth win in Thurles under Robert Power - possibly the turning point - that brought the horse on. And then what can only be described as that romp in Cheltenham (a nine-length victory where he burned the other horses) - his trainer isn't entirely sure if there was a surprise factor but then the horse went and won by 15 lengths at Punchestown a month later.

No more shock. Just speed and stamina and potential brimming over into results.

This season's been stop/start at best so far, frustrating for horse, trainer and owner.

Plenty chances to run have gone down the drain with the weather as the horse isn't a fan of heavy ground, he's finished last and fallen in two of the three outings but then he looked great in winning in Gowran recently. He's working away on his own as always and working hard at that, adds his trainer. And his trainer is hopefully, cautiously confident that once the horse gets a jockey on his back and gets revved up - the preliminaries don't particularly bother him - there'll be enough in the tank for a go at whatever he fancies.

More than anything, Murphy wants to get across the team ethic involved in an operation like this one, from Pam Osbourne his handler who's with him day and night to his workrider. He mentions Tom O'Leary, Newmill's previous trainer as well, not wanting to take all the credit for the development of the horse. He knows he'll worry about the little things over the next few days, wondering what he's forgotten or could have changed and going through the race in his head. "Of course, you'd be dreaming of the ideal situation but that rarely happens. The horse tends to lead from the front but he doesn't have to, he's won by cruising from behind too. Ashley Brook will likely lead from the front anyway so he won't have to do that kind of work. You can be confident but one mistake and it's gone."

John Murphy is back at Cheltenham.

He'll most likely walk the course this morning before making a last-minute call on Champion Chase or Champion Hurdle and he's got maybe five other horses here as well. And you know what, he reckons he could do without it. Ask him if this is the best part of the job and he'll come over all homebird. "I'd prefer being around the yard. Less stress, less hassle, less pressure. I prefer working with the horses, that's what I love and what I get my kick out of. Bringing on a young horse, seeing him go on to better things."

Happens that's just what he's doing.