LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Oisin Murphy led from the front in both victories and eloquence at Royal Ascot where he was crowned leading jockey just months after serving a ban for testing positive for cocaine.

The 25-year-old two-time British champion jockey received a reduced three-month ban compared to the six months fellow riding greats Frankie Dettori and Kieren Fallon once served.

This was because the French authorities accepted that he had come into contact with the drug due to “environmental contamination”, apparently via sexual contact with a user of the Class A drug.

The amiable Irishman admitted at one point he had considered giving up and having been seen as a good ambassador for the sport, he felt he had tarnished that reputation.

Murphy’s idol 50-year-old Dettori, though, played a huge role in keeping his spirits up through the dark days.

“He keeps messaging me and telling me not to go off the rails,” Murphy told the Sporting Life in March.

Indeed it was Dettori who, sportingly, was the first to ride up on Saturday (June 19) after Murphy clinched the leading rider honour, slapped him on the back and chatted away in the Italian’s inimitable style.

Murphy said that “never in my wildest dreams” did he think he would be top jockey at Royal Ascot.

“When I was a child I watched this meeting with my parents and I never thought this armband (that the leading jockey wears) belonged on me, but thankfully the last few days have been incredible.”

However, what makes Murphy stand out and makes him a good ambassador for the sport is his ability to see a bigger picture beyond the narrow prism of competing in the “sport of kings”.

His first thoughts in his interview after being confirmed as leading jockey were not on his achievement.

They were instead for the family of 15-year-old Irish pony rider Tiggy Hancock, who died on Wednesday following a riding accident.

Murphy had organised, too, for his fellow jockeys to wear yellow ribbons in the opening race on Saturday as a tribute to Hancock.

“My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. What a tragic loss,” said Murphy.

“I grew up riding ponies myself. There are no words to describe how they must be feeling. Everyone’s thinking about her.”

Murphy, too, can meet failure and success with equal good grace.

Such was the case when Dettori’s mount Campanelle was awarded the Commonwealth Cup on Friday, with Murphy’s mount Dragon Symbol demoted.

“I said to my valet in the jockey’s room when he put his arm ’round me after the stewards’ enquiry, ‘There is no place for tears in here,’ “ said Murphy.

“There are far worse things going on in the world and we are in the entertainment business.

“I am just lucky to be riding top-class horses.”