Callan Murray (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
The current dual SA and Zimbabwean champion apprentice, Callan Murray, jetted off to Australia on Wednesday, 7 December 2016, where he will be spending a working holiday at Hall of Fame trainer, David Hayes’ Lindsay Park Stables.
Callan hoped to leave for Australia shortly after the Summer Cup meeting, but has been left kicking his heels waiting for the paperwork to be approved. However, he put the delay to good use, explaining “When I still hadn’t received my visa by last Friday, I took rides for Tuesday night.” He used the opportunity to post a good win on Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Al Hawraa for the Mike de Kock stable. Not only did that make his last local ride a winning one, but it bodes well for his Australian stint as David Hayes trains for the Sheikh ‘Downunder’.
Callan’s visa finally came through on Wednesday morning and then it was all hands on deck to get him a flight. One thing he didn’t need to worry about though was packing, “I was so excited I packed a week ago!” he laughs.
Callan is currently sitting out an 8 hour layover in Perth, before catching another plane which should land him in Melbourne just after 5am on Friday morning. Although it’s been a long trip, he is looking forward to getting stuck in and already has a packed programme. “I’ll go to night racing at Moonee Valley tomorrow night and to Flemington on Saturday. After Saturday racing I’ll be going to Lindsay Park until Tuesday. Tuesday morning I’ve got barrier trials and Friday and Saturday I’ll be racing!”
We wish Callan all the best on his travels and will follow his progress with interest.
