Punters looking through the fields for Toowoomba tomorrow night probably did a double take when they spotted the name Noel Callow amongst the jockeys’ names for the second race on the card.
A night meeting at Toowoomba is a long way from anywhere punters are used to seeing Callow in action.
The five-time Group 1 winning jockey rode in Sydney only last Saturday where he partnered Lunar Fox in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas and his ride before that was aboard Pippie in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley the week before … so, it will not only be a change of scenery, but a fairly radical change of pace for the rider.
Callow has confirmed on the Racing Queensland (RQ) website that he will be based on the Gold Coast with his family for a couple of months.
“I just want to ride on the Coast on Saturdays,” Callow told RQ. “I will not be coming to Eagle Farm or Doomben on the Saturdays,” he said.
“If there are mid-weeks at those tracks or elsewhere, I am happy to go to town, but I am happy to just do the Gold Coast on a Saturday.
“I have told everyone that I am happy just to fill in the gaps and I am focussed on the Coast on Saturday, to build a base here and ride at a weight I am comfortable with.
“I have not got many good horses back home that I am committed to, so I thought why not come up.”
Callow has been riding work for Gold Coast trainers Gillian Heinrich and Les Kelly and is already in fair demand.
Callow has only one ride at Toowoomba … Master Baylee for trainer Jason Edwards … but he has six bookings for the Gold Coast on Saturday, two for Heinrich and one for Kelly.
