The first trip abroad for Victorian apprentice Ethan Brown has lasted less than 24 hours.
Brown arrived in London on Sunday to start a six-week stint with Newmarket trainer William Haggas but was denied entry into the UK because he didn’t have the correct paperwork.
Victorian Jockeys Association chief executive Matt Hyland said Brown had gone to the UK with the best intentions but did not have the appropriate visa.
“I spoke to him this morning and he seems fine,” Hyland said.
Hyland said the landscape had changed dramatically in recent years in the UK in regards to getting a work visa.
Regan Bayliss was booked for a stint with Ed Dunlop at Newmarket last year but the trip was cancelled at the last minute when he could not obtain a work visa.
Hyland was contacted in the early hours of Monday morning by Brown’s worried mother after he was refused entry and held in immigration.
Hyland said he contacted those charged with trying to get a visa for Bayliss last year and was told Brown would be sent home.
“She said they’ll be putting him on a plane and sending him straight back home,” Hyland said.
“He won’t leave the airport. They’ll put him in a room and put him on the first available flight out.”
Hyland said he believed Brown was returning on an 8am flight out of London on Monday after arriving on Sunday at midday.
