Racing Articles

Callaghan a true student of the game
By Bill Tallon - June 1998
Canadian Editor of Daily Racing Form

Etobicoke, Ontario – There comes a time in the lives of many when a difficult decision must be made.

Sandy Hawley made that choice prior to this season, when he opted to gradually wind down his riding career while breaking into a public relations role with the Ontario Jockey Club. On Wednesday Hawley will be looking to go out with a bang, not a whimper, when he pilots Terremoto in the featured Dominion Day Handicap at Woodbine.

But a scene in another drama will be unfolding much more quietly here Wednesday, when Brett Callaghan climbs aboard Incitatus for trainer Ron Burke in an optional claiming/allowance race.

Callaghan, a 23-year-old native of Barbados, also has come to a crossroads. And while he stresses that he ‘s not hanging up his tack, he wants the world to understand why he’ll be less in evidence through the balance of this season.

While horses have been Callaghan’s first love, he also has cultivated an interest in computers. He and fellow rider Chris Griffith have designed and implemented a website for the Barbados Turf Club (www.barbadosturfclub.com) and for their part-time business, B & C Interlink Tech Web Designs. Callaghan also has a personal website, which includes his career statistics and photos of his winners.

Then, this April, the jockey attended a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer seminar, aimed at attracting full-time students to a private program.

"It was very interesting to me," he said, "And I liked computers so much I decided, for the fun of it, to go and sit the test to see if I was even eligible to do the course. So I sat the test, and I passed."

While Callaghan’s computer education involves basic problem solving, it did not fully equip him to deal with a conundrum of a personal nature. Things had not been going particularly well on the racing front, but was the rider really ready to put his career on hold?

"The course lasts five months," he said. "I need to pass six exams, but the last three I can do on my own time. I said to myself, "I’m still young; why not go ahead and do it?"

No sooner had Callaghan paid his not inconsiderable tuition fees then he started winning races, striking with Essa’s Secret and Incitatus.

"So then I started saying, ‘What the hell do I do now?" he said. "But then he said, "No, this is something I’ve got to do.’ To me, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, with this age of computers and technology still being in its young stages."

But Wednesday of course is Canada Day, freeing Callaghan for a reunion with Incitatus. And Incitatus, owned by Leichester Investments Ltd. And trained by Ron Burke, is an appropriate vehicle for the rider.

Both horse and trainer also are Barbadian-breds and won that country’s most prestigious race, the Sandy Lane (formerly Cockspur) Gold Cup, although not as a team. Incitatus was successful last year, while Burke clicked with Bentom in 1986.

And Callaghan, who has been galloping Incitatus since February and has been his regular afternoon partner this year, hopes to maintain his link with the talented 5-year-old plus other denizens of the backstretch.

"I still plan on galloping every Saturday and Sunday," he said. "I love riding horses, and it kind of takes my mind off the studying for a bit.

"And hopefully I might get a few more race rides, on a Wednesday evening, Saturday, Sunday or ‘bank holiday’ and from November onward. I’m not going to give it up; I love racing too much. My intentions are to return, full-time, next February.

"I’m sorry, in a way, that I have to do this. But I’m thinking long-term. I remember telling my mother, when I was 15, ‘I don’t need any more education. I’m going to be riding until I’m 82."

It cannot be easy to branch off the road well traveled to venture into the unknown. And Callaghan admits that already he has found it tough to keep the peace with himself, when his attention wanders and he gazes out the window on a sunny afternoon.

"I was in class the other day thinking, ‘I could be down the lane right now, pushing and scrubbing…’"