Whiz kid apprentice jockey Jace McMurray returns to old stomping ground for Cairns Cup day

The 18-year-old jockey whiz kid returns to his old stomping ground, where he went to primary school.

He has a ride on the Clinton Taylor-trained Rockhampton-based Viennawaitsforyou in the Magic Millions Daintree Guineas and he’s down to ride Magic Conqueror in the Cairns Cup as well as being the rider on second emergency Kick On Command.

McMurray is a star on the rise, apprenticed to trainer Adam Campton on the Gold Coast, and he’s turning heads with his riding feats including riding three consecutive winners for Campton on his home track in July.

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McMurray boasts an impressive 20 per cent winning strike rate in his short career and top judges including retired champion rider Robbie Fradd say the young rider is incredibly talented and headed for big things.

Until recently, McMurray wasn’t even old enough to buy a beer at a pub and he only has a provisional driver license.

But the jockey who turned 18 last month will have friends who will celebrate in style should he have a successful Cairns Cup day.

“I grew up in Cairns, my family moved there just before I turned one and I lived there for 11 or 12 years,” McMurray said.

“I’ve never ridden at Cairns, but there are photos of me as a young kid going to the races at Mareeba.

“I told Adam (Campton) about a fortnight ago that the Cairns Cup was coming up and I wanted to see if I could go up and ride on the day.

“At first, he said no.

“But then a couple of days later, Clinton Taylor had rung Adam and said he had some rides for me so Adam told me I was going to Cairns.

“I have still got mates in Cairns and a couple of them are coming to the races on Saturday.”

McMurray didn’t sit on a horse for the first time until he was 14 and at various times he considered pursuing a career in surfing or mixed martial arts.

Grandfather Michael, an accomplished jockey in his own right, always told the youngster to talk to him if he ever thought about being a jockey.

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One day, the youngster went up to his grandfather and said that was exactly what he wanted.

“I was always the smallest in my footy team, so I was probably always going to be the right size to be a jockey,” McMurray said.

“I grew up watching racing, I wasn’t bred right into the game, but my Pop was a jockey.

“Pop always said to me if I ever wanted to be a jockey, just to let him know because he had heaps of connections.

“It all went from there.

“Thankfully, I have got the right support behind me and some good trainers have started noticing me early.”

While many apprentice jockeys are forced to hone their craft at non-TAB meetings in the bush, McMurray is getting rides on the TAB circuit early in his career.

The iconic Cairns Cup day will be another major moment in his young career.

Kick On Command is an emergency for the Cairns Cup and, as of Thursday morning, McMurray and Taylor were sweating on the six-year-old gelding getting into the starting field.

Originally published as Whiz kid apprentice jockey Jace McMurray returns to old stomping ground for Cairns Cup day