Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Former jockey Campbell McCallum made a perfect start to his career in harness racing when he landed two winners from his first two drives in a race at the meeting at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park on Friday afternoon.
The 33-year-old McCallum set the pace with the $1.32 favourite Toni Street and won the second event (over 1609m) by a length from Miss Stefani.
His next drive was in the sixth event when he was in the sulky behind $6 chance Leap Of Faith, who started from the 50m mark (virtually 40m) in a 2503m stand. Leap Of Faith raced four back on the pegs before she sustained a strong burst and went four wide on the home turn to get up in the final couple of strides to win by a head from the favourite Distinguished Taste.
Toni Street and Leap Of Faith are prepared by 32-year-old trainer Luke Edwards.
McCallum’s winning streak ended in the final event when he handled the $101 outsider Dynamite Beach, who did not threaten danger and finished sixth behind Northern Gaze.
McCallum, who won the award as the Apprentice Jockey of the Year in far north Queensland in the 2005-06 season, rode 194 winners in a ten-year career in the saddle before turning his hand to training gallopers.
He rode winners at Broome, Derby, Carnarvon, Port Hedland, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Northam, Albany, Belmont and Ascot.
He rode $24 chance Central Park to victory in the 2014 Broome Cup and was successful in listed city events in 2012 with Werd (1100m WATC Stakes) and Zester (1200m Bolton Sprint). His first win as a trainer was with Prescience in a 2000m race at Belmont in September 2019.