The perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime, or so the old adage goes about a fundamental tenet of police work, but in the case of thoroughbred horse racing, the saying is applicable for Queensland Racing Hall of Fame jockey Chris Munce, except to the best of our knowledge, Munce is guilty of nothing, other than a desire to test his training prowess on the Melbourne metropolitan tracks to have a go at some of the races he won as a jockey. At least, that regrettable business in Hong Kong aside.
He has been training in the Sunshine State and seems content for now, but his aspirations of having a team of runners to take to the spring carnival big races is no secret.
He is well known in the Melbourne racing environs, having won the Melbourne Cup there. He has 35 Group 1 races to his credit, including the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate and two Golden Slipper Stakes.
Much as a jockey serves an apprenticeship before taking the big rides, Munce is learning to be a trainer in Queensland, out of the glare and scrutiny of the big venues in Melbourne and Sydney.
Training for the first time last season, Munce trained 31 winners and presently has 40 horses working for him.
He will be a selective buyer in the quest to fill the boxes he has secured at the recently renovated Eagle Farm when he relocates there at the end of the year.
