Jockey wins G1s on Rafeef and Haute Couture.
Nine years ago, Callan Murray, an impossibly young-looking 20-year-old, rode three Grade 1 winners in one afternoon.
He later moved to Australia but managed just a solitary Grade 1 engagement over three whole years.
This past weekend, back in South Africa, Callan, taller and leaner but still cherubically youthful, rekindled memories as he landed a Grade 1 victory – notably on a son of one of his winners on that golden day way back when.
It was SA Derby Day, 6 May 2017, at Turffontein when Murray picked up the trio of Grade 1 trophies – on Mustaqueem in the SA Nursery for trainer Mike de Kock, on full brother Rafeef in the Computaform Sprint, also for De Kock, and on Deo Juvente in the SA Oaks for Geoff Woodruff.
Murray has since mentioned Rafeef as a particular favourite companion in his eventful, well-travelled career.
Keeping things in the family
On Saturday, 23 May 2026, on Scottsville’s ‘Speed Day’, Murray showed the talent and pace judgement that have made him a firm favourite since his return from Down Under as he triumphed on Haute Couture in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion for the De Kock yard. Haute Couture is by Rafeef.
It might sound nepotistic, but there’s clearly something to be said for keeping things in the family.
Consider, too, Murray has previously won on a son of the hugely popular filly Keepingthepeace, on whom he also once landed a Grade 1 for De Kock.
Haute Couture is hot racing property after a tremendous effort overcoming a 4-10 favourite, unbeaten in three starts, Rich Man’s World in a ding-dong battle up the stiff Scottsville stretch.
The colt, whose granddam is phenomenal grey race mare Ilha da Vitoria, had not been to the races before early May, when he trotted up by more than 10 lengths in a Joburg maiden juvenile plate.
Mathew de Kock, a new generation grasping the baton from father, the master, put the kibosh on speculation of Haute Couture strutting his stuff on the winter catwalk by declaring he’d probably be kept under wraps until the Cape Town summer.
