Noel Callow poised for Adelaide comeback after serving 10-month ban

Noel Callow will look to reboot his controversy-plagued riding career in Adelaide, with the Group 1-winning jockey relocating to his home state after serving a 10-month ban.

The talented jockey, whose latest off-the-track indiscretions saw him sidelined for 10 months by Queensland Racing Integrity Commission stewards, intends to return to the saddle on August 1.

Callow confirmed his comeback to The Straight but chose not to comment further, preferring to let his riding do the talking.

He has earmarked the Morphettville Parks meeting on the opening day of the 2026/27 season, pending officially being granted a jockey’s licence by Racing SA stewards. 

Racing SA chairman of stewards Matt Santoro said on Tuesday that Callow had been granted a trackwork riders’ licence and that his panel would meet with him to discuss his application before the new season.

“He’s been given a trackwork rider licence here until the end of the season. We will speak with Noel in the next couple of weeks, see how he’s going and then discuss him being re-licensed to ride in races from the start of the new season,” Santoro told The Straight. 

“He hasn’t been granted it yet, but everything is on track for it to take place.”

Callow, 52, was last year disqualified for 10 months after a video surfaced of the jockey using “racially charged language”. He pleaded guilty to the charge.

When another video came to light, he was penalised for a further five months, with three months to be served concurrently.

He later successfully appealed the penalty to have the five months served concurrently, meaning he could reapply for his jockey’s licence on June 22. 

Callow, who has been based on the Gold Coast since early 2021, had only just returned from a two-month suspension for a post-race altercation with fellow jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor at a midweek Doomben meeting in May last year.

The veteran jockey set about his comeback from the Wilson-Taylor penalty at the Darwin Cup carnival in July last year, having four mounts including riding a winner, when the offensive videos came to light.

He had ridden 47 winners for the season and was becoming one of the go-to jockeys on Brisbane’s metropolitan circuit.

A five-time Group 1 winner, Callow’s storied career has seen him ride with distinction and infamy in Victoria, Singapore and Malaysia prior to his stop-start Queensland career was again halted after the offensive videos found their way into the public domain.

He pleaded guilty to conduct detrimental to the interests of racing and in recent months has quietly gone about rebuilding his reputation in the best way he knows how – in the saddle.

Callow’s Adelaide return has been interrupted by postponed jump-outs and barrier trials, but he plans to build up his workload over the next fortnight ahead of the Morphettville meeting.

The jockey would add depth to the riding ranks in South Australia where Jason Holder is on the verge of claiming this season’s state and metropolitan premiership.

Kayla Crowther and Rochelle Milnes are second and third in the premiership respectively, with Todd Pannell in fourth.