New challenge comes calling for Bryse McElhinney

By Andrew Smith

Bryse McElhinney is already experienced behind the microphone at harness meetings, but he admits it will be a whole new ball game when he calls his first thoroughbred meeting this weekend.

The 25-year-old will fly north on Saturday morning to call the five-race card on the dirt in Mt Isa.

Around 10 years ago, the harness driver and trainer had suggested as a joke to lead Sydney caller Fred Hastings that he would like to have a go behind the microphone.

Hastings threw McElhinney right into the deep end, and the youngster started calling the mini trots as a 16-year-old.

He has now called the last two non-TAB meetings at Redcliffe on Melbourne Cup day, but it was a phone call from bush race caller Andrew Watts that lead to McElhinney booking his trip to the Gulf Country region.

“Andrew Watts had spoken to (race caller) Anthony Collins and ‘Wattsy’ gave me a call on Monday about coming up there…I jumped at the opportunity,” McElhinney said.

“It’ll probably take a bit more studying with the numbers and looking at the form a bit more than what I do with the trots, jumping from the different barriers to what their saddlecloth is.

“I’ve watched a few replays and the track seems like it’s good viewing from the caller’s box, so it should be alright as long as I study hard and go from there.”

McElhinney will also head to Tamworth next week to call the 2025 NSW Mini Trot Championships over Easter.

The race calling is an area of his career that he is hoping to develop and get more experience in into the future.

“I always sat at home with palm cards from fields and called my own races,” McElhinney said.

“I don't believe them and a lot of people don't believe them, but Mum and Dad actually said I called a race in my sleep once, featuring Blacks A Fake, so maybe I was just destined to do it.

“I've lost my claim and I only drive my own three horses so if I don't get a bigger team, this race calling will be the way to go, because it's always good in this industry to have something to fall back on.

“It’s really taken off for me so it's something I enjoy.”

On the harness track, the 25-year-old has been enjoying success this season with pacer Rock Supreme, with his small stable also including Sir Jujon and Gidup Captain.

After working for several different trainers over the years, McElhinney decided to take out his own trainer’s licence in 2024.

Born in Penrith, the New South Welshman details how he was always be destined to be involved in the industry.

“Obviously, I was born into the harness racing game - Dad and three of his brothers were involved from a young age, and the main one would probably be Glenn McElhinney,” McElhinney said.

“He's driven in excess of 1500 winners, and was one of the best freelance drivers going around about 15 years ago, and was always in the top three nationwide.

“I came through the mini trots and did a few stints with some trainers, I worked for Hall of Famer Paul Fitzpatrick for 12 months alongside his son, Gavin, and then I moved next door to Blake Fitzpatrick, and I was there for three years.

“I was always good friends with Lachie Manzelmann in Sydney and he moved back up here, and he had a job opportunity going, and I thought I'd change the scenery up a bit  - so I moved up here to Queensland and brought Rock Supreme up with me.”

McElhinney moved back down south for a year and expanded his knowledge during that time working for the Group 1-winning stables of KerryAnn and Robert Morris, as well as Dean and Kerry McDowell.

But the Sunshine State called him back in August of 2022 and McElhinney found himself working for leading local conditioner Jack Butler out of Logan Village.

It was then that McElhinney decided he needed a new challenge by starting his own stable, admitting it had been a bit of an adjustment to the new setup.

“I was at Jack’s for a bit over 12 months, and went to branch out on my own - I just thought the time was right as well and I was going to try and expand my own stable,” McElhinney said.

“I got another couple of horses in the meantime, and just for a bit of extra cash, I started helping out Doug Hewitt as well when he moved up to Queensland as well.

“It was a lot harder than I expected, having to do everything and not have anyone to fall back on, and it's been a slow process, but it's starting to work out now.”

McElhinney has 46 wins as a driver, and five to his name as a trainer.

All five of those wins have come from Rock Supreme, who McElhinney holds a special bond with.

While the seven-year-old has raced under the names of several trainers, it is McElhinney who has been the one taking care of the pacer behind the scenes for some time.

He has also been in the sulky for the majority of Rock Supreme’s wins since he debuted at Newcastle in November 2020.

The gelding has been enjoying a bumper 2025 so far with back-to-back wins at Albion in February, followed by two second-place finishes.

“Rock Supreme’s probably been the bread-and-butter horse for us and for me for a long time,” McElhinney said.

“He raced last Friday night at Albion Park and finished second after trying to take Congo Line all the way and he's been racing ultra-consistent this year.

“This year he’s been flying of late, and a couple of years ago, he was in the same patch of form where he won about six out of his nine starts.

“So I think I’ve finally got that Rock Supreme back, and it's really starting to come together and I  think he's got a bright year.”

On top of all that, McElhinney is also busy planning a wedding to fiancée Lily Small.

The young couple met while working for Jack Butler and got engaged in October 2024.

Small works to retrain standardbreds for life after racing, and currently has two at the couple’s property.

Having a partner involved in the other side of the industry has proven to be beneficial for McElhinney’s training.

“We clash a lot, as most couples do in this industry - I'd be lying if we if I said we were perfect, but we get in and get it done, and it's a good combination,” McElhinney said.

“Being an off-the-track standardbred trainer, she can ride so sometimes she might throw the saddle on Gidup Captain for a bit of different training.

“We bounce off each other and it's good to have her input, so we've got that aspect as well and we can change up our training methods if we want to.”

Small herself is looking to follow in her partner’s footsteps and one day line up in the sulky for races.

Juggling the retraining, she has been buoyed by McElhinney’s support in her pursuit of adding another string to her bow.

“I'm currently doing my trial drives to hopefully then race in the future and I wouldn't have even dreamed of doing anything like that without Bryse,” Small said.

“He's really put me in the right direction and taught me so much to do with the driving side of things.

“It's really great to see how much he's progressed in the last couple months, and he's really hoping to branch out into race calling as well.

“It's really great to be able to watch him achieve his dreams and succeed…his horses are flying at the moment, so hopefully they stay that way.”