Booking mounts at Beulah from Down Under

Jockey agents do a large part of their work by telephone. But usually it's not an international call.

Jeff Perrin, however, is booking rides for both Edgar Paucar and Christian Pilares at Beulah Park from Sydney, Australia.

Paucar was injured in gate accident last December when Chucks a Devil Girl reared and threw him against the gate, fracturing one of his vertebra. With Paucar sidelined, Perrin decided to go home and visit his family in Australia.

"I left Australia when I was 19 and have traveled all over the world," Perrin, 42, said in his thick Australian accent. "I have been in a total of 30 countries. I haven't been home in quite some time, so I wanted to reconnect with my family and country."

Paucar and Perrin have been together for six years, winning 10 riding titles at Beulah Park and two at River Downs. When Paucar made an unexpectedly quick return to riding Feb. 1, Perrin decided to stay in Australia and enjoy the beach, as it is now summer there.

"Both of my kids in the U.S. are older now," he said, "so I felt like it was finally the right time to spend some time here."

Perrin has to be up from midnight to 3:30 or 4 a.m. Australian time to take care of business for his two riders, because there is a 16-hour time difference.

"I can do everything from here by phone," Perrin said. "I seldom go to the track anyway, so what is the difference if I am in Australia or at home in Grove City?"

Racing secretary Tim Richardson sees Perrin's point, but the time difference can sometimes make things tricky.

"Unfortunately we have to call the absentee agents during the draw when they have more than one mount in a race," Richardson said. "Normally we have to call Jeff about three out of every five times we draw."

Perrin expects to return to Ohio in the next month, mainly to see his children, Kaleb, 18, and Whitney, 16.