How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?
“HOW can the same s**t happen to the same guy twice?” exclaims John McClane as he battles another terrorist act in the first Die Hard sequel.
McClane’s rhetorical question to himself is something Victorian horseman David Murphy is asking this afternoon.
Making the trip across the border for last night’s South Australia Oaks at Globe Derby – which he won with Final Peace – Murphy is in a race against time to get back home before government shutdowns come into effect.
Murphy was due to leave South Australia this morning but has been left stranded by a faulty alternator.
As such the respected horseman is desperate to find a replacement part tomorrow morning to guarantee he has crossed the line into Victoria before mid Tuesday.
Borders are being shut in a bid to stop the spread of the Corona virus.
On August 24, 2007 Murphy made a trip to Harold Park where he was successful with Lombo Alliance and finished third in a Chariots Of Fire qualifier with Master Of Disguise.
Ready to return home that night, Murphy decided to rest for a couple of hours as he was feeling unwell.
While Murphy was resting the country went into shutdown due to the Equine Influenza outbreak!
Although he was allowed to return home, Murphy’s pacers had to remain in New South Wales.
“I had the flu, which is ironic , so I decided to rest for a bit before making the long drive home,” Murphy said. “Then I got a call telling me we can’t leave because of the shutdown with Equine Influenza.
“I got home but the horses had to stay there for six months and Master Of Disguise never returned to us.
“Now it’s happened again and I want to make sure I’m back in Victoria before another shutdown.
“I’ve done the alternator and have got a guy organised for the morning so I should be over border by 4pm assuming he can get his hands on the part pretty quickly.
“As long as we are out of the state by Tuesday it will be fine.”
As for Final Peace’s victory, the daughter of Village Jolt completed a 19-and-a-half metre win from Miss Iconic, with Fairiesdelight a metre away third in 2:00.2 over 2230 metres.