'Heading towards Tassie': Heroic actions save racehorse swimming out to sea

Ms Murphy - with the help of Bill Harry who had just arrived at the boat ramp after making a last-minute decision to go fishing on his boat that morning - managed to catch up with the horse.

But by then the horse had swum out behind the breakwater at Warrnambool in Victoria where there was "quite a swell".

And because the horse was spooked by the boat's engines, she decided to jump into the water where she was able to ride the horse - which still had a saddle on - and guide him until he reached calmer waters.

Once inside the bay, Ms Murphy - who swam competitively as a kid - got off and stayed beside the horse until he reached the beach.

"He lives to tell the tale all happy as Larry," she said.

The horse, Cleitus, spent the rest of the week resting at the Wilde Racing stables where they jokingly say they should rename him Thorpie after Australian Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe.

The drama unfolded on Monday, May 13, 2024 when Cleitus was wading chest high in the bay when he stumbled on some seaweed and half rolled.

"The rider sort of popped off the side. Very unusually it just went straight out to sea," trainer Symon Wilde said.

He said it was not unusual to lose a rider off a horse in the ocean but horses nearly always swam in an arch and came back or trotted to the float.

"But this horse just went directly out to sea," Mr Wilde said.

"They were watching it thinking it will turn any minute."

But when it got to where the boats were moored, he said, it just kept going.

"It wasn't coming back. It was just making a beeline for the open ocean," Mr Wilde said.

"It got past the breakwater and out into the open sea."

Mrs Murphy was watching the horses and getting ready to take other horses swimming behind the wooden row boats when they'd finished wading in the water - something they usually do for 15 to 20 minutes.

After about 10 minutes she noticed Cleitus lose his footing and start swimming out to the middle of Lady Bay.

"I started to panic a little bit," Mrs Murphy said.

They sprang into action and headed to the jetty where Mr Harry was only too happy to help.

"The horse had gotten to the end of the breakwater by this time which is probably 250 metres out. By the time we got to him, another 50 or 60 metres out," Ms Murphy said.

"We did a couple of laps around him in the boat because he was a bit wary of the motor and moved away every time the engine revived."

So, Mrs Murphy jumped in.

Mr Wilde said he couldn't believe she had jumped into the ocean.

"That's beyond the call of duty that. It's incredible," he said.

"She just went into action mode.

"If she didn't do that. That horse, I don't think it would have survived. It would have just swum out into the ocean.

"It was an amazing thing to do. I was quite blown away by her quick action. It saved the horse's life.

"They're the unsung heroes the stablehands. They don't get the credit they deserve."

Mr Harry was, in fact, running late to go fishing that morning but that just meant he was in the right place at the right time to help.

He said all the credit went to Mrs Murphy. "She did a great job. I just got her around there," he said.

Mr Harry said he usually liked to go fishing at daylight but got there about 7.45am instead. "I was running late. I was three-quarters of an hour later than normal. It was a last-minute decision to go fishing," Mr Harry said.

"I've seen the horses go out there but never out the back of the breakwater.

"All it wanted to do was keep swimming.

"By the time we got out to it, it was around the end of the breakwater and heading towards Tassie.

"It actually behaved pretty well really for something that was in a lot of trouble."

Mr Wilde said the horse had pulled up well after his 20-minute ocean swim. "It's a long time to swim, specially for a horse," he said.

"We've given him a quiet few days. He's come through it remarkably well."

He said the horse - which had only recently arrived at his stables - would probably get a start in a south-west race in the next three weeks or so.

Mrs Murphy said they expected him to do well in his next race.

"We've only just got him and he came second in his last race," she said.