Murray Sullivan: Respected reinsman will be in action at Tamworth Paceway on Thursday

The Tamworth meeting on Thursday afternoon will see Sullivan have four driving engagements.

And after his win behind the Jarred Hetherington-trained Miss Maravu at the last Paceway meeting, he will look to continue that winning form with the filly.

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"She will be good, if not better, than last week," said Sullivan of Miss Maravu, who will line up in the Jackson Quality Meats Armidale Pace.

"Jarred has got the filly back to where she should be."

Miss Maravu produced a 12-metre win and a neat two-minute mile rate for 1980m at Tamworth on October 7.

On Thursday, Sullivan will also pilot the Hetherington-trained Sahara Jewel.

"Jarred thinks she could be a place prospect," he said.

Narrabri pacer Go Joe, from the Peter Shepherdson stables, will also have the services of Sullivan.

"I don't mind the horse and I don't see why he can't be in the mix as well," he said.

In the opening race, Sullivan will take the reins behind Our Chanelle, for the Dean Chapple stables.

"This is the first time that I have driven for Dean but it is not from the lack of trying," he said.

"I have been booked up to drive for Dean three times before but something always happened and I had to hand up the drive."

Along with his wife Meg, Sullivan made the move to Tamworth eight months ago from their hometown of Forbes. The couple are slowly setting up their Moore Creek property.

"We purchased five acres," he said. "And eventually I am hoping to put in a jog track and get a couple of horses ... but at the moment I am working fulltime and handling the driving."

The disability support worker is well known in Western Districts harness racing, where he formed a great team with his cousin Jason Gaffney.

"At our peak we had 25 horses in work, plus working fulltime ourselves, but then the kids come along," Sullivan said, with a smile.

"We both had our first child a month apart. Meg and I had Sadie, who is now four, and Jason and his wife Melissa had a son, Dash.

"Our second children were born a day apart. Jason had Trace and we have Kenny. And they are now two years old.

"There was nothing planned there, either, with the arrival dates - it was just the way it happened."

Before marriage and kids became the centre of Sullivan's life, he was making a name for himself working for some reputable stables within the industry, firstly in Sydney.

"I worked for Johnny Tapp for six years, then the Sloy Company at their stables in Sydney for a year.

"And then I headed to Queensland to work for Clive Palmer for a couple of years, when he had the horses, but that all ended when he went into politics - and I headed back to Forbes."

Sullivan and Meg chose Tamworth as their new home for a specific reason.

"Meg's parents live right on the beach at the Gold Coast and my family is back in Forbes, so Tamworth is the halfway mark," he said.

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