Former Knights NRL forward Darren Treacy was bitten by the racing bug long before his rugby league career took off in Newcastle in the mid-1990s.

It just took some persuading 20 years after his retirement, following 208 top-grade games at the Knights, Dragons, Eels and English club Salford, and a crack at owning a Hunter pub, to take out his trainers’ licence and go all in on racing.

Now the Taree-based 54-year-old is heading back to his hometown for a shot at black-type level with one-start winner Ghayoor on Saturday in the group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m).

Ghayoor’s commanding win at home on August 15 over 1262m is one of just six Treacy has had since starting out “with a couple of slow, older horses” two years ago at Newcastle. He moved to Taree this year and has expanded to 12 in work,

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