HOME AND AWAY/ Mark Wallace:  MARK WALLACE is eagerly anticipating the start of his new life as a racehorse trainer in Australia but even for a man used to early starts at his current base in Newmarket in England there is one part of the package he will not relish.

"The one drawback really is that they start work over there at half three in the morning. That's going to take some getting used to. It means going to bed at nine every night," he says, a little horrified at the thought.

However, as with most things associated with the racing way of life down under there is an upside. Going to work in the middle of the night means not having to deal with Sydney's rush-hour traffic. A clear run also allows Wallace and his girlfriend to organise a house closer to her own job. Around such details does starting life on the other side of the world revolve.

Currently putting the final touches to the wind-down of a Newmarket operation that has already seen him taste Group One glory after just six years with a licence, Wallace is gearing up for his New Year move to Sydney where he will be based at the Warwick Farm racetrack.

It is revolutionary move for an established trainer from this part of the world to go to an Australian racing environment that has as much that is alien as it does in common.

The increasing influence of Irish and European horses on races like the Melbourne Cup is slowly making on impression on the Aussie racing psyche but there is still a substantial rump that views any deviation from their way of training as European wishy-washiness.

"They do like to gun their horses down there," Wallace says diplomatically, not mentioning that the usual description for a serious piece of work down under is "flogging." However, the 36-year-old Tipperary-born trainer believes he is making his move at the right time.

"The recent wins for All The Good (Caulfied Cup) and Bauer (Geelong Cup) has them scratching their heads a bit. I think they're slowly starting to realise that you don't have to have a run a week beforehand, with two gallops in between," he says.

"At the same time I'm not going to be able to things the same way I do in Newmarket. Most trainers train at the track like they do in America. So I'm going to have to adapt as well. Hopefully we can get the balance right," Wallace adds.

Adapting is not something he has had trouble with so far in his career. The son of a doctor based just outside Tipperary town, Wallace describes his school days as "varied and chequered". He grins: "I started secondary in Clongowes but there was a difference of opinion. So then I went to Abbey CBS in Tipperary for a year when there was another difference of opinion. I wasted a lot of my Dad's money but he probably managed to bribe someone to get me into Glenstal!

"I got an education there but in hindsight, the contacts I made were more important. I met my two best friends in the world, Tim Hyde and David Wachman, and the day after I finished my Leaving, I started work at Camas Park Stud, which is owned by Tim's father."

That was the first step on a learning curve that took in two years with John Oxx, two more with Aidan O'Brien and five years as assistant to Mick Channon - "as an education it was a lot better than going to Trinity!"

Starting out on his own was a daunting step but it immediately paid off and crucially, it wasn't long before he got his hands on a top class horse. Benbaun confirmed his status as one of Europe's best sprinters in recent years with a victory in last year's Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc day.

"We just haven't been able to get him right this year and he won't be coming with us. Instead he is going to a good mate of mine, and another Tipperary man, Kevin Ryan. Hopefully they will be able to sort out his bleeding problems," Wallace reports.

His own future will revolve around the 30 horses with which he hopes to kick off the second part of his training career on the other side of the world. Before he took out a licence himself Wallace spent two spells in Australia, assisting the Randwick-based trainer Bill Mitchell, and then working on a stud owned by Mitchell's brother four hours north of Sydney.

Familiarity with the country will be important, as will making a good first impression. And nothing makes a better impression than winners.

"There's no getting away from the prize-money in Australia. It is treble what it is over here. There is also the fact training at the track means there are very few overheads. I'll pay rent for the boxes and some galloping fees and that's it. It makes a lot of financial sense.

"Australia is where I see my working life from now on. I suppose in fantasy land it would be great to go home to Ireland at 60 and buy a few horses to train. But my working life will be in Australia."