ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Ash Morgan had his first mount at Santa Anita on Sunday. For the well-traveled Morgan, riding at Santa Anita was a return to where he spent time as an exercise rider several years ago. Born in Wales, Morgan, 32, was the leading rider in the Australia state of New South Wales for the season that ended on July 31. Morgan rode 136 winners from 1,041 mounts during the season. Shortly after the season ended, Morgan left Australia, spending time in Great Britain before moving to California in September. Morgan worked in Southern California as an exercise rider in early 2018 for trainer Peter Eurton. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Morgan is the latest in a series of riders to move to California in recent years, including Hector Berrios, Joe Bravo, Umberto Rispoli, and Ramon Vazquez. On Sunday, Morgan said a leading factor in his relocation to California is less travel than in Australia. In Australia, most tracks host a single day of racing with the distance between venues sometimes covering hundreds of miles. Morgan rode a majority of his winners at countryside tracks during his title year. “It’s only so long you can do that and travel the country,” he said in an interview on Sunday morning between workouts. “I could have stayed there, but I wanted to come back here and test myself. I thought it was a good time to come back. “We’ll see how it measures up.” Morgan finished last with his first mount, Pioneering Papa in Sunday’s second race. Morgan began riding at 16 in Britain, but struggled and briefly left the sport, working in a real estate for a time. He rode for four years in Australia. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.