John Tapp Racing

It was Coffs Harbour based jockey Jon Grisedale who alerted me to the fact that Trevor Hardy was getting close to retirement. The veteran horseman will call time on his 50 year career when his only horse, seven year old gelding Aheadofhistime loses his zest for racing. For twenty years Trevor combined horse training with the running of his small transport business, but had to choose between the two following multiple bypass surgery in 1996. He plumped for full time training, and hasn’t regretted the decision. The 83 year old joins us on the podcast to talk about his life in racing. He’s a little nervous about the dramatic change in lifestyle. Trevor says Aheadofhistime has extended his training career.  He talks about Aheadofhistime’s early career in Queensland and subsequent deeds on the northern rivers, including an emphatic win in last year’s Kempsey Cup. Trevor acknowledges the support of Neil Osborne who purchased his Coffs Harbour stables but made a box available for Aheadofhistime. The veteran is a tru

Whenever Ken Callaughan brought a horse to town from his country base, bookies were wary and punters had a very good look at the animal’s credentials. Ken’s success rate on metropolitan tracks was consistent over many years. We gave him a call recently and the veteran horseman accepted our invitation to join us on the podcast. Ken talks about the horse transport business he launched after quitting the training ranks.  He says much of his work is generated by Goulburn trainers who like to run horses in the weekly TAB Highway races. Ken talks about his early years in the tiny village of Delegate near the Victorian border. He says his father George was a tough taskmaster when giving his son riding tuition. Ken pays tribute to his late brother Brian. He looks back on his first trip to an Inglis Tried Horse Sale. He came away with the unraced gelding who would launch his training career. Ken acknowledges some of his very early winners. He remembers Stormy Guest who was showing great promise before he suffered a ca

Joe Bowditch has been a familiar face on major Australian racetracks for more than 34 years. He’s still plying his trade from a Victorian base at 47 years of age, and still riding winners. The evergreen jockey has crammed a lot into more than three decades of race riding in four states. The Joe Bowditch story makes for an interesting podcast. Currently under suspension,   he was happy to give me some time on the phone last weekend. He spoke to me from a Bundalong property owned by his great mate Luke Nolen. Joe talks about his recent Flemington win on Brazen Lady and acknowledges the support he receives from the Ellerton/Moodie stable. He talks of a long and successful association he’s had with another Cranbourne trainer Robbie Griffiths.  Joe descends from a famous Riverina racing family. He shares memories of his father Des and uncles Barry and Wally- all accomplished jockeys. He remembers a wonderful friendship with trainer Ray Guy who was to have signed him up as an apprentice. When Ray died suddenly in 1

Great to catch up with respected Dubbo trainer Peter Nestor who’s back in town training a small team of horses after a four year break from racing. A member of a legendary western districts racing family, Peter takes us back to his early days in the unique township of Gulargambone, and the family’s move to Dubbo. He talks of the serious heart ailment that stopped him in his tracks early last year. Peter admits he knew something was amiss for many months. He places most of the blame on a lifelong smoking habit. He says he really wasn’t intending to train horses again, but the bug soon bit. Peter talks of Loving Angel, the former Snowden trained mare who got him up and going again. He says she’s got a few quirks. He talks of Blue Guitar, another “hand me down” who’s been impressive in winning a couple of recent races.  The trainer speaks highly of lightly raced filly Grand Oyster, a recent winner at Narromine. Pete’s adamant that he won’t be increasing the size of his team. He pays tribute to his late father Jo

Michael Charge’s passion for racing was evident to viewers the first time he appeared on Sky Thoroughbred Central. He successfully combines that passion with an in depth knowledge of north Queensland form to help punters identify winners on many tracks in the region. Caught up with the man recently to find out how it all started. Michael remembers his late mum’s frustration when her son preferred Best Bets, Sportsman and Winning Post to school books. He talks about the vast mileage he travels to cover race meetings for Sky. Early days he would drive 700 kms to Rockhampton. That’s no longer the case. Michael talks about his trackside presentations from a wide range of Queensland tracks- 26 so far with a total of 110 meetings all up. It’s interesting to hear that he’s careful not to over complicate things when analysing form. Michael’s a little different to many form students in that he tends to ignore the market until arriving at a conclusion. He believes pre-post markets can influence a tipster’s thinking. He

In the late 1990’s Jarrod Austin walked away from racing to investigate what other career options were available in the world. He tried the hotel industry and dabbled in the building trade, but soon realised there was one key component missing. He’d been around horses all his life, and found he simply couldn’t break the bond. The story of his path back into the racing industry makes for a good podcast. We pinned Jarrod down recently and got him reminiscing about a horsey life that began on his father’s little Tamworth stud farm. The Warwick Farm trainer gives his assurance he won’t be leaving the industry again. Jarrod explains his team currently numbers 22 horses but says  two or three more would  be more than welcome in his Bull St stables at Warwick Farm. He pays tribute to his dedicated stable staff of seven. Jarrod explains why he recently made the decision to quit riding trackwork. The trainer talks at length about his stable star Terra Mater, one of the Inglis Digital “finds” of the past year. Purchase

Brian York hasn’t wasted a single minute from the day he became aware that his riding days were over. He tried everything known to medical science to overcome a knee injury sustained in a freakish fall at Rosehill in November 2002, but to no avail.The former star jockey joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his very busy and rewarding life after racing. Brian begins  by talking about a five year association with the Waterhouse/Bott stable producing videos of trackwork and jump outs for stable clients. He says border closures during the pandemic brought his business to an end. He talks about the challenge of learning a brand new craft. Brian looks back on his family’s emigration from Scotland to New Zealand. He was just ten years of age. The budding champion jockey was elated to gain an apprenticeship with respected Takanini trainer Cliff Fenwick. He recalls the thrilling occasion of his first win in March 1979 on a handy mare trained by his master. Brian looks back on the first of his 35 Gr 1 victor

Great to catch up with northern NSW riding legend Peter Graham who’s still going strong at 55 years of age and closing in on 2500 career wins. Peter was born and reared at Wauchope and virtually taught himself to ride at the local racecourse. When it was time to launch his professional riding career he chose Port Macquarie as his home base and he’s still there today. Peter begins by talking about younger daughter Rori who’s getting over a nasty trackwork injury. He pays tribute to daughter Cejay, currently one of Brisbane’s in form jockeys. Peter talks of son Jesse who rode a few winners before opting for a change of career direction. He acknowledges the help given by wife Karen at his Port Macquarie training property. He talks of his role as the holder of a dual training and riding licence. Peter looks back on the Wauchope trackwork accident that left him with a condition known as “frozen shoulder”. The veteran says he thought about retirement but decided on a return to race riding when his shoulder injury i

  Jim Cassidy was just 18 years old when he first made his mark in Australian racing with a Brisbane Cup win on Four Crowns. He was back eighteen months later to win the Melbourne Cup with a barnstorming run on Kiwi. Some say the gelding produced the fastest finish in Cup history. In 1984 he was offered a plumb job in Sydney and so began an adventure destined to take the Wellington born jockey to 104 Gr 1 wins. In between times there were some thrilling highs and some gut wrenching lows. In this lengthy chat Jim talks with customary candour about his life in racing- from his first win at Wairoa in 1978 to his swansong on Victorian Oaks day 2015.  He begins by explaining the origins of his legendary nickname “The Pumper”. The former jockey says the nickname came from his unique style in the saddle. Jim looks back on the publication of his widely read 2016 autobiography “The Pumper”.  He goes back to the closing weeks of his riding career. A winner at his last Sydney ride, and his final Melbourne Cup carnival.

I’m delighted to introduce a man I’ve known for six decades. Max Presnell had just returned from England to regenerate his career with Fairfax newspapers, as I kicked off with Sydney station 2GB. Max recently called time on an association with Fairfax which embraced a total of 67 years- perhaps a world record in the newspaper game. I don’t know how we can cover 67 years in an hour or so, but let’s give it a crack. Max explains the reasons for his recent departure from the Sydney Morning Herald. He talks about the evolvement of his popular 2017 autobiography “Good Losers Die Broke”- a rollicking review of his life in racing. Max, son of a publican talks about the unusual  experience of spending his early years in a famous Sydney Hotel. He tells a funny story about a lady who happened to be the sister of Stanley Wootton, owner of the hotel in question. Max talks of many well known visiting trainers who stayed at the pub when in Sydney. I’ll let Max tell you about a chirpy little regular who earned the dubious n

It’s a pleasure to welcome Terry Evans to the podcast- the trainer who happens to be the sole occupant of on course stabling at the Tuncurry-Forster racecourse on the NSW north coast. Terry was there when the new track was granted a licence by Racing NSW in 2009. This podcast was recorded two days before Sir Ravanelli scored an impressive win on a rain sodden Newcastle track. Terry rates the grey gelding as the best horse he’s trained to date. He begins by reflecting on the enthusiasm and commitment of the new Tuncurry-Forster Jockey Club when he arrived fifteen years ago.  Terry pays tribute to the Jockey Club’s dedicated President Gary McQuillan. He remembers a conversation with a friend at a Port Macquarie meeting in 2009. At that time he was unaware a new track was under construction at nearby Tuncurry-Forster.  Terry talks about the purchase of the racecourse a few years ago by Racing NSW. The trainer talks about the facilities available to him. He explains the benefits of his 20 acre property at nearby

This is a long overdue chat with one of the most respected riders in the Australian amateur ranks. When not competing at faraway picnic meetings, Ricky Blewitt can be found riding trackwork at Narromine before starting his full time job as the Narromine Turf Club’s track manager. The busy horseman speaks highly of the first class country racecourse.  Ricky confirms that he rides eight or more horses in trackwork most mornings for his partner Kylie Kennedy. He says Kylie competes mainly at professional meetings but occasionally takes a horse to the picnics. The top horseman speaks highly of Kylie’s father, former jockey and successful trainer Wayne Collison. Ricky says he has no problem with the 62 kg minimum weight at the picnic meetings. The jockey declares his love for the business and his willingness to drive long distances to race meetings. He talks of early days in Queanbeyan and makes the surprise admission that he had a fear of horses in childhood days. Ricky recalls his friendship with a local apprent

Five years ago Scott Singleton found that he was spending much more time on the road to country race meetings than he was at city and provincial meetings. He made the snap decision to put his hand up when boxes became available at Scone. Nowadays he has easy access to any number of country meetings, and an easy run to Sydney when the right horse comes along. Scott says relocating an entire training operation from Hawkesbury was pretty taxing. He admits there was an emotional downside to leaving his much loved Hawkesbury Valley. Scott says he explored options in Victoria before settling on Scone. He says he and wife Lucy were lucky to stumble upon an ideal property on the outskirts of Scone. Scott explains that most of his team are on course, but says some horses are happier on the property. He says a good camaraderie exists between Scone trainers. The experienced horseman takes us back to childhood days when his maternal grandfather got him interested in thoroughbreds. He recalls his transition to Hawkesbury

I’ve had a number of verbal and email requests to provide a podcast with a former top Queensland jockey who enjoyed a distinguished career despite a torturous battle with weight. Unable to continue with the ravages of the sweat box, Shane Scriven quit the saddle in 2012 to pursue a brand new career with Racing Queensland. Today he’s firmly established as a counsellor and mentor for young jockeys coming through the system. Guess what! We posted a podcast with Shane almost four years ago. In view of the fact that nothing has changed in his life, we’re going to give the interview another run this week. He begins by talking about the days when he had to take short breaks from riding in order to save his sanity. Shane looks back on his childhood involvement with horses. His sister loved the more elegant riding disciplines. Her brother wanted to go as fast as possible. He says the first trainer with whom he sought an apprenticeship wasn’t interested. He eventually got a start with Eagle Farm trainer Tom Dawson. The

The Karen Owen story had potential podcast written all over it from the moment I interviewed her after a recent Randwick win with Fay’s Angels. A horse devotee from an early age, Karen was a whiz at pony club before transitioning to the eventing sport.  She dreamed of a job around horses, and jumped to attention when an opportunity came up with the NSW Mounted Police. Thirty three years later she left the force with the rank of Sergeant, and immediately embarked on a racehorse training career. Karen says she rarely has more than ten horses in work on the Killawarra property. She explains that most of her horses have been bred by clients. Karen says she’s too busy to pursue her first equestrian love of eventing, but still has a presence in the dressage arena. The trainer says she likes to keep her horses as close to nature as possible. The property offers several options. Karen says the horses are floated to the nearby Taree racecourse when a serious gallop is required. She pays tribute to veterinarian husband

Bryan Martin was in his early 20’s when appointed number three race caller behind Bert Bryant and John Russell on Melbourne’s 3UZ in 1972.  Martin went on to a brilliant career in his own right, but not before spending countless hours with John in broadcast boxes throughout Victoria. The two became trusted colleagues and close friends. Nobody is better qualified than Bryan to pay tribute to one of the greats of the trade. He sings the praises of John Russell the race caller, and shares some wonderful stories from the life and times of a true Aussie character. Bryan looks back on his final visit to the bedside of his old friend. Bryan looks back on John’s upbringing in Warrnambool where his hard working mother ran a boarding house. He relays the stories he’d heard from John about Warrnambool’s busy SP betting trade. Bryan revisits John’s love of doubles betting at carnival time, and his all time best result. The former top caller knows the John Russell story backwards. He looks back on Russell’s first radio jo

Larry Cassidy’s sheer consistency as a professional jockey has brought him a strong fan base over almost four decades in the saddle. It’s now more than four months since Larry rode in a race, and the fans are getting restless.The ace jockey joins us on the podcast to talk about the litany of health issues and injuries he’s battled in recent years. He begins by talking about the track fall that left him with a badly broken finger last November. The complications have been endless. Larry takes us back to April of 2023 when he felt a twinge in his back during the running of a race. He battled on for a while but eventually the pain from a bulging disc made surgery inevitable. He was back at the races much sooner than expected.  He’d had only twelve rides back when a trackwork accident sent him out again. This time Doctors performed an epidural and ordered another long rest. Larry says he thought he’d used up all of his bad luck when he finally resumed last November. Lady Luck wasn’t done with him yet. The jockey

Five winners in a week when you have only twelve horses in work is a notable effort for any trainer. Port Macquarie’s John Sprague did exactly that in the middle of March with doubles at Coffs Harbour and Grafton and a single at Kempsey. John kicked off as an apprentice jockey in the late 1970’s when Canterbury was still a busy training centre. His riding career didn’t get going until he relocated to Port Macquarie. Two hundred wins later he switched to the training business, and has  maintained a healthy strike rate for the last twenty eight years. John begins by talking about his recent winning trot. He clears up any confusion about the pronunciation of his surname. Renovations to Port Macquarie training facilities have made things difficult for local trainers of late. John discusses the problems. He takes us back to the days of his apprenticeship to Jim O’Connor at Canterbury and a switch to an Orange stable. Rides were almost non existent. He pays tribute to the Canterbury trainers of the era with special

Always a pleasure to catch up with the bush trainers. Our podcast guest this week is Albury’s Ron Stubbs whose reputation precedes him. Ron is rarely without a handy horse, and he currently prepares Bianco Vilano who’s already safely locked away for the Country Championship Final on April 6th. Ron’s affinity with horses goes back to childhood days in the western Riverina. His training career has been spread over two successful stints. He talks about his first win on returning to training in 2016 with the curiously named Squidensqizz.  Ron looks back on his memorable day at Albury on Feb 18th- three wins including the Country Championship Qualifier. He talks of his association with Victorian jockey Craig Williams who rode all three winners. Ron talks of the progress made by Bianco Vilano.  The trainer speaks well of Bianco Vilano’s full brother Baledon who finished third in the Albury qualifier. Ron takes us back to childhood days in Moulamein and the shetland pony his father won in a raffle. He remembers the

The Gosford racing precinct has never had a better ambassador than Angela Davies. The amiable trainer was born and reared in a cottage opposite the racecourse float entrance and hasn’t strayed far since. This is the story of a young girl who was pestering local trainers at five or six years of age, and has never wanted to do anything else but train racehorses.  Angela had just returned from the Randwick trials when we called, and was pretty excited about one of her twelve horse team. She talks fondly of Our Kobison with whom she’s won five recent races. The story behind this talented four year old is an inspiration to racing’s smaller players. Angela takes us back to childhood days when she’d be out of bed in the dark to watch Gosford trackwork. Mum had one firm rule before she’d allow her daughter to leave the house. She talks about her father Bruce, a former on course bookie who found an alternative way to service customers. Bruce vehemently discouraged her from becoming a jockey. Angela reflects on the day