John Tapp Racing

  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

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Dominic Tourneur but I’m aware of his prominence among Adelaide jockeys and his success rate over a long period of years.  We decided to find out a little more about his journey in racing by inviting him onto our podcast, and he was happy to oblige. Dominic was originally apprenticed in Perth but by his own admission was pretty half hearted in those early years. He worked a second job for most of his time in Geraldton where he won seven local premierships. Finally he bit the bullet and moved to Adelaide in 2005. He wouldn’t change a thing. Dominic begins by talking about his Mauritian parents Marie and George. The premiership winning rider looks back on the day his mother told him about a newspaper ad calling for apprentice jockeys. Dom talks of his first master, former champion jockey Graeme Webster. He remembers a transfer to another Perth trainer Ted Martinovich who struggled to get young Tourneur focused. Dom says he finished his apprenticeship with an unimpressive C

From the late 70’s to the mid 80’s Brent Thomson was almost certainly Australia’s most high profile jockey. As number one rider for the powerful Lindsay Park training operation, he got to ride some of the nation’s best horses in Group 1 races around the nation. Brent quit the saddle in 2000 and was quickly signed by New Zealand Bloodstock as the company’s Australian representative. He continues to fill that role from his Melbourne base. When you conduct an interview with a bloke like Brent Thomson, it’s hard to know where to start and where to finish. We give it a crack on this week’s podcast, beginning with his decision to retire at the end of a Macau stint twenty four years ago. Brent talks of the vibrant state of racing in Macau at the time, and a Derby win on a smart horse called Cheerine Champion. He recalls the final winning ride of his career on a horse with strong Australian connections. We fast forward to his current situation and the diversified role he has with New Zealand Bloodstock. The former ch

I deserve a reprimand for taking so long to catch up with Jenny Duggan. There are several well known facts about this 44 year old Swedish born jockey. She can hold her own on the back of a thoroughbred at any level. She’s a hard worker, she’s as tough as teak and thoroughly reliable. She’s a great wife to Ben, and a wonderful mum and stepmother. What more can I say. Let’s hear from Jen who begins by talking about the support she receives from country and provincial trainers. She gives great credit to manager Shaun Flaherty. The jockey talks about a “near miss” on her old favourite Torrens in the recent black type Australia Day Cup. She rates Torrens as her all time favourite. Jenny talks about a happy childhood on the family dairy farm at Figeholm in Sweden. The dairy cows shared the paddocks with a handful of horses. The die was cast. She recalls her parents having to drag her off the pony at dinner time. Jen pays tribute to her late paternal grandfather, and to her parents Tony and Lisa. The former Jenny Li

I first met Tony Lee when I had the honour to be guest commentator at the 1996 Wellington Cup meeting. In preparing to call a couple of races on the big programme, I received every possible courtesy from the NZ ace. Tony went out of his way to help me through a plethora of strange colours and horse names. I tuned in to hear his description of the recent Wellington Cup won by Mary Louise- his broadcasting swan song after four decades of wonderful service to NZ racing. I called Tony a few days after his Trentham send off to record this tribute to a man whose race calls whetted the appetites of generations of racing fans.  He recalls the warmth of the farewell afforded him by the racing industry. Tony says his last Wellington Cup was a tricky race to call.  He pays tribute to trainer Robbie Paterson and jockey Craig Grylls who bagged a Gr 1 double on the day. The veteran caller outlines the reasons for his surprise retirement.  Tony reminisces about the 1996 Wellington Cup meeting when he and I worked together f

In order to find the right races for his horses, Ben Brisbourne makes full use of his ideal Wangaratta base to campaign in two states. He frequently has runners in rural Victoria but often appears in the NSW Riverina region. Great to catch up with a young horseman from a Shropshire racing family in the UK, who arrived in Melbourne unheralded and unsung a decade ago. He looks back on his reasons for trying the Aussie scene. Ben says he had a few contacts in Australia before making such a bold move. He looks back on track work duties for a handful of Melbourne trainers. The expatriate Englishman talks of his rewarding five years with the Lindsay Park operation at Euroa. Ben takes us back to his early life at Shrewsbury in Shropshire and the influence of his father Mark. He talks of Mark’s achievement in the riding and training ranks.  He identifies two tracks where his father enjoyed great success, and talks of his achievements with inexpensive horses. Ben says Mark was forced to walk away from training for a w

Nathan Doyle places his horses judiciously, and is rewarded with a consistent win rate. In this current season he’s sitting in tenth spot on the NSW premiership ladder. Here is a young man born and reared in the Hunter Valley who was destined for a future with horses. After several years in the employ of top trainers, Nathan kicked off at Newcastle in 2018. He begins by talking about his current number of horses. He says he tried to get started at Scone but couldn’t find enough boxes. The trainer expresses delight with his current season statistics. Nathan says more young horses are now coming into his stables. He looks back on a childhood practice of drawing horse figures on paper- an early pointer to his subsequent career. Nathan says there was no connection with racing in the family background, but his father’s best friend was a trainer. He acknowledges behind-the-scenes assistance from his only sibling, sister Hayley. Doyle looks back on his apprenticeship as a budding boilermaker, mainly to appease his p

Shaun Guymer made the decision a few seasons back to  follow in the footsteps of Sydney based jockeys like Grant Buckley and Jeff Penza who’ve enjoyed fruitful careers away from the metropolitan area. Like Penza and Buckley, Shaun sees more sense in having five or six rides on a southern districts track than pushing a 100/1 “pop”around in town. The popular jockey talks about his current workload and his acceptance of the endless travel required to meet “bush” commitments. He talks about the predicament of having offers at two meetings on the same day. Shaun says he agonises over the offer of a good ride in town from time to time. He hates to disappoint regular clients in the bush. He talks about distances to his usual venues. The jockey pays tribute to Jeff Penza and Grant Buckley. He greatly admires the longtime dedication of the veterans. Shaun says his family background is devoid of racing. He talks of his father’s glazing business, and the support of his mother and sibling Josh. The jockey looks back on h

The brilliant young Brisbane jockey is under suspension as this podcast is posted. He’s not happy about this one or the many that have preceded it in his short career so far. In the main his suspensions are the result of trying too hard to win. He’s a driven young man who harbours a desire to make his mark in the shortest possible time. Slowly but surely he’s realising the error of his ways. Kyle tells his story with total honesty and great sensitivity. He begins by outlining a new understanding of his responsibility when riding in races. The young jockey says he’s fortunate that his weight remains stable during suspension layoffs. Kyle takes us back to childhood days in Victoria and some tough times for his mother and siblings. He reminisces about his dislike of the classroom and the surprise invitation to ride a horse at a school camp. He says this was life’s defining moment. The jockey says he was only twelve years old when he first started to spend time at the Seymour stables of Lee and Shannon Hope.  He’