John Tapp Racing

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’

Damien talks about the strategic benefits of training at Wyong. He talks of his many trips to faraway country meetings. He says improved bush prize money is a great incentive to take horses away. The trainer talks about his resolve to personally attend as many meetings as he can. Damien pays tribute to his father-in- law, former trainer Bob Law whose input is invaluable. He talks of Bob’s success with unsound horses in the 80’s and 90’s. He acknowledges the contribution to the training operation of wife Kate who rides a power of trackwork at Wyong. Damien has nothing but praise for his stable apprentice Anna Roper who figures prominently on the NSW premiership ladder five months into the current season. He takes us back to early days in Coonamble and pays tribute to his late father, former jockey Frank Hodgson. Damien gives great credit to his uncle and mentor Cec Hodgson who’s still training a small team in Coonamble. He recalls mother Narelle’s insistence that her son complete a trade before settling on his

We’ve had several emails from older racing fans requesting a podcast with former legendary jockey Ron Hutchinson. I’m sorry you missed the interview we posted three and a half years ago with the famous Australian jockey who also left an indelible mark in Europe. Like his compatriot Scobie Breasley, Ron reached great heights in the veteran years and won a Singapore premiership at age 53. In response to continued enquiries I’m thrilled to present once again our 2020 podcast with a great jockey and a special human being. He delights in talking about his present day racing interest and frequent visits to Melbourne meetings. Ron pays tribute to his four kids- daughters Susan and Sally and sons Peter and Raymond. He takes us right back to childhood days when his parents strongly opposed his ambition to become a jockey. Ron looks back on valuable tuition from famous old time jockey Bobby Lewis whose fourth Melbourne Cup win was in 1927. He still shares the Cup riding record with the late Harry White. You won’t belie

Great to catch up with Wayne Harris at a racing luncheon in early December. I was reminded of the fact that the former star jockey was one of our very early podcast guests in 2018. When I suggested an updated interview was called for, he said in typical Harris fashion,  “are you sure people would want to hear my story again.” Who wouldn’t want to hear the story of the kid from Muswellbrook who burst onto the racing scene in the late 1970’s with riding performances well beyond his years. When doctors virtually ordered his retirement in early 1997, Wayne had ridden well over 2000 winners including more than 30 Gr 1’s. His Melbourne Cup win on Jeune in 1994 was lauded by all in the Australian racing industry. His stellar record was achieved despite numerous injuries, a constant battle with weight and several major illnesses. He continues to deal with the legacy of those setbacks. Wayne brings us up to date on a current immobility dating back to early spinal issues. He talks of his Doctor’s reluctance to perform

Ryan Maloney was in high spirits when this interview was recorded on Thursday Dec 14th. He was looking forward to a big book of eight rides at Eagle Farm but fate saw him in a hospital bed in the early hours of Saturday morning. Anybody who has suffered a kidney stone episode will know that there are few more painful experiences. He’s over the trauma and keen to get back to work. Ryan reviews his fortuitous decision to leave Victoria. He talks about the upward spiral of Queensland racing, and the newly refurbished Gold Coast track. Ryan talks of the beginning of his association with Toby Edmonds.  He remembers a later trip Toby made with brilliant filly Houtzen. The jockey talks of early life in Colac and the scant racing background in his family. He talks of his first apprenticeship to local trainer Mark Young. Ryan hasn’t forgotten his inauspicious riding debut at Horsham and the magic of his very first win. He looks back on his journey from Colac to Flemington and an apprenticeship to Robert Smerdon. Ryan

Wayne Peake’s interest in racing began at age 8, when he walked onto Kembla Grange racecourse with his family. By early teens he was totally obsessed with the sport. He devoured newspaper and magazine articles and tuned in religiously to the limited radio and TV coverage of the day. He quickly settled on a favourite jockey, horse and race broadcaster. By the end of the 1970’s Wayne had nurtured the dream of one day bringing that decade back to life in book form. His dream materialised at the end of October when he officially launched his 472 page tome “Sydney Racing In The 1970’s”. I’m delighted to help Wayne spread the word about a book which will bring back precious memories to those who remember the sensational seventies. He recalls the time he first hatched the idea and talks of the mammoth task it turned out to be. Wayne remembers the fateful day when his family introduced him to horse racing at Kembla Grange. He talks of his immediate obsession with the sport. Wayne recalls his fascination with the work

Hugh Bowman wasn’t where I expected him to be when we finally pinned him down for this interview. When I spoke to him a few days earlier he was still in Hong Kong undergoing physiotherapy for the legacy of injuries sustained in a race fall on November 11th. A short time later he made a snap decision to visit his parents in Mudgee.  He wasn’t long off the connecting flight to the central western town when he very kindly joined us on the podcast. This interview goes close to one and a quarter hours. We could have doubled that duration. When you talk to Hugh Bowman, it’s a case of what you include and what you leave out. The champion jockey talks of his flight from Hong Kong. Hugh says he’s making better than expected progress after a fall that could have had more serious consequences. He expresses gratitude for the support of wife Christine and daughters Bambi and Paige in the wake of the accident. He talks of a smooth transition into the Hong Kong education system. Hugh shares vivid recollections of the Sha Ti