John Tapp Racing

Great to catch up with the mild mannered young jockey who burst onto racing’s big stage with his all the way win on Twilight Payment in the Melbourne Cup last year. Jye is currently resting up after having a plate removed from his left leg- a legacy of his fall at Bendigo four years ago. Jye talks of a recent stay in Brisbane where he won a stakes race and was placed in a couple of features.  The young jockey talks of the riding career of his partner Jessica Payne with special mention of her trip to France where she represented Australia in an apprentice jockey series. Jye recalls the important race meeting which would determine his fate in the Victorian Jockeys premiership. His baby son Oakley was due to arrive on the same day. The twenty six year old reflects on the circumstances leading up to his engagement for Twilight Payment, and takes us through the running of the Melbourne Cup. Jye looks back on childhood days at Koondrook and talks of his parents and siblings. He remembers his fascination with