John Tapp Racing

Great to catch up with a man who’s been a household name in the Queensland training ranks. He begins by dismissing the popular belief that he’s close to retirement. Rex talks of his love for the Darling Downs and the reasons he’s never wanted to train elsewhere. He looks back on a rural childhood and his three earliest pursuits- dairying, the raising of beef cattle and the harvesting of grain. The veteran trainer talks of his twenty years in a variety of roles at Queensland’s well known Eureka Stud owned by Col McAlpine. Rex decided to go training when Col’s son Scott took over from his father. Rex pays tribute to two special horses who got him away to a flying start as a trainer in his own right. He recalls his association with the legendary Jim Atkins. He remembers a trip to Sydney and some memorable conversations with legendary trainer Neville Begg. Rex looks back on two Weetwood Hcp wins and four Toowoomba Cups. He pays tribute to several of his all time favourite horses including Star Shiraz who pr