John Tapp Racing

I’ll never forget the day Sky Channel boss Graham McNeice told me he was bringing a young race caller from Queensland to join the Sky team. Russell Leonard was only seventeen, very talented but very intimidated by the big city. The youngster loved the experience but couldn’t adapt to life in a city like Sydney. We catch up with 50 year old Russell Leonard three decades after homesickness sent him scurrying home to Rockhampton.  Right off the top we investigate the nickname by which he’s universally known.   Russ takes us through his current work schedule. You’ll be surprised when he outlines the number of horses trained at Callaghan Park in Rockhampton. Russ helps to coordinate trackwork a couple of days a week. He talks of the outstanding racing surfaces available at Rockhampton and Mackay. Russ takes us back to childhood days with his horse trainer father Keith Leonard. He remembers life on the road with a truckload of horses. They met some interesting people. He has never forgotten his “baptism of f