John Tapp Racing

Who better to join us at Melbourne Cup time than former jockey Larry Olsen who joined the chosen few when he won the 1987 Cup on Kensei.  A couple of years earlier Larry was dairy farming at Kyogle and his weight had soared to 80kgs. The popular jockey’s spectacular comeback made headlines around the world. He looks back on a life changing win. Larry remembers how his association with Kensei began. He takes us through the races leading up to the Cup triumph including a win in the Grafton Cup- one of the jockey’s favourite races. He relives the dream run that helped Kensei to snatch victory from a Cummings duo. Larry recalls that Kensei never won another race.  He talks of his bittersweet memories of the day. Stewards grilled him over another ride on the programme which landed him in the worst kind of trouble. Larry takes us back to the days of his apprenticeship to Mal Barnes in Queensland. He explains that his very first race ride was in Sydney. In 1972 a horse called Triton came into his life at a time when