“He’s the last horse I would have expected to do something like that,” said Jess Taylor as she reflected on the bizarre accident that will keep her out of the saddle until the middle of September.

Trainer Kelly Purdy was a bundle of nerves as the Eyeliner Stakes field neared the home turn at Ipswich on Saturday. Her recently acquired stable star Bandipur was last of fourteen runners, only 7 lengths from the leader but behind a wall of horses.

The Group 3 Liverpool City Cup couldn’t have been scripted better for the bold striding Quackerjack. The chestnut gelding with the symmetrically perfect white blaze dislikes the slightest interruption in his races.

I mentioned in the Friday Flashback blurb that Jamie De Belin had disappeared from racing circles years ago and had it not been for the Pablo’s Pulse photo he may have remained incognito.

Eight year old gelding Powerline was shipped over the border from Kris Lees’ Gold Coast stable to win Saturday’s Casino Gold Cup on the NSW Northern Rivers.

You’d think Travis Wolfgram would have been on cloud nine as he left Gosford racecourse last Saturday. He’d reeled off a brilliant winning treble in the first four races for Team Snowden, all three having been saddled up by Peter Snowden himself.

The first of fifteen barrier trials at Rosehill Gardens last Friday (July 19th) generated more hype than any race run in Australia over the weekend.

Adam Duggan didn’t take his head out of the catalogue in the weeks leading up to the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne. The Gosford trainer had a $100,000 “bank” set aside and thought that kind of money might put him into something “half decent” in Melbourne.

When Racing NSW increased the riding fee for the State’s jockeys two years ago, a new window of opportunity opened for those riders who are prepared to travel.

Jenny Lindgren was born in Sweden one year after her legendary compatriots ABBA had taken Australia by storm. She’s now Mrs. Jenny Duggan, Australia’s most senior apprentice jockey, and just lately she’s been whipping up a little storm of her own.

Steve has kindly allowed me to “pinch” a very interesting chat he had recently with Sydney Clerk Of The Course Cliff Parker.

Norm and Diane Gardner breathed a sigh of relief when Upper House won Saturday’s TAB Highway at his metropolitan debut. Norm is the breeder, trainer and part owner of the slow maturing four year old gelding.

The presentation ceremony after the Treasury Brisbane Queensland Oaks finished not a moment too soon for Garry Newham. The trainer of the winner Winning Ways had a lump in his throat big enough to choke an elephant, for clearly understandable reasons.

It’s possible that Cruze, who made it three out of four at Eagle Farm on Saturday, was the only winner in Australia to be shod by its trainer, Barry Lockwood.

Todd Pannell was so busy trying to coax Despatch over the line on Saturday, he may have forgotten for a moment that he was one stride off his first Group 1 victory. By the time he arrived back at the mounting yard gate, he was fully aware this was the dream he’d been chasing for more than half his life.

Coffs Harbour trainers couldn’t believe their luck six weeks ago when Jon Grisedale joined the ranks of trackwork riders at the popular North Coast track.

I can’t think of a jockey anywhere in Australia who displays more unbridled raw emotion than Josh Parr. It struck me initially when he won the Gr 1 Surround Stakes on Shoals a year ago - his one and only ride on the Fastnet Rock mare.

It wasn’t until Bernie Kelly got back to his Clarendon motel on Saturday night that the full impact of the day struck home.

What a pity the last race numbers error at Clifford Park on Saturday had to take the gloss off a spectacular Queensland race meeting. Stewards declared correct weight before officials discovered the wrong horse had been placed fourth.

There wasn’t a trace of racing in Kevin Kemp’s background, but he was besotted by horses from the moment he first sat on a pony. Most of his mates owned ponies and those kids would be out all day, every day. “If I got home before dark, Mum and Dad would wonder what the hell was wrong”, recalled Kevin.