I can’t let New Year’s Eve 2023 go by without mention of a special anniversary. On this day exactly fifty years ago there were scenes of great emotion in the 2GB broadcast box high above Royal Randwick racecourse as the legendary Ken Howard called time on his extraordinary career.

This black and white image was presented to John at Edgar’s Avalon home in the late 1990’s. Edgar in fact removed the photo from his personal album. John says the snap was taken at either Bombay or Poona at the height of the racing season.

Authors have been writing books about the deeds of champion Australian racehorses for two centuries. None have attacked the task with more energy and purpose than Lynlea Small…

Those who had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Lester Piggott never forgot the occasion. The tall, gangly, poker faced horseman with the trademark mutter presented a countenance that gave little away.

Mark Bradley sent me a rare piece of memorabilia which will be of interest to those who were around when Tails was racing in the eastern states.

Chances are most Sydney racing photographs you’ve seen in the last forty years would have been taken by one of this legendary quintet.

Mark Bradley was kind enough to send me a photo he discovered recently in the Bradley Photographers archives. This is a precious piece of racing memorabilia from the Wyong jockeys room in 1973.

When Graham McNeice stumbles upon a piece of priceless racing footage, his reaction is something akin to that of Howard Carter when the British archaeologist found the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun. “Shadow” came across some rarely seen black and white footage of Vain’s three Sydney race starts in 1969.

There’s nothing like looking at past results of major races to trigger a trip down memory lane. In glancing at Spring Champion Stakes history last week, I was reminded that twenty five years have passed since Nothin’ Leica Dane won the Randwick feature.

My thanks to Sean Driver who took the trouble to email me last week after having listened to our recent podcast with jockey Brad Pengelly. Sean was hoping Carael Boy would figure among Brad’s list of favourite horses, and he certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Of the twenty eight fillies to win the Golden Slipper, none have gone into the great race with more miles on the clock than the 1965 winner Reisling.

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.

The careers of several Australian racehorse trainers have been honoured in book form, but none have had a more human story to offer than Pat Webster. What a journey, what a career, what a life!

I was delighted to record a podcast recently with top jockey Craig Newitt who’s getting very close to 2000 career wins including 33 Group 1’s.

There were 78,500 people at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day 1976. Those still living, hold indelible memories of their visit to the historic course on the day mother nature threw a tantrum.

As a Sydney race day photographer for more than thirty years, Steve Hart has gotten to know several generations of jockeys - some have become good friends.

There’s a maiden galloper racing in Sydney currently, whose name rings a giant bell for me.

He’s called Triplicate, a logical name for the son of a mare called Tripled, a non winning daughter of General Nediym.

Harry White would have given anything to ride one more Melbourne Cup winner before his retirement in 1995, for no other reason than to “shake old Bobby off”.

In most professions fifteen years isn’t such a long time.

In the life of a professional jockey, it’s a pretty lengthy period.

In the case of a female professional jockey, it’s an eternity.