Winona Costin doesn’t remember riding a pony called Midgey on a farm in Cambridge NZ, when she was only three years old, but her mother has never forgotten it.

Received an email during the week from popular owner Eddy Boas, who wishes to share the most touching horse story in recent memory. I’m sure you’ll remember Eddy’s hardy campaigner Stony Bay, and like me you’ll be surprised to learn that nineteen years have passed, since the tough gelding was retired.

Raquel Clark knew she wanted to be a jockey from the first adrenaline charged moments of her maiden fast gallop.

While James Cummings, Darren Weir and Chris Waller were basking in Group 1 glory at Flemington on Saturday, veteran trainer Keith Dryden was alone with his thoughts at his Canberra stables.

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”.

I knew little of Eduardo until I received an email from my old friend Ken Boman late in September. Having only his third race start, the chestnut gelding jumped to the lead in the Sports Club Hcp (1100 metres), and proceeded to reel off some rare figures.

I didn’t expect John Shelton to answer his phone just before 8 am on Sunday morning (Oct 14th). When you’ve trained the winner of the inaugural Kosciuszko, and revelled in the post-race celebration into the wee hours, you’re entitled to be catching up on much needed sleep.

My very first thought when Maid Of Heaven threw herself at the line to win the GR 1 Spring Champion Stakes, was for her trainer Mark Newnham. It was a defining moment in the career of the fifty year old, who’s had nothing else but racing on his mind, since early teen years.

It was love at first sight when I “fluked” seeing I Am A Star win the Group 3 Quezette Stakes at Caulfield on August 13th 2016.

Les Bridge was in Melbourne when he received the news that Tip Top had got away during afternoon exercise, sustaining a nasty injury to a front superficial flexor tendon. It was mid October 2015, and the horse had finished third in a Kembla Maiden at his initial start, only a few days before.

Sei Stella was never going to lose the September 15th edition of the TAB Highway at Royal Randwick.

The four year old chestnut daughter of Not A Single Doubt, relished the short trip, and was greatly advantaged when the well-tried Rhyming Puppet didn’t contest the lead.

Stealing somebody else’s creation is not usually my caper, but I cant help myself with this interview. Steve catches up with two former brilliant jockeys who have one significant thing in common. I will let Steve tell the story.

Great to sit alongside Clarry Conners at a Smithfield RSL “Men Of League” fundraising luncheon last week. The champion trainer told me two things of interest over lunch.

When Lisa Sheppard answered my call on Sunday afternoon (September 2) she was still half an hour south of Port Macquarie.  Twenty four hours earlier, she had lived the dream of all country trainers by winning the TAB Highway, with her very first starter at Royal Randwick. 

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.

When Larry Cassidy had his one and only ride on Winx, in the Sunshine Coast Guineas on May 16th 2015, he knew he’d had a brush with equine royalty. Going into the race he probably thought she was a pretty good three year old filly, but the fact that she’d already been beaten six times, eliminated any “air of invincibility”.

I sat bolt upright on the lounge last Wednesday (August 8th) when a horse called Itsa Fait Accompli stormed down the outside to win a BM 71 at Canterbury for trainer David Blundell and jockey Robbie Dolan.

You’d be battling to find a NSW punter who hasn’t heard a Gary Kliese “mounting yard mail segment”, on Sky Thoroughbred Central, or his selections for Northern Rivers meetings on Sky Racing Radio.

Great to see Hawkesbury training team Tara and Philippe Vigouroux win with Lettre D’Amour at Kembla last week. Everybody assumed Philippe would have had a hand in naming the horse, but that’s not the case.