Those who watched Research return to scale after the 1989 Derby will probably recall her antics when a garland of roses was thrown around her neck. She almost unseated Dittman as she charged back into the enclosure, with Clarry hanging on for dear life.

Steve Hart caught up with former stud manager John Vincent who retired a few years ago, after a fascinating career in England and Australia. John gained valuable experience in his native England before migrating to Australia.

Sam Clenton was conscious of a few butterflies as she drove from her Muswellbrook home to the Scone racecourse on March 18th. She was just a couple of hours away from her first race ride in two and a half years.

Steve Hart shared a coffee and a few memories recently with Clarry Conners who has four Golden Slipper trophies on the shelf at Victory Lodge.

Turns out Ron Quinton’s just an old softie after all. The battle hardened veteran rode 2168 winners including 46 Group 1’s during his spectacular career as a jockey. In 25 years as a trainer he’s won hundreds of races including 6 Group 1’s.

Two year olds Tenley (Reisling Stakes) and Yes Yes Yes (Todman Stakes) were explosive in their Randwick wins on Saturday, while The Autumn Sun deserved every accolade that came his way.  Their performances stole some of the spotlight from a dazzling win by Princess Posh in the Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket twenty four hours earlier.

I deeply regret the fact that I met Les Carlyon only once, and the finest details of the encounter remain very clear in my memory.

Goulburn trainer Tash Burleigh has developed a routine, which she believes is worth at least two lengths to her horses.

When Zardoro burst between horses to grab the lead, 100 metres out in Saturday’s TAB Highway, his usually reserved trainer Terry Robinson allowed himself a fleeting moment of jubilation.

Siggy Carr looked anything but a reluctant jockey, as she skilfully coaxed The Inevitable to a narrow win in the C.S.Hayes Stakes (Group 3) at Flemington.

While the potential autumn stars were stealing the limelight, a hard working jockey called Chad Lever was accumulating an impressive sequence of ten winning rides in the space of eight days on country and provincial tracks.

Apart from a mild case of the race day jitters experienced by all horse trainers, John Thompson spent a pretty relaxed Saturday afternoon at Rosehill Gardens.

This is the time of year when exciting two year olds start popping up like mushrooms after rain. It’s been head spinning stuff these past six weeks, trying to get a handle on several promising juveniles who’ve recorded brilliant wins in NSW and Victoria.

At a rough estimate, about 140 races were run across the nation on Saturday. It’s possible the best ride of the day was produced by veteran Peter Graham, who landed a winning double at Tuncurry Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast.

Many of us watch an endless flow of races from all parts of Australia, the majority of which do little to get you on the edge of your seat. Once in a while you spot a performance that sends you scurrying to the replay button. 

“Life is what happens to us, while we are making other plans”.  That quote is credited to a man called Allen Saunders and aptly applies to Queensland jockey Michael Hellyer.

Andrew Gibbons’ hard work has paid off handsomely in recent years. In the 2016/17 season he won 79 races in NSW, another 65 in 2017/18, and he’s currently chasing Greg Ryan with 67 winners in the state.

Cameron Crockett didn’t know where he was, in those first surreal moments after Ori On Fire had flashed past the post to win the TAB Highway on Saturday.

The last time I saw John Marshall was at a Cessnock race meeting in May of 2014. His son Taylor had rides at the meeting and he had driven the apprentice from Ron Quinton’s Randwick stables.

Billy Prain struggled with mixed emotions as he walked off Warwick Farm racecourse on Wednesday November 28th - his last day as a trainer. He’s been saying for a long time, that he’d retire when his valued owner and friend Fred Peisah decided to call it quits.