TALES OF THE TURF
TALES OF THE TURF
Step inside the world of Australian racing through the eyes, and voice, of one of its greatest storytellers. In each article, John Tapp brings the sport to life with the same warmth, insight, and passion that made him the Voice of Australian Racing. These are the moments, the people, and the horses that shaped the turf, told by the man who called them home.
JOE WON’T FORGET HIS 36TH BIRTHDAY IN A HURRY.
Trainer Joe Burges was confident Markwell Dreamer had enough ability to figure in the finish of Saturday’s TAB Highway provided he did everything right.
KEAGAN’S HITTING HIS STRAPS!
When Keagan Latham returned to race riding on December 4th, he felt his fitness levels were close to where they needed to be.
GAYNA CHEERED ZOO STATION HOME FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
Gayna Williams wouldn’t have cared if half of Bathurst had witnessed her unbridled display of acrobatics as Zoo Station scored an emphatic win in Saturday’s TAB Highway at Rosehill Gardens.
FIREBURN’S A TRUE LAUREL OAK PRODUCT
“I’ve had some unforgettable thrills since the company commenced operations thirty five years ago, and Fireburn’s two city wins are right up there with the best of them,” said Louis Mihalyka
BRETT ROBB IS THE HYGAIN/MITAVITE COUNTRY TRAINER OF THE MONTH DEC. 2021
Nyngan’s Brett Robb was caught on the hop in August of last year when his father Rodney suddenly decided to quit his role as a full time horse trainer.
FAB FOUR GET TOGETHER
You’d wait a long time to get a quartet like this together again. The former star jockeys caught up by chance on the Gold Coast on Boxing Day.
BOBBY LEWIS - THE LEGEND LIVES ON
George Moore told me in 2002 that his failure to win a Melbourne Cup in nineteen rides was of little concern to him. His wife Iris told me differently.
THE WARWICK FARM WARRIORS!
“Can you imagine the number of track gallops those blokes have ridden for Warwick Farm trainers over the years?” The question was posed by one of fifty guests at a recent Xmas gathering hosted by seafood restaurateur and racing devotee Mick Doyle.
STEPHEN TRAECEY FINDS THE FAST LANE AT COFFS HARBOUR
Several jockeys rode winning doubles on metropolitan tracks around Australia on Saturday while ever consistent Kayla Crowther notched a treble at the Morphettville meeting.
SUNNY COAST FALL WON’T CHANGE MICHAEL CAHILL’S BURNING AMBITION
It was going to be an uncomplicated ride for Michael Cahill when he bounced out of the gates on $2.60 favourite Why We Drink in the opening race at the Sunny Coast meeting on Friday night.
JOE IBLE’S MOVE TO KEMBLA BRINGS AN EARLY MIDWAY WIN
The horrors of Joe Ible’s recent relocation from Canberra to Kembla Grange paled into insignificance when stable favourite Sepulchre scored the easiest of wins in Saturday’s Midway Hcp at Rosehill Gardens.
HYGAIN/MITAVITE COUNTRY TRAINER OF THE MONTH-NOVEMBER 2021
It’s a rare occasion when a trainer is able to win with every horse he or she saddles up at a single race meeting. Scott Collings came away from the Snake Gully Cup meeting at Gundagai on November 13th with a perfect score.
THEY STILL TALK ABOUT CARBINE
Enthusiasts with a sense of racing history find it hard to get through Melbourne Cup week without sparing a thought for Carbine - perhaps the greatest of all Cup winners.
AT JUST 24 AND A NATURAL LIGHTWEIGHT ANDREW ADKINS HAS IT ALL AHEAD OF HIM
Andrew Adkins was almost as chuffed to run second on outsider Wandabaa in The Hunter as he would have been with a win in the $1 million feature.
JOANNE HARDY NOTCHES THE CENTURY WITH HER FIRST SYDNEY METRO WIN!
Joanne Hardy was still pinching herself when she arrived back in Coffs Harbour on Sunday afternoon following a milestone weekend in the big smoke.
CHRIS KEARNS FINISHED ON TOP IN THE GAME OF LIFE
You could detect an undercurrent of emotion in Darren Flindell’s voice as he paid tribute to an old mate before the running of the Vale Chris Kearns Highway at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
TRACEY BARTLEY’S PILLAR OF JOY!
Tracey Bartley didn’t know what to do next in the immediate afterglow of the inaugural Four Pillars on Saturday. His emotional roller coaster began in the early stages of the $700,000 race…
HYGAIN/MITAVITE COUNTRY TRAINER OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER 2021
I called Harry Coffey to offer congratulations on his Bendigo Cup win on Wentwood. Harry took little credit for the victory. All he wanted to do was heap praise on Warrnambool trainer Maddie Raymond…
ICEBATH’S PRE RACE MELTDOWN DID HER NO HARM
It’s not uncommon for high achieving mares to display race day eccentricities. They know exactly why they’re being taken to the track, and the adrenaline flows from the moment they’re loaded onto the horse transport.
BIG PARADE - A CUT ABOVE THE REST IN THE SYDNEY STAKES
Big Parade got his first taste of black type success in Saturday’s Gr 3 Sydney Stakes. It’s not unrealistic to think that he might win the right kind of Gr 1 next autumn.