It was Sunday December 18th and Jake Hull was wrestling with a few butterflies as he arrived at Taree’s Bushland Drive racecourse with Goofy Mick.

Jockeys returning from lengthy injury layoffs are always hopeful of an early win. It’s an accepted practice for owners and trainers to observe the progress of a comeback jockey before making rides available.

Tracey Bartley was quietly chuffed as he loaded Barossa Rosa onto his three horse float for the trip from Wyong to Randwick on Saturday. “She looked so well I was proud to be taking her to the races,” said the multiple Gr 1 winning trainer.

When you run into a horse trainer you haven’t seen for a while, it’s standard practice to inquire about the potential of the horses he or she happens to be training at the time. I posed that exact question to Gary Nickson last May.

It’s always a pleasure to send some of this high quality feed to bush horsemen. The November consignment goes to Blackall trainer David Rewald whose achievements in the month just gone attracted plenty of attention in regional Queensland.

Danny Williams was feeling a little sceptical about European horses by the time Marsabit arrived at his Goulburn stables in September of 2021. He’d had two previous involvements with imports for two very unhappy experiences.

Prior to the arrival of Sky Channel’s home service, most trainers would be on track whenever they had horses competing. They communicated with owners before a race, and enjoyed a celebratory drink with them after a win.

His very name stirs memories of champion NZ gelding Bonecrusher whose nine Gr 1 wins in the 1980’s made him a headliner on both sides of the Tasman.

Reg was born in Kempsey but spent his early teen years in Coffs Harbour. In 1953 he signed up as an apprentice jockey with Randwick trainer Bert Bellingham whose stables were in Bowral St.

One thousand kilometres away at the Wyong meeting Andrew Adkins watched Jamie’s Gr 1 win on the jockey’s room monitor and no doubt related to the significance of the win.

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

In view of the fact that Racing NSW allows Canberra trained horses to contest the TAB Highway races, I think it’s fair enough to include ACT trainers in the monthly award calculations.

James Ponsonby’s progress in just over two years as a thoroughbred trainer hasn’t gone unnoticed. The 39 year old spent nineteen successful years as a trainer and driver of harness horses, prior to switching codes in 2017.

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.

From the moment Front Page walked nonchalantly onto Geoff Duryea’s three horse angle loader at Corowa last Thursday, the trainer wondered what could possibly go wrong this time.

Ian Craig and I stood side by side at a television monitor to watch the running of the race bearing our names at Randwick on Saturday. We were mutually chuffed to see Opal Ridge plough through the testing ground for an easy win.

“To use Rugby League jargon he needed a full season of first grade under his belt to make a real horse of him,” was John O’Shea’s assessment of Lost And Running after the gelding’s gutsy win in Saturday’s Premiere Stakes.

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…

Two aggressive rides brought Regan Bayliss a Gr 2 double at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. His confidence was buoyed by the fact that he was riding two very fit horses in Nimalee and Surf Dancer

It was Wednesday morning August 24th. Robert Price and his wife Patricia were halfway through a rare seven day break at Noosa Heads when the phone call came from son and co trainer Luke.