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.
ANTHONY CUMMINGS IS OVERDUE FOR A GOLDEN SLIPPER WIN
Anthony Cummings has saddled up many Group 1 starters since cutting ties with his legendary father in 1991. His first win at the elite level came just a few months after the split.
PORTELLI’S TWO PRONGED SLIPPER QUEST WITH THE SALE RING COLT AND THE HOMEBRED FILLY
Off the top of his head Gary Portelli says he’d had nine or ten Golden Slipper runners since his training career began thirty years ago. He still tingles when he recalls the euphoria of She Will Reign’s emphatic win in 2017.
SHELBY SIXTYSIX IS ONE TOUGH MUSTANG
Shelby Sixtysix looked a classic study in soundness as he hurtled down the middle of the track to blow the opposition away in Saturday’s TAB Highway on a rain sodden Randwick.
EXPAT - FROM AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE TO THE COOLMORE CLASSIC IN FOURTEEN MONTHS
Mark Newnham never ceases to be amazed by the deeds of freewheeling front runner Expat. The trainer could do little more than shake his head in disbelief as the chestnut daughter of Makfi defied all challenges to win Saturday’s Gr 2 Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill.
STEVE HART TALKS TO KRISTEN BUCHANAN
The neverending Covid restrictions prevented Steve Hart from conducting his popular racing interviews for the best part of a year, but he’s back with a bang!
BRETT CAVANOUGH WAS PLEASED TO GET THE TRISCAY STAKES OVER AND DONE WITH
The long awaited return of It’s Me in the Triscay Stakes on Saturday was overshadowed by the hype surrounding the likes of Espiona, Very Elleegant, Lost And Running, Colette and a handful of other luminaries.
DANNY FRAHM 1946-2022 NSW COUNTRY RACING FAREWELLS A LEGEND.
Danny Frahm strolled through the Sky Channel car park hauling a king sized two wheeled suitcase. It was a Sunday morning in 2009…
OVERPASS CONTINUES THE BJORN BAKER - DARBY RACING CONNECTION
When Tim Clark gives an indication that he intends to lead in the early stages of races, most rival riders think twice about taking him on.
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
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.
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.