JOHN TAPP RACING PODCAST
JOHN TAPP RACING PODCAST
Episode 576: Col Hodges OAM - Broadcasting legend missing in action after home accident.
Col Hodges’ absence from western districts race meetings of late has been a talking point among his legion of friends.
Episode 575: Brett Robb - Learned about horses from his Dad and got his sense of humour from a lifetime in the bush.
Brett Robb made the call to go solo as a trainer when his father Rodney decided to cut his team back to five horses in 2020.
Episode 574: Jett Newman - Talented apprentice has topped 100 wins in just thirteen months of race riding
Eighteen year old apprentice Jett Newman had a huge number of trial rides before being signed up by northern rivers trainer Matt Dunn.
Episode 573: Gratz Vella - His Golden Slipper placing with Music Time triggered requests for a podcast.
I’ve had several emails requesting a podcast with Gratz Vella in the wake of his thrilling third placing in the TAB Golden Slipper with Music Time.
Episode 572: Tappy chats with Kris Lees
Kris Lees was thirty three years old when his father Max passed away in 2003. He’d been training a handful of horses in his own right while working as stable foreman for his very respected trainer/dad.
Episode 571: Bernie Howlett - the horseman who rode, trained and bred Gr 1 winners.
With another edition of the historic Sydney Cup coming up on April 11th, it seems an appropriate time to catch up with a man who won it twice as a jockey in 1959 and 1961.
Episode 570: Scott Darby - Founder and Managing Director of syndication leaders Darby Racing
It’s just over six years since Scott Darby last appeared on our podcast. At the time his popular racehorse syndication company was gathering momentum.
Episode 569: Blake Spriggs - one year on from life threatening Moruya race fall
Blake Spriggs answered immediately when I tried his mobile number one day last week.
Episode 568: Tappy chats with Jane Clement
The Jane Clement story makes for a very interesting podcast and we’re delighted to have her join us this week.
Episode 567: Tappy chats with Richard Litt
Richard Litt’s entry into the Sydney training ranks materialised under very sad circumstances.
Episode 566: Neil Rae - former multiple premiership winner now riding the big machines
Former champion jockey Wayne Harris speaks glowingly of his former “stablemate” Neil Rae.
Episode 565: Kerrin McEvoy - Champion international jockey will be back from injury for the autumn carnival
The enormous genetic influences in Kerrin McEvoy’s background were obvious from a tender age.
Episode 564: Ashlee Grives (nee Siejka) - Former top harness horse trainer/driver and gallops trainer transitioning into equine rehabilitation.
Ashlee Grives nee Siejka left a big imprint on the NSW race driving scene with an impressive tally of 800 winners. She trained many of them in her own right.
Episode 563: Lee Magorrian - From County Meath to a NZ scholarship and a stint with the Waller stable. Irish jockey is in Sydney for keeps.
Lee Magorrian had never been on a horse’s back when he got a stablehand’s job with Joe Byrne in his native County Meath in 2009.
Episode 562: Terry Robinson - Master standardbred and thoroughbred horseman hints at retirement.
With his team of gallopers now in single digits, Terry Robinson has few city runners these days.
Episode 561: Tappy chats with Paddy Cunningham
It’s been a pleasure to welcome a sequence of popular country trainers to the podcast lately and we’re going “bush” again in our first interview for 2026.
Episode 560: Allan Gainey - Remembering Hyperion Thoroughbreds
Great to chat with a man who co-founded Hyperion Thoroughbreds, one of the very earliest racehorse syndication companies in Australia. We find out what Allan’s been doing since a crippling recession brought Hyperion’s operation to a halt in 1990.
Episode 559: Dar Lunn - Successful country jockey turned trainer who’s in racing for the long haul.
It’s always a pleasure to talk to a dedicated bush trainer from any part of the nation. This week we go to the busy training hub at Dubbo and to one of its most respected participants.
Episode 558: Ray Thomas - Daily Telegraph Racing Editor bows out after distinguished 35 year career.
Ray Thomas’ recent decision to quit his high pressure role triggered a flood of tributes for the hugely popular media identity.
Episode 557: John Berger - 91 year old former bush trainer takes us back to a great era in northern NSW country racing
My thanks to Luke Berger who suggested we should take a trip down memory lane with his grandfather John, who’s remembered as one of the best country trainers of his generation.