Roy Higgins, Bart Cummings and John Tapp at Randwick in 2007.
What a thrill it was to join Bart Cummings and Roy Higgins for an Australia Post promotion on a non race day at Randwick in 2007.
These racing icons rarely got together in their later years and it was a treat to hear them reminiscing about the days of their famous partnership.
Bart, who died in 2015 won a staggering 266 Group 1 races and over 762 stakes victories. If any of Australia’s major stables hope to emulate his 12 Melbourne Cup victories they’ll need to get cracking.
Roy Higgins (1938-2014) rode two of Bart’s Cup winners Light Fingers and Red Handed. Despite a torturous battle with weight throughout his illustrious career, “the Professor” won 2,312 races and 11 Melbourne Jockeys Premierships.
There were days when he could have been forgiven for avoiding social contact, but rare are those who were ever left unacknowledged by Roy Higgins.
Australian racing never saw a better bloke.