THE RACING VAULT
THE RACING VAULT
Few people have witnessed more racing history than John Tapp. Across decades behind the microphone, he called the greats home and saw the sport’s most iconic moments unfold. The Racing Vault is his personal archive, a place where John shares the stories, horses, and heroes that shaped Australian racing.
STAN CASSIDY
Here is one of the kindest men I ever met in racing. This photo of Stan Cassidy was snapped at Canterbury only a couple of years before a freakish trackwork accident claimed his life at age 46.
TERRIFIC TRIO
Ern McQuillan snapped three tremendously talented riders outside the Randwick jockeys room in 1952. On the left is Billy Fellows (34) who three years earlier had won the Melbourne Cup on Foxzami. Fellows always maintained that Foxzami had been a certainty beaten in the VRC Derby the previous year.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
In the 1950s the legendary George Moore went to significant expense to keep a step ahead of his rivals. He employed a professional cameraman to film all Sydney metropolitan meetings, from a position high up in the public stand. It was a straight out lateral coverage, with no head on shots or fancy 'cutaways', but it was of enormous benefit to Moore in selecting his rides and keeping up with the form.