Gallops, Horse Racing, John Tapp Racing, Racing History, Racing NSW, Sky Racing
John Tapp
1976 - A MELBOURNE CUP TO REMEMBER

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

1976 - A MELBOURNE CUP TO REMEMBER

Gallops

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JAMES PONSONBY GETS A RANDWICK WINNER IN HIS FIRST THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING

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JAMES PONSONBY GETS A RANDWICK WINNER IN HIS FIRST THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING

Successful trotting horse trainers have been dabbling with thoroughbreds for more than a century. In the early days it happened rarely. In more recent years an ever increasing number of harness racing people have been wooed by mind boggling prize money levels, and the glamour of the turf.

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NOTHIN’ LEICA DANE - ONE OF THE BEST OF HIS GENERATION

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NOTHIN’ LEICA DANE - ONE OF THE BEST OF HIS GENERATION

There’s nothing like looking at past results of major races to trigger a trip down memory lane. In glancing at Spring Champion Stakes history last week, I was reminded that twenty five years have passed since Nothin’ Leica Dane won the Randwick feature.

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MONTEFILIA NAILS HER COLOURS TO THE MAST

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MONTEFILIA NAILS HER COLOURS TO THE MAST

Only a student of South African history would have picked up on the significance of the colours carried by Montefilia in Saturday’s Flight Stakes.

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TAIKOMOCHI PUSHES THROUGH THE PAIN BARRIER TO GIVE CLARKY A GROUP 3!

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TAIKOMOCHI PUSHES THROUGH THE PAIN BARRIER TO GIVE CLARKY A GROUP 3!

Tim Clark felt nothing unusual in Taikomochi’s action as he trotted him back to scale after a comprehensive win in Saturday’s Kingston Town Stakes.

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WIDELY TRAVELLED HORSE HAS HUGE IMPACT ON MATTHEW SMITH’S TRAINING CAREER

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WIDELY TRAVELLED HORSE HAS HUGE IMPACT ON MATTHEW SMITH’S TRAINING CAREER

Fierce Impact’s original owners must have mixed feelings about the stallion’s slashing Group 1 Australian treble - Toorak Hcp, Cantala Stakes and Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes.

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TIM McINTOSH - MUSWELLBROOK’S “MR. VERSATILITY.”

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TIM McINTOSH - MUSWELLBROOK’S “MR. VERSATILITY.”

Muswellbrook trainer Tim McIntosh was resigned to defeat when Absolute Trust was tackled by Clearly Regal 200m out in Saturday’s TAB Highway at Randwick. “I thought Kurt Goldman’s horse had his measure, but our bloke showed plenty of fight,” he said.

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CRAIG NEWITT AND IMMORTAL LOVE- A DETERMINED DUO

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CRAIG NEWITT AND IMMORTAL LOVE- A DETERMINED DUO

Craig “Froggy” Newitt’s winning ride on Immortal Love in Saturday’s H.D.F. McNeil Stakes may have been matched somewhere on the day, but it certainly wasn’t bettered.

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WENDY PEEL RIDES THREE TRACKS IN A DAY! MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE BUT NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE OR WHEN

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WENDY PEEL RIDES THREE TRACKS IN A DAY! MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE BUT NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE OR WHEN

No jockey in Australia was more “pumped” than Wendy Peel when she walked onto the Gold Coast racecourse on Saturday. For a start she was pretty chuffed to have won on French Ocean the day before at Gatton for her new boss Paul Butterworth - one of several wins for the combination since Paul took over her indentures from Nyngan (NSW) trainer Rodney Robb six weeks earlier.

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BELINDA HODDER - ONE OF THE GOLDEN GIRLS OF NORTHERN NSW RACING!

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BELINDA HODDER - ONE OF THE GOLDEN GIRLS OF NORTHERN NSW RACING!

Belinda Hodder sounded remarkably chipper on Sunday for a jockey who’s had a frenetic start to the new racing season. At the time of our phone conversation, she’d had 31 rides since August 1st at seven meetings on six different racetracks for three wins and five placings.

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STEPHEN SCHOFIELD’S STILL AS BUSY AS A BEAVER

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STEPHEN SCHOFIELD’S STILL AS BUSY AS A BEAVER

Anyone who’s been on the fringe of the Sydney racing scene for three or four decades would have given Mosht Up a cheer when the mare scrambled home for trainer Stephen “Beaver” Schofield at Newcastle on Saturday.

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JESS TAYLOR FOUND OUT YOU CAN GET HURT WHEN YOU’RE NOT EVEN TRYING!

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JESS TAYLOR FOUND OUT YOU CAN GET HURT WHEN YOU’RE NOT EVEN TRYING!

“He’s the last horse I would have expected to do something like that,” said Jess Taylor as she reflected on the bizarre accident that will keep her out of the saddle until the middle of September.

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RACING LUCK FINALLY COMES KELLY’S WAY

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RACING LUCK FINALLY COMES KELLY’S WAY

Trainer Kelly Purdy was a bundle of nerves as the Eyeliner Stakes field neared the home turn at Ipswich on Saturday. Her recently acquired stable star Bandipur was last of fourteen runners, only 7 lengths from the leader but behind a wall of horses.

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BILL WHITTAKER BOOK AWARD TO JOHN H. PAYNE

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BILL WHITTAKER BOOK AWARD TO JOHN H. PAYNE

Racing historian and researcher John H. Payne is the sixth recipient of the coveted award for his work in publishing “Their Last Ride” - a chronological tribute to the 938 jockeys who have lost their lives riding racehorses in Australia between 1847 and 2017.

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ANDREW GIBBONS WAS A SPORTS MAD KID WHO CHOSE A LIFE IN RACING

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ANDREW GIBBONS WAS A SPORTS MAD KID WHO CHOSE A LIFE IN RACING

Two things stood out in the BM 64 at Newcastle on Saturday. Firstly the winner Salina Dreaming is obviously better than average judging on her dominant front running display, and the sharp ‘kick’ she produced approaching the 200m.