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

Horse Racing

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A TALE OF TWO THOMPSONS- THE LATTER PART OF A GREAT CAREER AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER

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A TALE OF TWO THOMPSONS- THE LATTER PART OF A GREAT CAREER AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER

Mark Bradley was kind enough to send me a photo he discovered recently in the Bradley Photographers archives. This is a precious piece of racing memorabilia from the Wyong jockeys room in 1973.

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VAIN - THE EXCITEMENT MACHINE

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VAIN - THE EXCITEMENT MACHINE

When Graham McNeice stumbles upon a piece of priceless racing footage, his reaction is something akin to that of Howard Carter when the British archaeologist found the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun. “Shadow” came across some rarely seen black and white footage of Vain’s three Sydney race starts in 1969.

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BUCKLEY WAS IN THE RIGHT ZONE AT RANDWICK

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BUCKLEY WAS IN THE RIGHT ZONE AT RANDWICK

Grant Buckley’s decision in the late 1990’s to concentrate exclusively on the provincial and country circuit has proven to be a runaway winner for the indefatigable jockey. His reasoning was simple.

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GREG HICKMAN - A HERO IN THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY

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GREG HICKMAN - A HERO IN THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY

America’s victory over Japan in the famous Battle Of Midway in 1942, was no more comprehensive than Greg Hickman’s triumph with Our Bellagio Miss in the equine battle of the same name at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

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BATTLE OF THE BUSH WAS A TRIUMPH FOR A LOYAL TRAINER AND DETERMINED JOCKEY

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BATTLE OF THE BUSH WAS A TRIUMPH FOR A LOYAL TRAINER AND DETERMINED JOCKEY

Wendy Peel was paid the ultimate compliment by David Reynolds when he elected to entrust her with the ride on Rather Salubrious in Saturday’s Battle Of The Bush Final, even though apprentices were unable to claim.

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A BIG WEEK FOR SAM CLIPPERTON - 7.5 WINS IN 7 DAYS

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A BIG WEEK FOR SAM CLIPPERTON - 7.5 WINS IN 7 DAYS

“You can’t let the strength of the Sydney riding ranks play on your mind,” says popular jockey Sam Clipperton. “You’ve got to stay focused and bring your A game every time you go to the races.”

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RANDWICK OR GULGONG – IT’S ALL THE SAME TO JAN BOWEN!

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RANDWICK OR GULGONG – IT’S ALL THE SAME TO JAN BOWEN!

Surely the most unique winning double of the weekend was the one achieved by Muswellbrook trainer Jan Bowen. The horse loving grandmother was on cloud nine when her consistent three year old Casino Kid stormed home to win the TAB Highway at Randwick.

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INCENTIVISE - THE KNOCK KNEED FOAL THEY CALL “SPLINTER” AROUND THE FARM

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INCENTIVISE - THE KNOCK KNEED FOAL THEY CALL “SPLINTER” AROUND THE FARM

Steve Tregea had cause to worry when Anthony Allen made the snap decision to send Incentivise to the lead 1200m from home in Saturday’s Bm80 (1810m) at Eagle Farm.

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HAS ANYBODY SEEN GREG RYAN?

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HAS ANYBODY SEEN GREG RYAN?

“I’ll wake up one day and say that’ll do me,” was Greg Ryan’s reply when I asked about his likely retirement date on a podcast posted on October 27th last year. Amazingly that fateful day arrived just five weeks later.

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REBEL RAMA AIMS FOR QUEENSLAND OAKS AFTER ADELAIDE FALSE ALARM

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REBEL RAMA AIMS FOR QUEENSLAND OAKS AFTER ADELAIDE FALSE ALARM

When Rebel Rama completely dominated an 1850m maiden at Newcastle on March 30th, trainer Marc Conners made hurried plans to launch a two pronged attack on the Adelaide carnival.

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BODY LANGUAGE SAYS MORE THAN WORDS. BLAKE SPRIGGS GAVE IT AWAY AT KEMBLA

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BODY LANGUAGE SAYS MORE THAN WORDS. BLAKE SPRIGGS GAVE IT AWAY AT KEMBLA

It’s not uncommon to see a winning jockey “pump the air” in the euphoria of victory, or shake his or her head when surprised by the dominance of a performance but at Kembla Grange on Saturday Blake Spriggs broke new ground.

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TWO GOOD TRAINERS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

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TWO GOOD TRAINERS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

Training partners Robert and Luke Price won’t forget day two of The Championships in a hurry. The father and son team brought only two horses to Royal Randwick, but came away with a healthy portion of the prize money and truckloads of satisfaction.

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EDWARD GETS THE MONKEY OFF HIS BACK

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EDWARD GETS THE MONKEY OFF HIS BACK

“I can’t allow myself to be stressed out because of my surname,” said Edward Cummings. “I just go about my job looking after the twenty horses in my care.

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COL HODGES REACHES A RARE MILESTONE

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COL HODGES REACHES A RARE MILESTONE

While Darren Flindell was weaving his own brand of magic at Royal Randwick on Saturday, a race caller from the previous generation was celebrating a unique anniversary at Warren - a tiny hamlet of 1500 people some 536 kms from Sydney.

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JESS GETS THE CALL TO RIDE THE FILLY WITH THE FUNNY MOUTH AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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JESS GETS THE CALL TO RIDE THE FILLY WITH THE FUNNY MOUTH AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

A light mouthed horse can be a nuisance on a trail ride, let alone in a high pressure thoroughbred race. The first challenge for the rider of a “bit shy” galloper comes the moment the gates open.

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A TRIBUTE TO BERT BRYANT

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A TRIBUTE TO BERT BRYANT

Great to see the Melbourne Racing Club pay homage to two great race callers of yesteryear at Saturday’s Caulfield meeting. Races were named after Bill Collins and Bert Bryant.

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KERRY’S HOPING FOR BETTER LUCK THIS TIME AROUND

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KERRY’S HOPING FOR BETTER LUCK THIS TIME AROUND

As Kerry Parker walked off Randwick racecourse on Easter Saturday 2010, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever get another shot at the Doncaster Hcp.

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MICHAEL RODD IS LOVING LIFE BACK WHERE HE STARTED IN QUEENSLAND

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MICHAEL RODD IS LOVING LIFE BACK WHERE HE STARTED IN QUEENSLAND

The uncertainty of the year 2020 was the furthest thing from Michael Rodd’s mind as he notched a winning double at Eagle Farm last Saturday.