Sydney harness racing fans are familiar with Todd McCarthy’s meteoric rise in a few short years. He talks about his early days, the influence of his family, and the horses who’ve shaped his career. He pays special tribute to the amazing Tiger Tara.
In part two of the podcast Michael Cahill remembers Falvelon as the fastest horse he ever rode. He talks of his time in Hong Kong and Macau. The latter contract took him to a jockeys title, and a Derby win.
It’s great to catch up with a jockey who’s been the ultimate professional for four decades. Michael Cahill was born into a great racing family at Cowra (NSW).
Kristen Buchanan lived in WA as a youngster and attained Uni Degrees in Biology and Exercise Physiology. Those qualifications would have given her any number of job choices, but training racehorses was all she wanted to do.
When the website began in May of last year, Rodney Quinn was one of my very early podcast guests. He’d been retired for five years and was well entrenched in his new role as tutor of apprentices with Racing NSW.
Jodi Quinlan was pretty sore and sorry when we recorded this podcast, but you’d never pick it. Only a week earlier she had a confrontation with an ill-tempered maiden trotter in the Melton float parking area, and came off second best.
This week we talk to Tamworth’s Sue Grills, who was NSW Country Trainer of the Year in the 2014/15 season. Sue brings an occasional horse to the “big smoke”, and is rarely far away.
In Part 2 Ron takes us through the tough transition to the ranks of Sydney trainers. He talks about the best horses he’s prepared, his role as a tutor of young jockeys, and his riding stints in Ireland.
In Part 1 Ron talks about his childhood on the family farm at Mendooran and his early introduction to horses. He recalls happy times during his apprenticeship to Theo Green, master tutor of jockeys.
Delighted to welcome Blake Shinn to the podcast. One of Australia’s riding elite, Blake has been out since August recovering from spinal injuries sustained in a Randwick barrier trial.
I had many a conversation with Richard Freedman at Sky Channel, and not once did he hint that he might train horses again. Two years ago the bug bit him when he pre-trained a few for brother Michael at Hawkesbury.
In Part 2 Fred Kersley talks about the struggle he had to gain his thoroughbred trainer’s licence. It’s a treat to hear the maestro reminisce about the champion Northerly, who catapulted him to the upper echelon of galloping trainers.
