It’s doubtful that Queensland has ever produced a more versatile racing all rounder than Rockhampton based Tony McMahon who was forced to reduce his workload significantly following a freak stable accident in 2022. After 50 frantically busy years working in multiple roles within the racing industry, the 72 year old walked away from several commitments including his favourite pursuit of horse training. His many supporters were delighted to hear that the veteran will continue in the role of reside...
Jun 24, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 533
Our regular podcast has catered principally for racing fans since its introduction seven years ago. This week we break the mould by presenting an interview with Royce Simmons OAM who reached dizzy heights in his footballing career as both player and coach. From the time of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2022, Royce hasn’t left a stone unturned in keeping himself fit enough to pursue every avenue in raising money for dementia research. His results have been inspiring. The celebrated hooker played i...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 532
Donna was at Albury airport waiting to board a Melbourne bound flight when we tracked her down last Friday. She found herself a quiet corner and was happy to join us on the podcast. The experienced horsewoman was literally thrust into the training business when her husband Brett died suddenly in 2008. Before commencing her solo career Donna opted for a year with the huge Darley operation, and has never regretted the decision. Today she trains a 25 horse team from the Albury racecourse precinct, ...
Jun 10, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 531
Anthony Cavallo’s year long absence from the western districts riding ranks continues to arouse the curiosity of his many friends and TAB followers. A veteran of almost forty years in the saddle, Cavallo sustained multiple injuries in what appeared to be a simple fall at Wellington. Two fractured vertebrae in the upper back required a spinal fusion and the insertion of a metal plate. That plate is to be removed at the end of June, after which the veteran will determine the course of his future. ...
Jun 03, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 530
The way James McDonald is reeling off Gr 1 wins it seems certain he’ll need only two more full seasons to seriously threaten Damien Oliver’s record of 129 Australian wins at the elite level. Until that happens we can continue to appreciate the distinguished record “Ollie” left behind when he retired from race riding seventeen months ago. Those 129 Gr 1’s were the highlights of a magnificent career tally of 3189. Throw in 14 Scobie Breasley medals, 10 Melbourne jockey’s premierships and an induct...
May 27, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 529
Luke Marlow’s love affair with thoroughbreds can be traced to the days when he had photos of the champion mare Makybe Diva prominently displayed on his bedroom walls. Around this time his parents were managing the Merlo Downs Stud at Minden about 63 kms west of Brisbane. Luke’s life changed forever a couple of years later when Jeff Marlow took out a trainer’s licence and quickly enlisted his son as principal trackwork rider. By the time the teenager had ridden a few fast gallops and provided a g...
May 20, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 528
Golf has long been the most popular pastime of professional jockeys. Some have attained a very high level in the sport, others are happy to “puddle” around once or twice a week with a few mates. Highly respected southern districts jockey Richard Bensley has come up with a recreation far removed from conventional sports. Thanks to the influence of his late father Bryson, Richard is a master exponent of the ancient art of carriage driving. He frequently jumps into a sparkling old world buggy drawn...
May 13, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 527
Brilliant apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald was shattered recently when a sudden bout of appendicitis interrupted her march towards a possible NSW jockey’s premiership win in just her second season of race riding. The twenty two year old daughter of former successful jockey Malcolm Fitzgerald, had ridden 123 winners in just twenty one months leading up to her recent setback. Only a handful of wins separated Mollie, Aaron Bullock and Jean Van Overmeire at the time of her diagnosis. Her amazing win rat...
May 06, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 526
For many decades the NSW Riverina has produced an endless list of outstanding trainers and jockeys. One of the latest recruits to hit the headlines on the big stage is young jockey Tyler Schiller who reeled off a couple of Gr 1 wins during the recent Championships. One man to leave his mark as a jockey and trainer is Dave Heywood who retired in 2020 after six decades in the racing industry. As a jockey he rode exclusively in the Riverina and Victoria. Surprisingly he never once got to ride on a ...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 525
When Michael Beattie became Deputy Chairman of Stewards for the Hunter And North Western Racing Association in 1985 he wasn’t made welcome by all of his new colleagues. In fact one senior member of staff was clearly unhappy about the appointment of the bloke he called “the brash young steward from Grafton”. Beattie’s lifelong tendency to call a spade a spade has earned him a reputation as a tough, hard operator- some have branded him a “bully”. Others have testified to his fairness and his insis...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 524
Racing has seen few more distinguished careers than the one enjoyed by Ron Quinton over six rewarding decades. His stellar riding career spanned almost thirty years. His successful training career is now in its thirty second year and counting. Ron’s an inductee of the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame and the recipient of a Medal Of The Order Of Australia, fitting acknowledgements of his contribution to Australian racing. I’ve conducted interviews with Ron Quinton many times over sixty years and th...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 523
There’s no busier jockey in northern NSW than Wauchope based Luke Rolls. The expat Kiwi drives huge mileage to honour commitments at northern rivers and tablelands tracks. Born and reared in Fielding on New Zealand’s North Island, Luke was initially apprenticed to Bruce Marsh at Foxton. He transferred to a Victorian stable in the early 2000’s and his subsequent journey has produced an impressive tally of more than 760 winners. Luke begins our chat by talking about his move to the NSW mid north c...
Apr 08, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 522
We’re approaching the fifth anniversary of one of the most unique race days ever seen in Sydney. Drastic covid protocols saw only jockeys, trainers and a handful of stable staff in attendance to watch the running of the Derby, Doncaster, T.J Smith and Sires Produce Stakes on day 1 of The Championships.. The day belonged to that pizza eating, beer swilling, arrogant mare Nettoyer who came from near last to win the Doncaster for trainer Wendy Roche and jockey James Innes Jnr. Jimmy joins us on the...
Apr 01, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 521
The famous Hoysted racing dynasty had its origins in Victoria early in the twentieth century and has produced generations of successful horse trainers. The most celebrated was Fred Hoysted who won 17 Melbourne premierships from his Mentone base. Like most of his predecessors 33 year old Matthew Hoysted began his journey in Wangaratta, before working under the wing of some top Melbourne horsemen. In 2014 he decided on a move to Queensland when a job came up with Tony Gollan after which he spent e...
Mar 25, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 520
When Rod Quinn won on Merlin Mustang at Rosehill in 2013 he had no idea it was fated to be his last ride in a race. When he and wife Alannah departed on a European holiday, Rod fully intended to resume riding on returning to Australia. Why that didn’t happen is a story in itself. Rod takes us through a stellar career that began at Nyngan in the far west of NSW destined to take him to the top of his profession. Rod begins by reminiscing about that final ride at Rosehill in 2013. He explains why h...
Mar 18, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 519
We’ve had a number of syndication company founders on the podcast over recent years, all sharing stories about their childhood passion for racing. James Moss is no different. His interest in the sport was ignited by trips to the track with his father and grandfather. Further motivated by the deeds of champion mare Sunline, James was completely “hooked” by the time he reached early twenties. Family and friends were not surprised when he launched Tricolours Racing and Syndications in 2016. We talk...
Mar 11, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 518
Zac Lloyd’s day of days at Rosehill on February 22nd was soured by a five meeting suspension incurred on the third of his five winners on the programme. This remarkable quintet came just nine months after his previous best, a four win haul at Randwick. The Zac Lloyd story is well documented. He’s the son of former champion jockey Jeff Lloyd who today acts as his son’s manager and adviser. Zac’s career began modestly with a win at Dalby in 2020. Just over four years later the 21 year old is sitti...
Mar 04, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 517
Allan Kehoe has had some handy horses through his hands in twelve years as a professional trainer, but until recently a horse with that elusive X factor had never walked into his Wyong stables. Fate played a hand just over a year ago when a colt he was chasing at the Inglis Classic Sale was suddenly withdrawn by the vendor. That vendor knew of Allan’s interest and called him unexpectedly a few days later. That phone call triggered a deal which saw the Wyong horseman actually take out a three yea...
Feb 25, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 516
We’ve had several emails lately enquiring about Jim Byrne’s future plans. He was missing in action for the latter half of 2024 and has been relatively quiet since returning to the saddle. We haven’t had Jim on the podcast for close to five years. The time is right to catch up with one of Queensland’s best ever jockeys. Jim begins by talking about Michael Cahill’s recent farewell meeting on the Gold Coast, but makes it clear he’s not yet ready to follow suit. He talks of his departure from the ri...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 515
Angela Jones has ridden another two winners since our podcast was recorded on Friday Feb 7th. She won the last at Doomben on Master Showman for Stuart Kendrick and scored on Wanganeen for Tony Gollan at Caloundra on Sunday. That makes it 65 in the state and 38 in town for the current season. Angela’s backstory makes for an interesting podcast. She grew up on a sprawling cattle farm 300 kms south west of Mackay where she and four sisters were schooled at home. She could ride a horse at age 3, but...
Feb 11, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 514
At the time this podcast was recorded on Thursday January 30th, Jamie Mott had ridden 71 Victorian winners for the current season, with only Blake Shinn ahead of him on the premiership ladder. A few hours later he booted home two winners at the Pakenham twilight meeting taking him to 73. On Friday evening he was at the Moonee Valley night meeting where after three early placings he won the final race on Excess for great supporter Julius Sandhu. His seven rides at Sandown on Saturday yielded a wi...
Feb 04, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 513
The legendary jockey’s sudden retirement announcement in December caught the NZ racing industry by surprise. Opie says he’d been contemplating retirement for six months but it took a simple experience on Xmas Day to convince him the time was right. The champion jockey was out jogging on Xmas morning, wearing his mandatory heavy sweat gear when he was suddenly conscious of passers by in high spirits, out enjoying life on such a special day. Opie was unplaced on 3 rides at Ellerslie on Boxing Day....
Jan 28, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 512
Received a couple of emails lately requesting information on two former elite racehorses. My correspondents are two younger racing enthusiasts curious about the deeds of Battle Heights and Manikato- the former a dour New Zealand stayer, the latter a dynamic Australian sprinter of the late 70’s and early 80’s. By coincidence both horses were ridden many times in races by Gary Willetts, an expatriate Kiwi jockey who settled in Australia in late 1975 destined for undreamed of success. Who better to...
Jan 21, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 511
Following in the footsteps of jockeys like Jeff Lloyd, Robbie Fradd and Larry Cassidy, Vlad Duric has chosen Brisbane as home base for the latter years of his riding career. Vlad arrived in Queensland early last year after a wonderfully successful six years in Singapore where he won four local jockey’s premierships and a host of feature races. A Doomben treble got him away to a flying start and the winners have continued to flow. The veteran rider says his passion for race riding hasn’t diminish...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 510
When Luke Nolen’s in full swing it’s difficult to get him to sit still long enough to conduct an interview. Currently he’s on the sidelines indefinitely following a freakish fall at Geelong early in December. Although frustrated and in some discomfort, the champion jockey gave us all the time we needed to get a podcast “in the can”. What a career it’s been for the Victorian born horseman whose riding record is one of Australian racing’s most enviable. Almost 2000 wins, 40 Gr 1’s, three Melbourne...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 509
There was one common thread among the hundreds of tributes paid to Ross Stitt after his recent retirement. Unequivocally, friends and fellow horsemen agreed that the 83 year old had been an ornament to his profession as a man and a professional horse trainer. I’d like to add my sentiments by plucking from the archives an interview we recorded with Ross almost six years ago. He was in reminiscent mood on the day, and took us on a nostalgic journey through his life with horses. Ross began by refle...
Dec 29, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 508
It came as a surprise recently to learn that I hadn’t interviewed Scott Seamer since 2003 when he flew from Ballina to be a guest on Sky’s Inside Racing programme. At the time of the interview the former northern rivers jockey had posted an amazing 15 Gr wins in two years following on from a Queensland Oaks victory on Ethereal in 2001. A few months later Scott landed the coveted Caulfield and Melbourne double on the same wonderful staying mare. Since quitting the saddle in 2011 the former ace jo...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 507
I’d lost count of the number of country racing fans who’d requested a podcast with retired jockey Graham Power. Whenever the subject of top Riverina jockeys had come up over the years, Graham’s name was always on the list. A phone call to check his availability and some quick research followed, and we were good to go. Great to present a podcast with a horseman who never rode a winner as an apprentice, but sure as hell made up for it later. Graham begins by looking back on his final day as a jock...
Dec 17, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 506
We catch up with Wagga based trainer Gary Colvin who added to his metropolitan record when Cambar scored a tradesmanlike win in the TAB Highway on Nov. 30th. Gary’s hoping Cambar will emulate the deeds of stable favourite Another One who won a Championship Final in 2022 after having finished second the year before. Gary begins our podcast by talking about Cambar’s two early wins at Wagga when ridden by stable apprentice Holly Durnan. He looks back on his purchase of the little colt at the Inglis...
Dec 10, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 505
Good to catch up with a young jockey who’s forged a prominent spot among the powerful Sydney riding ranks in recent years. The Waterhouse/Bott duo supply regular rides to Adam Hyeronimus in recognition of his unrelenting work ethic. He currently has 4 Gr 1 winners on his CV along with numerous stakes wins. We were able to pin Adam down last week for a lengthy chat about the early days of his apprenticeship and the road he’s since travelled. He begins by referencing the wonderful support he recei...
Dec 03, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 504
