I caught up with John Wade at the recent Jockeys Reunion and the idea of a podcast immediately sprang to mind. He’s not the kind of bloke to talk about his many achievements in the saddle, but happily I was able to pin him down. John is now in his early 70’s, lives on the Gold Coast and works full time for a Pathology Company. He tells us more about the job and the enormous number of miles he travels every week. John talks of early days at Newcastle following in the footsteps of his late father ...
Aug 30, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 383
Enjoy nothing more than heading “bush” for our podcast chats. This week we go to Big River Country to catch up with Grafton trainer Dwayne Schmidt who operates a twenty horse operation from Grafton. After a successful training stint in Queensland, Dwayne headed back to NSW when the track problems at Eagle Farm persisted. He admits he was sorry to leave Brisbane. Dwayne says he strongly considered Ballina as a training base before settling on Grafton. He has some nice things to say about the prom...
Aug 23, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 382
Had Greg Radley not tried his hand as a radio presenter in Brisbane and Sydney he may still be calling races in the Hunter Valley where it all began thirty five years ago. His curiosity about other avenues of sports media saw him develop a special talent as a presenter and interviewer. Today he’s the polished professional who hosts several key Sky Thoroughbred Central programmes. We talk to Greg about his fascinating journey to the top of his profession. He describes his enduring love for his ho...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 381
You can’t say Neil Paine has created a trend with his wardrobe of colourful outfits because nobody else has followed a similar path. Unperturbed he’ll continue to set the pace in his role as race day manager for the Waterhouse/Bott yard. Neil joins us on the podcast to talk about his riding career and his current role. He explains the origins of the race day apparel. Neil reflects on the Noumea race fall that ended his very successful riding career. He looks back on a lengthy rehabilitation and ...
Aug 09, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 380
Great to catch up with trainer Nick Olive who looks like surviving yet another Canberra winter. Nick takes us back to the fateful day when his father took him and brother Tim to a Canberra race meeting. He says the die was cast on that very day. The trainer talks of his recent Covid 19 isolation. Nick agrees with some fellow ACT trainers who don’t wish to train anywhere else despite some concerning insurance issues under the ACT Government. He talks of his manageable team of 20-25 horses. Nick r...
Aug 02, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 379
Received a surprise email from Harry Troy who says he’s a regular listener to our podcasts in Macau. It suddenly struck me that we hadn’t recorded a chat with this man. What a diversified life he’s had as a bookie’s clerk, jockey, publisher and long time Macau race caller. We begin by looking back on the riding contract that first took him to Macau in 1997. Harry looks back on his decision to quit the saddle when an opportunity came up to become a parade yard commentator for Macau Jockey Club te...
Jul 26, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 378
An overdue chat with an astute horse trainer and one of racing’s true characters. Lindsey took a giant step in 2019 when he opened a business at Warrnambool, but left his WA stables operating under the supervision of a trusted lieutenant. He talks of his delight in being able to combine the two operations to win more than 100 races in each of the last three seasons. Lindsey talks of his use of heavy sand in the preparation of horses. He expresses his opinion on the theory that too much sand work...
Jul 19, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 377
Great to catch up with a horseman whose name appears regularly among winning trainers at Southern Districts meetings, and occasionally in the city. Students believe Norm Gardner’s strike rate in recent years is a very healthy one. We talk to Norm about some of his recent winners, and the disadvantage of training horses in the bitter Canberra winters. Norm talks of retired Canberra jockey Kevin Sweeney who knew it was cold when ice gathered on his eyebrows during trackwork. The trainer talks of h...
Jul 12, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 376
Chad Lever’s sudden disappearance from the riding ranks last September mystified trainers, punters and friends. The popular jockey had been juggling a huge workload for several years to honour commitments on the provincial and country circuit. Ten months ago he knew he’d have to take a break before his health suffered. Chad explains that he’s been able to control his weight by riding trackwork and competing in barrier trials for his wife Claire. He explains that the constant travelling and wasti...
Jul 05, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 375
It’s great to catch up with the ever ebullient Dr Geoff Chapman who slipped quietly into retirement four years ago, after a life of achievement and great diversity. Geoff begins by talking about his return to the medical profession after terminating his training career. He looks back on his early years at Cobar and his family’s move to a property on the outskirts of Dubbo. Geoff talks of five happy years at the Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School at Tamworth. He remembers with affection his...
Jun 28, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 374
The moment news of Ray’s retirement hit the airwaves it became a priority to lock him in for a podcast. After all I have known the man for fifty four years, and we spent a lot of time together in his early days with the 2GB Macquarie team. His journey in Australian sports media has been a fascinating one- from a humble start as a harness racing commentator on Riverina tracks, to the upper echelon of Australian sports broadcasting. He admits there was a major degree of sadness surrounding his dec...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 373
Great to catch up with the girl who left her busy father a note to ask for her first pony. Robert Murray agreed, and the first stone was laid on the path to his daughter’s career as a respected professional jockey. Rachael’s on the injured list at the moment otherwise she would have been difficult to pin down for an interview. She looks back on the day she left that note on the kitchen table. Rachael looks back on her early life on the family farm near Inverell, with her recollections of some se...
Jun 14, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 372
It’s a pity we didn’t get to talk to Kim about her stunning Rosehill double with French Bonnet and Kingsheir on Saturday. This interview was recorded the previous day shortly after she’d arrived home from the Gosford trials. Kim talks about the frustration trainers are experiencing with the neverending run of wet tracks in Sydney. She talks about the twenty hectare property at Jilliby where all of her horses are spelled and pre-trained before going into her Wyong stables. Sometimes they go back ...
Jun 07, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 371
Great to catch up with Barry Lockwood who’s back on deck following two unrelated health issues. The talented horseman talks openly about his serious cancer scare, and the loss of a toe as a result of a golden staph infection. His famous sense of humour is never far away. Barry pays tribute to son Rick who ran the stable during his father’s lengthy hospitalisation. He talks of his relocation from stables near the 1800m mark at Eagle Farm to the infield barn. Barry talks of his early life in Tamwo...
Jun 02, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 370
When Cliff Brown arrived in Singapore in 2008 equine virus had paralysed the racing industry in most parts of eastern Australia. It was nine months before Cliff was able to transport Aussie horses to his new training base. After a tardy start he went on to enjoy 13 fruitful years in Singapore. He talks of the endless Covid lockdown which brought him back to Australia last year. Cliff looks back on a very satisfying thirteen years in a city he grew to love. The trainer profiles some very talented...
May 24, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 369
James Heddo thought he was in need of a change of career direction when he resigned from the ATC Executive team in 2020. He found that. change in the hospitality industry, spending some 15 months as CEO of the Terrigal Bowling Club. He hadn’t factored in the withdrawal symptoms associated with leaving the racing industry after 33 years. Few were surprised when he was recently appointed as CEO of the Hawkesbury Race Club. We talk to James about time away from the racetrack. He talks of the rich h...
May 17, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 368
“He always seems to have a handy horse in the stable”, is an old racing adage which traditionally applies to smaller racing stables. Steve Englebrecht has been one of those trainers for most of his forty year career. The semi retired horseman has only two horses in work currently, but both can gallop. He talks about his promising three year old filly Chilko Lake. Steve talks about the filly’s sire Vancouver. Although a Golden Slipper winner himself, he seems to be producing horses who handle a m...
May 10, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 367
Great to catch up with a very switched on trainer who has sailed past the 1000 career win tally. Joe explains that he discourages owners from keeping horses who are not paying their way. He talks of his non racing family background and the early punting involvement that sparked his love of racing. Joe talks about the Psychology Degree he embarked upon at Sydney University. His parents were displeased when he quit after the first year. The trainer looks back on his invaluable four years as stable...
May 03, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 366
Thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Sheila Laxon ONZM who’s now training in tandem with her partner John Symons on the Sunshine Coast.Welsh born Sheila was riding ponies on the family farm at age three, a precursor to a fascinating life with horses. She begins by recalling her first meeting with John Symons when she brought Ethereal over for the 2001 Victorian spring carnival. Sheila says John was training a pretty good two year old colt at the time who would go on to spectacular racetrack and stud ...
Apr 26, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 365
Despite missing the first month of the current racing season, Brooke Stower finds herself in 15th spot on the NSW jockey’s premiership ladder with over three months to go. Brooke spent a full year on the sidelines after a freakish accident at Grafton in 2020. Her comeback has been one of the best racing stories in recent years. We talk to the Tamworth based jockey about the endless miles she travels to bush meetings. The young jockey fondly remembers the winning double at Grafton last year which...
Apr 19, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 364
After a brief career as an apprentice jockey and an even briefer one in the harness racing sport, Kevin Kemp acquired his thoroughbred trainer’s license in1975. He worked another job for two years before focusing full time on a career which has taken him to the top bracket of Queensland’s training ranks. Kev talks about a couple of his most recent winners Winter Rain and Mishani Mistress. He mentions Alert And Ready and Ilikeit Iloveit two handy fillies who’ve each won 3 races at Toowoomba. He s...
Apr 19, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 363
John Hutchings was one of the most gifted country jockeys of his generation. Between the mid 1960’s and mid 1990’s John rode 1470 winners and won nine jockey’s apprenticeships, three of them while still an apprentice. Now in retirement at Grafton, he was happy to reminisce on the podcast. John says he’s not much heavier than he was at the end of his riding career. He talks of his Grafton property and the lucerne crop he maintains to supply hay to local racing people. John looks back on his brill...
Apr 12, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 362
As this podcast goes onto the website Chris Alford is closing in on an astonishing 7650 career wins which include 124 Gr 1’s. To put those figures into perspective we should look at the Australian riding record held by NSW jockey Robert Thompson who retired last year with a record of 4447 wins. He’d been riding for 48 years and was 63 years old when he quit the saddle. Chris Alford is approaching 54 and has been race driving for 38 years. When not at the races, the champion reinsman is working h...
Apr 05, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 361
We introduce a hard working Queensland jockey who more than holds his own in the fiercely competitive Brisbane riding ranks. Michael reflects on a milestone win at a recent Gold Coast meeting- his 700th since his riding career began under amazing circumstances. Michael acknowledges the emergence of young trainer Indiana Turner who was in the winner’s circle for the first time. The jockey says he had no idea about his upcoming career milestone until he heard other jockeys talking about a new on l...
Apr 05, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 360
Great to catch up with Bill Prain who called it quits in 2018 when his great friend and valued client Fred Peisah succumbed to illness. Bill had been adamant for some time that he’d retire if ever Fred left the racing industry. He talks of Peisah’s unwavering loyalty over three decades. Now in retirement on the Gold Coast, Bill says he’s still an avid race watcher. He talks of childhood days in Parramatta, and the nickname bestowed upon him by his mother- a nickname he’s never been able to shake...
Mar 29, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 359
With the 2022 Inglis Easter Sale upon us we thought it timely to chat with long time vendor John Muir. The former high profile car dealer runs Milburn Creek, a boutique breeding farm at Wildes Meadow on the Southern Highlands. John begins by talking about the 2018 sale of the landmark Muir’s Motors dealership on Parramatta Rd. Ashfield. John reveals that his late father Les Muir had predicted the intrusion of an underground road link. He talks of his father’s early connection with General Motors...
Mar 29, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 358
Great to catch up with Robert Morris, one of Australia’s busiest harness racing drivers. The thirty year old has driven 100 winners or more on NSW tracks for the past ten seasons. Rob’s wife Kerry Ann trains a 50 horse team at Menangle, and is already a two time premiership winner. She takes her horses where they have the best chance of earning prize money. Robert talks of his role as Kerry Ann’s stable driver. He explains his duties in the day to day running of the successful stable. Rob’s been...
Mar 22, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 357
When Colin Little walked away from his Caulfield training base late last year, he knew that retirement wasn’t too far away. He intended to keep training at Pakenham in the immediate future, but an ironic twist of fate intervened. Early in March he made the snap decision to relinquish his licence. He joins us on the podcast to explain the reason for his hasty departure. Colin talks of his attachment to Caulfield where he was born, and would spend his entire racing life. He reflects on the riding ...
Mar 22, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 356
Bob Lapointe was just 26 years old and didn’t know a soul when he arrived in Australia in 1967. Within a few years he’d become the king of fast food dining in this country. He ventured into varied business interests including horse racing. It wasn’t long before he was leaving his mark on the turf. We caught up with Bob at his beloved Muskoka Farm which he established more than fifty years ago. With a tinge of sadness Bob reveals that he and his wife Wendy will soon be moving on. Bob takes us bac...
Mar 15, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 355
Gary Kliese has been a fixture on the Skychannel service from NSW northern tracks for 23 years. He was appointed and tutored by Graham McNeice who remains his greatest supporter. Gary begins by sharing his sadness about the recent flooding which has seriously impacted his hometown of Ballina. He remembers the fateful phone call to Graham McNeice which resulted in a career after race riding. He talks of the many tracks to which he travels to present Sky’s race day service, and the time he spends ...
Mar 08, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 354
