Luke Pepper joins the ranks of smaller trainers who only need the right horse to showcase their talents. Until Opal Ridge came along Luke had been achieving consistent results with average horses. Suddenly he’s in the big league with last start stakes winner Opal Ridge, who’ll contest the Gr 3 P.J Bell Stakes on Saturday. We go right back to Luke’s early days in pony club and the wide experience he gained before taking out his own trainer’s licence. Luke begins by talking about his reasons for r...
Mar 28, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 413
The fate of retired racehorses has never been under more scrutiny, and Jo McKinnon couldn’t be happier. The respected media contributor recently launched her own website designed to monitor the post competitive lives of thoroughbreds and performance horses. Jo joins us to talk about the creation of “offthetrackhorses.com.au” and to look back on her own exciting life in media and in the racing industry. She talks of the origins of her independent on-line platform. Jo outlines her ideas for regula...
Mar 21, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 412
Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Gary Kliese recently suggested I organise a chat with Grafton based jockey Matt McGuren. Gary was full of praise for McGuren’s talents and assured me that the jockey’s life story was great podcast material. Matt was more than happy to participate even though he was feeling pretty frustrated by the outcome of what appeared to be an insignificant accident a few days earlier. He looks back on his barrier trial mishap at Ballina. He says he decided to ride at the Grafton m...
Mar 14, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 411
It’s fair to say that Sunline’s constant companion Claire Bird became almost as well known as the great mare herself. The petite blonde accompanied Sunline on one trip to Dubai, twice to Hong Kong and nine times to Australia. She endeared herself to racing administrators and to the media at large. When Sunline left the racing scene Claire opted for a future in Australia. She has capably filled several roles in the racing industry and media, and is currently enjoying her time on the Tony Gollan a...
Mar 07, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 410
Understandably Robbie Fradd is going through a tough period of adjustment as he comes to terms with the reality of an enforced retirement. The champion international jockey has been grounded by specialists after recently undergoing major heart bypass surgery. Rob intends to stay in Brisbane where he’s been riding for close to nine years. He talks about the shortage of breath and fatigue which warned him of impending trouble. Rob admits to a nicotine addiction throughout his riding career, but sa...
Feb 28, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 409
When Harry Troy sang the praises of Dennis Firth in a podcast last year, I made it my business to track down the former 16 time western districts premiership winner. Dennis is now 72 years of age, and still residing in his much loved hometown of Coonamble. He’s the kind of bloke who’s not comfortable talking about his own achievements but after a little coaxing he hit top gear. Den humbly acknowledges the fact that he rode 1499 winners in an era when racing was held only once a week in the bush....
Feb 21, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 408
Christian Reith was riding winners everywhere when a Newcastle race fall in April of last year left him with vertebrae fractures. Only a week earlier he’d ridden a winning treble at Goulburn. Specialists were adamant he’d be out for at least one year but Christian’s dedication to his rehabilitation saw him gain a clearance after ten months. The talented jockey looks back on the fall that he could see was about to happen. He says the specialists gave him little hope of returning inside a year. Ch...
Feb 14, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 407
I enjoy reminiscing with bush horsemen, especially one who’s been around for a while. We catch up with Paul St Vincent who took a long time to retire but his stables are finally empty. He does however travel from Tamworth to Coffs Harbour whenever his sons Aiden and Kane require his help. This interview was recorded ten days before Aiden’s talented horse Lisztomania won the Country Championship qualifier at Port Macquarie. Paul talks of his long road trips to the coast. He talks of sons Aiden an...
Feb 07, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 406
To Victoria we go for this week’s podcast with talented trainer Jason Warren who’s based on the Mornington Peninsula. Jason was lucky to get himself a Gr 1 winner early in his career, and hopes to find another one or two in the future. He begins by acknowledging the talents of his smart 3YO filly Benedetta. He’s also pretty keen on a three year old called Grand Pierro who was luckless in the Victoria Derby. Jason talks about the decision to sell his lovely Mornington training property to Barbara...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 405
After more than three years under lockdown in Macau, Geoff Allendorf was delighted to finally make it back to Australia over Xmas/New Year to catch up with family and friends. I tracked him down during that stay to line up the podcast you’re about to hear. Geoff talks of his return to Macau after a wonderful few weeks in his homeland. Now in his 17th year as a trainer at the Taipa racecourse, he talks of his own current team and the reduced equine population in the colony. The former Sydney jock...
Jan 24, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 404
The 63 year old was stunned in November when diagnosed with Bradycardia - an excessively slow heart rate. While not life threatening the condition can cause sudden fatigue and shortage of breath when the sufferer is placed under high stress levels. Riding half a ton of racehorse at a fast gallop isn’t the smartest thing to be doing when you’ve been diagnosed with Bradycardia. Mark’s emotional upheaval coincided with the passing of his much loved mother Gwen. The successful trainer and former bri...
Jan 17, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 403
I’ve had several requests for a podcast with Kevin Langby. Rather than try to explain he was on the show two years ago, let’s put him on again. Nothing’s changed. He’s still fighting fit on the Central Coast and still looking back on one of Sydney racing’s most distinguished careers. Kev begins by looking back on his initial apprenticeship to Max Wardle and a transfer to Dick Cornish- both in his hometown of Orange. Kev remembers his father’s insistence that he transfer to a Sydney trainer. He w...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 402
She’s disappointed, frustrated and very bored. Anna Roper still can’t believe a freak accident at Muswellbrook in November has halted an amazing trot that brought her 56 wins in seven months. She talks of the accident that stirred up an old injury. Like most horse people, Anna couldn’t believe that a horse would buck after having galloped 1450m. The young jockey reflects on the soccer injury that damaged her right knee in the first place. She says she became a couch potato during a long recovery...
Jan 03, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 401
I’m delighted to welcome Danielle Seib as the subject of our 400th episode since the website was launched in May of 2018. This interview was recorded before Danielle won her first race for new clients Champion Thoroughbreds at Wagga on Dec 23rd. The horse in question was Smokeshow who put a Class 3 field away in impressive fashion. Danielle begins by talking about a brief stint as a Science teacher before going full time as a trainer. She pays tribute to Assault’n’Bathory, the horse who kick sta...
Dec 27, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 400
Allan Denham’s intention to quit the training ranks was known only to family and a handful of close friends. Fittingly he went out on a winning note when Adios Steve won a BM 64 at Hawkesbury on June 30th 2022. The former champion apprentice jockey and distinguished trainer certainly isn’t looking for accolades, but I can’t possibly let him retire without presenting the tribute he so richly deserves. This week we replay a podcast recorded with Allan in 2019, in which he says the rumour mill had ...
Dec 19, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 399
Many people in racing are curious about the roles of modern day jockey agents. To do the job properly, busy managers have to be on call 24/7. One unanswered phone call could mean the loss of a big race opportunity. Mathew Alesci has managed only 8 jockeys in 14 years, including multiple Gr 1 winner Ben Melham. He’s currently regenerating his career after a year off. During that hiatus he spent time with his father Charlie who’s dealing with health issues. Mathew talks of Charlie Alesci’s emigrat...
Dec 13, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 398
If there’s a single positive about Nick Heywood’s current injury layoff, it’s the fact that we were able to pin him down for an interview. He talks about the inevitability of accidents and the fact that jockeys have to come to terms with it. Nick talks about the vagaries of racing luck and his early winning double on the day of his Wagga race fall. He looks back on the unusual nature of the fall that left him with a fracture to the tibia. Nick looks back on two good seasons, and his resolve not ...
Dec 06, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 397
Sky Racing presenters do a great job in trying to identify winners for the army of punters who subscribe to the service around Australia. One of them is affable Glenn Munsie who is a regular on Sky Thoroughbred Central programmes like News Central and Formline. His up to the minute race day market moves are greatly appreciated by punters. We begin by talking to Glenn about his early life as the son of respected jockey Norm Munsie. He talks of his late father’s association with Sir Frank Packer w...
Nov 29, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 396
It was around 2008 when Grant Williams started to tinker with the odd thoroughbred. Prior to that he’d enjoyed a distinguished 20 year career in harness racing as a trainer and driver. His association with leviathan owner/breeder Bob Peters began in 2012. When that partnership terminated early this year, they’d shared success in 15 Gr 1’s and countless stakes races. Grant begins by talking about the end of his association with the huge Bob Peters operation. When Bob first offered Grant some hors...
Nov 21, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 395
We’re delighted to present a podcast with a young Welshman who took NSW racing by the seat of its pants last season and turned it upside down. Ashley Morgan arrived in a strange country unheralded and unsung in 2018 and with the help of a prominent Scone trainer began to ply his trade. Last season he was crowned NSW champion jockey. We begin by talking to Ashley about his quick return to the UK recently for the christening of his young daughter. The Welsh born jockey talks of the trackwork he ro...
Nov 15, 2022•52 min•Ep. 394
We catch up with the founder and CEO of the respected racehorse syndication company Proven Thoroughbreds. This interview was recorded before Private Eye’s unplaced effort in the Champions Mile. Jamie Walter recalls the heart stopping moments when Private Eye hit the front a few strides from home in The Everest. He relives the excitement of the occasion. Jamie pays tribute to a very special horse and to Joe Pride, the trainer who has taken Private Eye to ten wins and $6 million. Jamie Walter talk...
Nov 08, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 393
Who better to join us at Melbourne Cup time than former jockey Larry Olsen who joined the chosen few when he won the 1987 Cup on Kensei. A couple of years earlier Larry was dairy farming at Kyogle and his weight had soared to 80kgs. The popular jockey’s spectacular comeback made headlines around the world. He looks back on a life changing win. Larry remembers how his association with Kensei began. He takes us through the races leading up to the Cup triumph including a win in the Grafton Cup- one...
Oct 31, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 392
After 24 years in the employ of other trainers, Brad Widdup was coaxed into training in his own right as recently as 2017. Two years later he endured a setback that would have discouraged most horsemen in the same position. This man’s recovery has been spectacular. We begin by getting Brad’s reaction to his best season ever in 2021/2022. He talks of a flying start in the new season. Brad says his recent success has brought increased support to his Hawksbury operation. This interview was recorded...
Oct 25, 2022•44 min•Season 391Ep. 391
Punters and racing fans who follow southern districts racing are familiar with the name of Nick Souquet. The veteran jockey has been a fixture down south for all of his thirty years in the saddle. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Nick Souquet which was all the more reason to get him on the podcast for a chat about his successful career. Nick says he’s never met another person in Australia who goes by his surname. He talks of his home base at Wodonga which enables him to ride in two states. ...
Oct 18, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 390
Punters and racing fans are familiar with the maroon, yellow and white silks of Mystery Downs, a company managed by Frank and Christine Cook. The Cooks share in the ownership of enough horses around Australia to warrant the services of twenty five trainers. Frank took over full time management of Mystery Downs after selling his chain of nursing homes in 2014. In previous years he’d been the state and federal President/Chairman of the Australian Nursing Home Association. He begins by talking abou...
Oct 11, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 389
With the Melbourne Cup only a month away the familiar trivia questions are starting to pop up in the pubs and clubs. One popular question is the one about the oldest person still living who has trained a Melbourne Cup winner. The answer of course is Mick Robins who won it twice with the great stayer Rain Lover in 1968 and 69. I’ve actually had a couple of recent emails requesting a podcast with the veteran trainer. The fact is I recorded an interview with Mick two and a half years ago, and he wa...
Oct 04, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 388
Nineteen years have passed since Stan Aitken called time on his successful riding career. The multiple Gr 1 winning jockey continued to work in the racing industry as a groundsman for the Ballarat Race Club until his retirement a few years ago. Stan clearly recalls his final ride in the Ararat Gold Cup of 2003. He talks of his decision to quit when opportunities dried up. He looks back on his working years at the Ballarat racecourse. Stan reflects on his childhood in the idyllic Tasmanian town o...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 387
Mark Newnham’s career story is one of a young bloke who held on to his dream like a dog with an old boot. From the first day his father took him to the races, young Newnham knew he wanted a future with horses. He says his passion has never waned. Mark talks of the difficulties of running a dual operation at Randwick and Warwick Farm. He was relieved when more boxes became available at headquarters. He reflects on his training statistics over the last two seasons. Mark elaborates on the little kn...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 386
Racing historian Dennis Najim recently sent me audio recordings of some of Galilee’s memorable wins in Melbourne in the mid 1960’s. The NZ bred stayer dominated the Victorian Spring carnival of 1966 winning the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in dominant fashion. The following autumn Galilee trounced his opposition in the Sydney Cup becoming the first horse to win the big treble in the same season- a distinction he still holds. The pigeon toed gelding with the suspect action was once described by j...
Sep 13, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 385
After a wonderfully successful decade training from his Murwillumbah base, Matt Dunn surprised a few people when he elected to open a metropolitan stable. The first negative was his ineligibility for the weekly TAB Highways which he’d dominated since their inception in 2015. Matt talks about the numbers in his Rosehill and Murwillumbah stables. He acknowledges the contribution of Holly Julius who runs the northern operation. Matt talks of his frequent visits to the northern rivers. The trainer t...
Sep 06, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 384
