John Tapp Racing

Blake Spriggs answered immediately when I tried his mobile number one day last week. What a delight it was to hear such clarity, sparkle and fluency in the voice of a man who this time last year had his Doctors gravely concerned. Medical professionals who played even the smallest part in the former jockey’s rehabilitation continue to marvel at his attitude, determination and rate of recovery from an endless list of injuries. 

Blake had prepared himself well by the time neurosurgeons delivered the heartbreaking news that his riding career was over.  
The articulate thirty three year old joins us on the podcast, to look back on an ordeal that all jockeys hope will never befall them.  

Blake says every member of his medical team has expressed surprise at the rate of his recovery.

You’ll be amazed to learn what he can do just one year on from the worst kind of race fall.

He says more than two weeks passed before he had any knowledge of the damage to his body. You might feel squirmish as Blake recounts the long list of injuries.

Blake focuses on the brain bleed that convinced Doctors he would be wise to abandon any thoughts of a comeback.

He pays homage to his dedicated physiotherapist and reveals some amazing coincidences about his stay in Canberra Hospital.

Not surprisingly a few months into his rehabilitation he started to think about the horse or horses he’d miss the most. Blake says one horse stood out.

Blake was happy to reminisce about his 17 year career as a jockey. He begins by paying tribute to his father Dale Spriggs who rode close to 3000 winners in a 40 year career.

He remembers riding in many races with Dale and one particular quinella they provided.

The former jockey talks of his sporting prowess during schooldays.

Blake pays tribute to his late grandfather who taught him valuable lessons about horse management.

He talks of his initial apprenticeship to Newcastle trainer Steve Hodge and the thrill of winning on the occasion of his very first race ride. He looks back on a transfer to the Waterhouse stable and a short time with Jason Deamer at Newcastle,

Blake fondly remembers the magical day at Rosehill as a 3kg claiming apprentice when he rode five winners. He takes us through all five wins.

He acknowledges some of the horses who helped him along the way with special mention of his Gr 1 Metropolitan win on Sir John Hawkwood.

Blake acknowledges the support of his mother Leanda who managed him during the early part of his career. Brother Dustin and sister Dimity also receive an honourable mention.

He looks back on a Moree Cup win viewed by his late grandfather.

Blake says he was inspired by many during his long and lonely recovery, none more than son Brooklyn who only recently turned three.

He’s currently contemplating life after racing and is happy to have gained some business knowledge during his time as co-owner of a Sydney used-car dealership. He hopes to put that knowledge to good use going forward. 

This is an uplifting chat with a very gutsy former jockey.

This week we catch up with another member of the “bush trainer brigade” - those remarkable people who continue to bring  the very best out of horses of limited ability while paying just as much for chaff, oats and associated supplements as their city counterparts. This week’s podcast guest recently relocated from one country location to another. After many successful years at Bendemeer near Tamworth, Jane Clement and husband Rob recently moved to a 50 acre farm at Mendooran. The new location will afford Jane and Rob easy access to many western and northern meetings. The Jane Clement story makes for a very interesting podcast and we’re delighted to have her join us this week. Jane explains the reasons she chose to move out west after a lifetime at Bendemeer.

She says her previous training property embraced most of the long defunct Bendemeer racecourse. Undulating terrain gave her horses a beneficial change from flat track training.

Jane looks  back on childhood days on the family farm at Bendemeer where horses were a major part of her life. She began riding trackwork at an early age for her maternal grandfather, the legendary Tamworth trainer Merv Corless. 

She talks of the lessons learned from her late grandfather.

Jane remembers the “iron gelding” Akwazoff who was trained throughout his long career by Merv Corless.

She looks back on a short stint as an amateur rider which yielded 25 wins. Her first day as a picnic jockey brought an unexpected surprise.

Jane hasn’t forgotten her first win as a professional trainer. She had to go through a fair bit of anguish before the numbers went up.

She looks back on her first and only win on a Sydney track. She’s rarely seen in town.

Jane talks affectionately of her all time favourite Chrysolaus who posted 6 wins and 7 placings. The trainer looks back on his most important wins. 

Jane pays tribute to the late John Clift, owner of Chrysolaus and the breeder of champion Gunsynd.

The trainer explains her unrelenting loyalty to female jockeys. She acknowledges some of the girls who’ve helped her along the way.

Like many bush trainers Jane is a regular user of the bi-monthly Inglis Digital auction. She talks of several bargain buys sourced in recent years.

Jane is justifiably proud of her son Braith Nock, last season’s champion Sydney apprentice jockey. She looks back on his early experience as a bull rider.

She brings us up to date on the progress of Braith’s sister Dana who’s apprenticed to Brett and Georgie Cavanough Cavanough at Scone.

Jane talks of the wide range of tracks within reach of her new training property at Mendooran. 

She talks of the mode of transport used to get her horses to the races.

Jane says a recent win at Tamworth tugged her heartstrings.

A nice chat with a trainer who’s been in the company of horses most days of her life.

Richard Litt’s entry into the Sydney training ranks materialised under very sad circumstances. He’d barely settled into a training partnership at Warwick Farm with his father Jim when news came from NZ of the premature death of his older brother Jay. Jim Litt made an immediate decision to return to NZ but resolved to leave his small team of horses in Sydney. 

Richard was quickly granted a training licence by Racing NSW and launched his training career under less than ideal circumstances. Some months later he paid his first visit to the winner’s circle when a mare called Klissta won the Braidwood Cup. As Richard gratefully received the Cup trophy he couldn’t have imagined that just two years later he’d be on the dais at Royal Randwick receiving the trainer’s trophy after the Gr 1 Champagne Stakes.  

That  trophy was won by Castelvecchio, the Dundeel colt who’d catapulted Richard Litt to racing’s biggest stage. He joins us on the podcast to talk about his first magical decade in Australian racing.  He talks about an encouraging first half of the current season and his expectations  for the promising Caffe Florian.

The trainer looks back on early Sydny stints with trainers like Graham Rogerson, Bart Cummings and John O’Shea. 

Richard looks back on his father’s decision to try his luck in Sydney with a small team of NZ horses.

He remembers the impact of his brother’s sudden death in Hawera.

Richard says he won’t forget the thrill of his Braidwood Cup win in 2017.

He looks back on the thrill of landing his first city win albeit a midweek event. His first Saturday metro win was another special occasion.

Richard reflects on the luck he’s had with a string of online purchases from the Godolphin operation.

The trainer shares the story about the beginning of his association with owners Ottavio and Wendy Galletta. He was given the formidable task of winning a race or two with a horse previously trained by Chris Waller. 

Richard says he was surprised and delighted when Ottavio and Wendy gave him their new Dundeel colt to train. Castelvecchio began with a flourish by winning first up at  Canterbury before repeating the dose in spectacular fashion in the Inglis Millenium.

He looks back on Castelvecchio’s wins in the Champagne Stakes and Rosehill Guineas and his stunning second in the Cox Plate.

Richard looks back on a monumental disappointment when Castelvecchio was brought undone on a very heavy track in the ATC Derby.

The trainer was humbled when the Gallettas gave him the job of training the $1.9 million colt known as Profondo. Richard talks about the highs and lows of the Deep Impact colt’s short career.

He talks of Ottavio’s acquisition of the Victory Lodge training stables at Warwick Farm, formerly home to several Gr 1 winners trained by Clarrie Conners.

Richard acknowledges a few more handy winners for the stable in recent years.

Former champion jockey Wayne Harris speaks glowingly of his former “stablemate” Neil Rae. Both were apprenticed to the late Pat Farrell, and while Harris concentrated on metropolitan racing for most of his career Rae opted to stay in the Hunter region where he enjoyed a productive 23 years-  productive enough to give him a total of 8 Hunter and North West riding premierships. Wayne Harris suggested I call the former lightweight jockey and talk to him about a possible podcast. A little reluctant at first, Neil finally agreed to join us for a chat about a career that brought him a very impressive 1370 wins.

He begins by talking about the excavators and compactors he operates for the Lake Macquarie City Council.

Always a natural lightweight, Neil says he’s still pretty fit. 

Rae was given a nickname by workmates very early in his career. He says it’s still widely used by racing people.

Neil talks about a racing accident at Gosford that left him with a  shocking ankle injury.

He talks about a short lived comeback. He was delighted to ride a winner on his final day in the saddle.

Neil talks about early days in Newcastle and his intense dislike of school.

He talks of his first experience in a racing stable followed by his indentureship to the late Pat Farrell.

The retired jockey clearly remembers his first race ride at Muswellbrook, and the thrill of his first win just a few weeks later. He actually landed a double on the day.

Neil remembers his first provincial and metropolitan wins on the same horse.

He recalls being driven to the races by Wayne Harris on the occasion of his first city win, little realising he’d later buy the car in question.

He talks about the valuable tutelage he received from Harris, one of the greatest riders of his generation.

Neil talks affectionately of Irish Flyer, perhaps the most important horse in his early career.

He remembers the brilliant but headstrong Proud Knight. The son of Vain had enormous ability but often refused to race tractably around the turns. There was one unforgettable occasion at Randwick when Proud Knight’s gate opened prematurely.

Neil says his tendency to try too hard early in his career resulted in many suspensions.

He talks of successful associations with leading Newcastle trainers like Paul Perry, Max Lees and later Kris Lees.  

Neil says his ability to ride at a featherweight sometimes cost him rides. 

He looks back on his eight riding premierships, three of them as an apprentice. 

Neil says he was thrilled to be invited to ride two former champion racehorses in exhibition gallops. One was a legend, the other a dominant two year old in the early 80’s. 

Neil had only a handful of Gr 1 rides. He was pretty chuffed to ride the third placegetter in the 1989 Sydney Cup.  He says the race was run under deplorable conditions.

He talks about fatherhood and the inevitable progression to grandfatherhood.

Neil Rae is well remembered as a jockey of unwavering work ethic. His career win tally of 1370 tells the story. Great to have him on the podcast.

The enormous genetic influences in Kerrin McEvoy’s background were obvious from a tender age. In fact the native of Streaky Bay on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, wanted to do nothing else but ride racehorses from age 9 or 10. Initially apprenticed to grandfather Bill Holland, Kerrin had a brief stint with Russell Cameron in Adelaide before seeing out his time with the legendary Hayes family. After 29 years as a professional jockey, Kerrin McEvoy boasts an amazing record- 2348 wins including 85 Gr 1’s, 83 Gr 2’s, 146 Gr 3’s and another 160 at listed level. In five seasons overseas he won 323 races in the UK and Europe with another 40 in Dubai. The 45 year old father of four, was enjoying his job more than ever when a recent starting gate accident left him with multiple fractures in the right foot. That little hiatus has given him the time to talk to me at length on our weekly podcast, and I can’t tell you how delighted I am. Kerrin begins by explaining the circumstances of the mishap and the extent of his injuries.

He reveals the opinion of specialists and a likely date for his return.

Kerrin agrees it was always going to be difficult to stay away from the racing game given his powerful genetic background. 

He talks of father Phil and uncles Darren and Tony, all jockeys early in life. Tony of course is still toasting his Caulfield/Melbourne Cup training double with Half Yours.

Kerrin remembers an early apprenticeship to grandfather Bill Holland and time spent sitting on a chaff bag pretending to be a jockey.

He looks back on a six month stint in Adelaide with former outstanding trainer Russell Cameron. 

The champion jockey talks about his transfer to Peter Hayes and the beginning of his riding career. He looks back on his first race ride and first win just a few weeks later.

Kerrin says he was thrilled when sent to Melbourne as the stable’s resident metropolitan apprentice.

He still can’t believe his luck in picking up the Melbourne Cup ride on Brew in 2000. A clever ride put him into the record books as the youngest jockey to win the Cup in 52 years. He still has trouble believing his first Gr 1 win came in Australia’s most famous race.

He remembers a Caulfield win that qualified him for work experience in Godolphin’s state of the art Dubai stable. 

Kerrin believes the connection gained him the ride on Beekeeper in the 2002 Melbourne Cup. He placed third with a flawless ride and things started to happen quickly from that point on.

In 2004 he gained the prestigious role of number two Godolphin jockey behind Frankie Dettori for the stable’s UK and European operation.

Kerrin was deeply moved when he rode the second placegetter Rule of Law in the historic English Derby at Epsom.

He remembers an all the way win in England’s oldest classic race on Rule Of Law. The St Leger was first run in 1776, and is four years older than  the Derby.

He speaks with great affection of Shamardal and Dubawi, two of Godolphin’s most celebrated horses. He won Gr 1 races on both gallopers.

Kerrin speaks of his disappointment when Godolphin’s Blues And Royals went amiss after winning the UAE Derby. The colt was programmed to run in the Kentucky Derby but it was not to be. 

At this point of the interview, Kerrin talks of wife Cathy’s successful riding career. He says Cathy rode regular work at Newmarket after their marriage in 2008.

He speaks fondly of his second Melbourne Cup win on Almandin in 2016. He takes us through the running of the race and the great duel he had with Joie Moreira on runner up Heartbreak City. The jockey says he was delighted to win another Gr 1 on the unsound horse 17 months after the Melbourne Cup triumph.

Kerrin only had to wait two years for his third Melbourne Cup victory on Cross Counter for Godolphin. He talks of the northern hemisphere three year old’s strong staying performance from a wide gate.

The much travelled jockey takes us through his three exciting Everest wins -two with Redzel and the third with Classique Legend.  He rates the grey’s Everest performance one of the best he’s ever been involved with.

Kerrin says he’s grateful to have added a Golden Slipper win to his big race CV. He takes us back to Sepoy’s dominant win in 2011, and further wins on the talented colt.

The jockey was chuffed to win the 2008 Caulfield Cup on Godolphin’s All the Good. He was most impressed with the stallion’s staying performance.

Kerrin talks of the likelihood of any of his four children following him into the racing industry.

He says he regards himself as having been relatively lucky in racing accidents.

Kerrin looks back on the unveiling of his bronze statue in 2022. While extremely grateful, he admits to having  mixed feelings at the time. 

This is a laid back chat with one of the most successful jockeys of his generation.