John Tapp Racing

Almost without exception successful horse trainers are hard workers. There’s a 35 year old Grafton based Mum who’s in accord with the quote made famous by former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who said “hard work won’t always get you to the top but with ordinary luck will get you pretty near.”

Samantha’s been around horses from the toddling stage. After notable success in the pony club and campdrafting pursuits, she transitioned to thoroughbreds by becoming a trackwork rider at the busy Grafton training precinct. A successful two and a half year stint as a jockey triggered her interest in the training of the animal and that’s where we find her today. Sam works a team of twenty horses from Hosier Lodge right on the Grafton track and has already established a reputation as a very serious young trainer in the  northern region. Samantha and husband Matt McGuren live 20 kms outside Grafton requiring very early starts for both. Matt is currently having a break from the rigours of the sweat box but still has a significant input into stable duties. Sam says he rides a number of horses before heading off to his day job.

She pays tribute to Matt’s skills as a professional jockey and the other talents he’s been able to develop along the way. 

Sam says she doesn’t ride as much trackwork these days but still needs to be on standby.

She acknowledges the input of her stable apprentice Grace Palmer and a handful of other jockeys who help out from time to time.

The young mother talks about her darling daughters Makella and Addison. Thirteen year old Makella already has her future well and truly earmarked.

Sam talks about her lifetime passion for campdrafting and the nasty injury she suffered three years ago.

She still marvels at her good luck in finding the right horse to kick start her training career. Digital online purchase Fortyfive Parklane won 6 races for his fledgling trainer.

Sam gives a shoutout to a few special horses who helped to get her training career up and running.

She looks back on childhood days at Maclean near Grafton and her early fascination with horses.

Samantha looks  back on her introduction to trackwork at Grafton. She was besotted from “day 1.”

The dedicated horsewoman reflects on her apprenticeship to Grafton trainer Terry Commerford whose support was invaluable.

Sam remembers the thrill of her first race win and the momentum she was able to generate during her apprenticeship. That momentum enabled her to become champion northern rivers apprentice in the 2010/2011 season.

She had a soft spot for the Commerford trained Montana Hilton who remains the favourite from her race riding days.

Sam looks back on the transfer of her indentures to respected Taree trainer Ross Stitt who also gave her partner Matt McGuren a role in his busy operation.

She talks of her admiration for Sydney based fellow female rider Kathy O’Hara. 

This is a laid back chat with a dedicated young trainer who sees herself being around thoroughbreds for the duration of her working life.

Bob and Jenny Vance train a very small team at Ardmore in Auckland but boast a healthy strike rate with a Gr 1 win already on the board. I have vivid recollections of Bob winning the 1993 W.S Cox Plate on The Phantom Chance- the first of five Cox Plates I got to call for the Nine Network. Just three years after winning the famous Moonee Valley feature, Bobby Vance decided to call time on his stellar riding career and join his wife Jenny in the training ranks. Swedish born Jenny Moller had also enjoyed a very successful career in the saddle. We tracked Bob down last week and he agreed to join us on this week’s podcast. He begins by talking of the Ardmore training complex and says he and Jenny run the operation unassisted.

He reflects on the thrill of a Gr 1 training win at Te Rapa in 2021 with an expat Hong Kong galloper.

Bob looks back on he and Jenny’s initial reaction when daughter Maija announced her intention to become a jockey.

He talks of Maija’s immediate success in NZ and a subsequent five year stint in Australia.

The former ace jockey talks of Maija’s switch to jumps riding and the career ending injuries she sustained in a crash at Rotorua.

Bob says he was watching the race on TV in Auckland and knew instantly Maija was in serious trouble.

He talks of his daughter’s horrific injury list and her amazing recovery over a period of years. Maija is now training in tandem at Cambridge with partner Josh.

Bobby looks  back on childhood days in Auckland and a work experience stint with a legendary Ellerslie trainer.

When the time was right for Bob to be signed up as an apprentice jockey he had to go all the way to Matamata. He was required to go to school when stable chores were completed. Bob looks back on a very unhappy episode in his life. 

He remembers the stroke of good fortune that led him to an apprenticeship with legendary Takanini horseman Colin Jillings. He was there for the duration of his junior term and beyond.

The Jillings/Vance partnership soon reached dizzy heights with the ongoing success of star galloper Uncle Remus.

Bob looks back on his 4 win haul in the prestigious NZ Derby.

He pays tribute to the training skills of Colin Jillings whose passing in 2022 saddened the entire NZ racing industry.

Bob remembers with affection his two Auckland Cup wins.

Vance makes special mention of another great favourite Mr. McGinty (his name whenever he raced in Australia). He’s never forgotten the colt’s Sydney debut and a defeat of “boom  colt” Marscay. He literally won the race on three legs.

Bob reflects on Mr. McGinty’s amazing comeback and a swag of Gr 1 victories as a three year old.

He talks of McGinty’s subsequent success at the stud.

The former jockey talks of multiple premiership wins at home.

Bob looks back on a wonderful association with The Phantom Chance and that dominant Cox Plate win in 1993.

 Bob had been retired three years when invited by the VRC to participate in a non betting event at Flemington against some legendary former champion riders. He enjoyed the experience.

He gives a special “shout out” to mum Ronnie who’s still going strong in NZ.

This is a nostalgic journey with one of New Zealand’s best riders from the 80’s and 90’s.

When an Adelaide podcast listener contacted me recently about a potential interview with Glynn Pretty, I couldn’t get things under way quickly enough. In the 60’s and 70’s this man’s reputation was as solid as any top jockey in the nation. He spent a lot of time out of Australia fulfilling contracts in Singapore and Hong Kong, but whenever back in Adelaide he promptly reminded owners and trainers why people like Bart Cummings were so lavish in their praise. A dreadful fall in Hong Kong in 1978 was expected to terminate his career. Six years later he made a comeback and rode 50 winners in a year before quitting for good. 

Glynn put a lot back into racing following his official retirement, and at age 80 is still involved with the SA Racing Appeals Board. He’s also enjoyed the thrill of horse ownership, especially an involvement with talented mare See You In Heaven. The daughter of Divine Prophet won six races for her ownership team, all at stakes level. We begin by talking about Glynn‘s love of the game of golf. 

The former star jockey looks back on 15 years as President of the South Australian Jockey’s Association.

Glynn’s very proud of the part he played in the establishment of the SA Jockeys Academy in conjunction with TAFE. He explains how it works and acknowledges some of the great riding talents to come under his tutelage.

He looks back on his inclusion in a team appointed by Stereline in the 90’s to visit the USA on a promotional tour. The goal was to showcase the starting gates and running rails manufactured by the company in Australia. While in America Glynn saw jockey’s safety vests for the first time. He quickly floated the idea in Australia.

He talks of his collaboration with the Australian Jockeys Association in introducing a better form of indemnity insurance for injured jockeys.

Glynn talks of childhood days in Adelaide and his battle with asthma. He was actually allergic to horses.

He talks of his original apprenticeship organised by his father Stan. Things went terribly wrong soon after he started at the Morphettville stables of Bob Burrows.

Glynn says he left racing altogether for more than a year but later regenerated an apprenticeship with trainer Bert Kenny. The legendary Colin Hayes came into the equation at one stage.

Pretty remembers his first ever race ride at Strathalbyn and the magic of his first win at Cheltenham. There was enormous sentiment attached to this win.

He recalls the traumatic circumstances under which his father lost his life in a motor accident.

We simply let Glynn reminisce about some of the better horses he got to ride early in his career. Galilee and Light Fingers make for a good start. Dayana also gets an honourable mention.

He speaks fondly of Hampton’s Pride, one of the most expensive yearlings sold in Australia in the 1960’s.

Glynn speaks of wins in the famous Adelaide double the Goodwood Hcp and Adelaide Cup. His wins came one year apart.

He looks back on wins in races like the SA St Leger, Port Adelaide Cup and SA Oaks.

Glynn  remembers his flying start the first time he took on a retainer in Singapore. He rode for just 9 months of the season but finished second in the premiership.

He looks back on 4 consecutive years as Singapore’s champion jockey.

Glynn was stunned when awarded a rare honour after so little time in Singapore. He talks of wins in some of the jurisdiction’s most important races.

He says SA premierships were never on his radar because of the time he spent out of the country. He was however proud of a South Australian premiership after returning from Singapore  in the 1970/71 season.

He talks of three amazing retainers he was forced to decline during his career. One of them came from the UK.

Glynn  talks of the success he enjoyed in HK and his injury toll after the fateful 1978 accident at Happy Valley.

He looks back on two other interesting feature wins in the early 70’s- one in Queensland the other in Melbourne. Both winners were trained by Bart Cummings.

Glynn never won a Melbourne Cup but says it could have been different had he been in the right place at the right time.

He remembers a Singapore marriage to his late wife Gladys and the whereabouts of daughter Jodie and son Troy. 

Glynn Pretty’s reputation as one of the best jockeys of his generation was set in stone. Just ask any racing man who was around in the 60’s and 70’s. Great to have him on the podcast.
Old timers will enjoy his recollections. Younger racing fans will be impressed by the merit of his achievements.

I get regular enquiries about the current whereabouts and activities of Michael Wrona, the young Queensland race caller I got to introduce to American  horse racing thirty six years ago.The now defunct Hollywood Park Race Club was anxious to try out the Australian style of race calling on the big on course crowds and simulcast viewers of the era. Michael and I were invited to cover a total of six race meetings in a ten day period during which time public reaction was to be closely monitored. Should the experiment prove successful, Michael was all but assured of an offer to become resident Hollywood Park broadcaster. 

Two weeks later 24 year old Michael Wrona had made the quantum leap from a fair way down the “pecking order” on 4BC Brisbane to become the voice of Californian racing on one of the world’s most iconic racetracks. The past 36 years have taken the Brisbane boy through many valleys and peaks- amazing highlights and devastating lows. He’s  been tempted to call it quits and scurry home to Australia several times, but something has always prompted him to give it another shot.  Today he and his American wife Kathy live in Orange County where he’s safely ensconced as track announcer at the Los Alamitos race track. Five years ago we presented a podcast with the man himself. Several recent emails have prompted me to give that podcast another run. 

Michael was actually in the broadcast box at Los Alamitos getting ready to call a Saturday night card when we recorded this 2021 chat. We began by talking about his Aussie accent, unchanged after more than three decades in the US.

He talks of his appointment as Los Alamitos track announcer in the wake of his shock dismissal by the owners of the high profile Santa Anita track. 

Michael takes us through the dual breed format of Los Alamitos programming- the combination of thoroughbred and quarter horse racing.

We turn back the clock to the day Michael and I arrived at Hollywood Park for a six meeting commitment. If the crowds and simulcast viewers liked the Queenslander’s style, he had the job at the famous track.

Michael remembers the late Marjorie Everett, the dynamic chairperson of the Hollywood Park Operating Company and some of her eccentricities.

He reflects on the first big race he got to call in California featuring the clash of two top horses.

Michael was stunned when offered the opportunity to share calling duties at the reopening of the legendary Agua Caliente track where Phar Lap had won his only race outside Australia.

He looks  back on the first of several interruptions to his career. Marjorie Everett was deposed as Hollywood Park supremo, and the new administration preferred another caller. He was lucky to pick up a gig at Bay Meadows track in San Francisco.

The Aussie commentator talks of a brief return to Hollywood Park and the opportunity to feature in an episode of the famous Seinfeld sitcom.

Mike talks of his subsequent dismissal from the Bay Meadows job. Luckily he still had employment with Golden Gate Fields, another popular San Francisco venue.

He looks back on an offer from an exciting new venture in Texas. Retama Park opened with a flurry but closed before the completion of its first season. By now Michael was developing an inferiority complex.

Around this time Michael got to enjoy a brief stint at the famous Arlington Park track in Chicago. During this stint he called a history making performance by the champion Cigar.

Life took a bizarre twist for Michael when he was reappointed by Hollywood Park after a shock resignation by Trevor Denman. He called the race in which Lafitt Pincay Jnr  broke Willie Shoemaker’s long standing riding record.

The much travelled Wrona talks of an exciting offer from another Texan enterprise called Lone Star Park where he would spend five years. For three years during Lone Star’s off season he worked at Fairgrounds in New Orleans. Both tracks were taken over by new management and history repeated itself when Michael was finished up.

Michael talks of his separation from first wife Julie whose acting career kept them apart for long periods. His spirits were lifted by the opportunity to call the 2000 Preakness Stakes.

In 2005 he returned to California where he called the races for Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields. He talks of a quick trip to Argentina to cover South America’s biggest race.

Michael looks back on 2015, a helluva year for the expat Queenslander. He landed the job at Santa Anita after an exhaustive audition process, but shortly after had to deal with the trauma of being singled out by a “real live” stalker.

 By now he’d become very philosophical about the lack of job security in the US. His dismissal at Santa Anita came from left field.

On a lighter note Michael talks about his marriage to the delightful Kathy and the interpretation of certain expressions he’s used in his race calls. Some of them caused a little confusion in the States.

He talks of a whirlwind schedule through 2019 which gave him little time to think of the Santa Anita disaster.

This was a lovely catch up with the kid from Brisbane who over 36 years has showcased the Aussie style of race calling on more than twenty tracks in six countries.

You don’t see too many $61.00 “pops” generating ovations like the one Rothfire and Brad Rawiller got after the recent Doomben $10,000. The horse all but written off when he broke down almost six years ago, and the tough-as-teak veteran jockey served up a fairy tale story in winning the famous sprint after a very wide run. 

It was Gr 1 number 26 for the hard working Rawiller who hadn’t won at the elite level since scoring on  Elite Street in Perth’s Winterbottom Stakes five and a half years ago. Brad, who makes a habit of “walking racetracks” when track conditions are suspect, went out with a set plan. He answers all of the questions that people have pondered in this week’s podcast. He begins by explaining how he secured the ride from a stable he hasn’t ridden for previously.

The jockey takes us through the tactics he employed in the big sprint.

He talks of Rothfire’s unlucky seventh in the Kingsford Smith Cup
two weeks later. 

Brad pays tribute to his remarkable dad Keith, a versatile horseman who enjoyed success as a jockey both on the flat and over the jumps. Rawiller Snr also made his mark as a trainer and driver of harness horses. 

The jockey gives a shout out to his mum Elaine who closely monitors the progress of brothers Nash and Brad.

Brad makes special mention of brother Todd and sister Stacey, both highly efficient horse people in their own right.  

He makes no secret of the fact that brother Nash is his primary inspiration.

Brad goes back to his initial apprenticeship to Alan Bowell at Bendigo and a later transfer to Tony Noonan at Mornington. In his final year with Noonan he won the Victorian country jockey’s premiership. 

He’s never forgotten his win as a 19 year old in an Apprentice’s Cup at Belmont in WA. He formed an instant attachment to Perth racing.

Brad was thrilled to win his first Gr 1 in Perth for high profile trainer David Hayes.

He looks back on a national jockey’s title in the 2007/2008 season. His win tally was extraordinary.

Brad recalls the unfortunate circumstances that brought him a Golden Slipper win on Phelan Ready in 2009. 

He looks back on a brief association with the grand stayer Viewed. He enjoyed a freak run to win the Caulfield Cup on the handsome stallion.

Brad reminisces about his exciting journey with the talented galloper Weekend Hussler. He won 11 races on the gelding including 7 Gr 1’s.

Only one other horse even gets close to Weekend Hussler in the jockey’s affections. He pays homage to the remarkable Black Heart Bart, a horse he partnered in 6 Gr 1 wins. The last of those wins triggered high emotion.

Brad looks back on his snap decision in 2020 to try his luck on a permanent basis in Perth. There were several highs and one devastating low. 

The 47 year old is greatly inspired by older  brother Nash but there are two other Victorian jockeys for whom he had special admiration. 


Brad makes special mention of daughter Cleo (14) and son Lucas (11).

A nice chat with one of Australia’s hardest working jockeys who hopes to enjoy similar longevity to brother Nash.