With John Tapp OAM a playmaker, greats take precedence over an average winter Saturday even considering the Tatt’s Tiara, the season’s final Group one, in which Chris Waller again holds a whip hand.
Yes, the corresponding meeting at Rosehill Gardens could be an indicator of an alarming trend but those, human and horse, that have contributed so much to the turf are featured.
Tapp, Peter Moody, and Zac Purton made the Hall Of Fame while Black Caviar and Winx were given “legend” status by the HOF election committee, creating a rumble because they joined Phar Lap, Carbine and Makybe Diva. To date, other champions haven’t.
Surely, though, there is no dissension about Tapp, brilliant behind a microphone, but hardly a one trick pony, Moody, who moulded Black Caviar into the highest pitch of equine fluency and courage, plus Purton, currently one of the world’s best jockeys, gaining the Fame category.
“To me a horse race is one of the most dramatic, colourful and most spectacular things on earth,” Tapp related to Steve Cairns in “London To A Brick On”, a salute to Australian Race Calling. “I can feel the drama and want to share the excitement.”
Foaled in 1941, Tapp painted the picture of around 50,000 races, consider the fluent transmission between brain and tongue, on radio and television. One in a million can relay a race effectively, one in 10 million anywhere near as proficiently as Tapp.
But he was always smooth before a microphone, even when toiling for the Department Of Main Roads previous to radio. He featured as the lead singer at the Billabong Hotel at Marylands, and Saturday nights in the Grand Central at Lithgow.
Later he made the Top 40 with “Little Hondo” a warble about the pacer Hondo Gratton. Jimmy Barnes? Not quite, but another Slim Dusty not out of the question had he focussed on music.
Of course Tapp was a standard-bred enthusiast. The late Bill Whittaker, Turf Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, maintained he was one of the best horsemen he had experienced.
“I’ve been poking around stables, both galloping and trotting, for 50 years and I doubt whether I’ve seen any trainer more dedicated,” Whittaker wrote.
“At 57 Tapp could be at home in bed enjoying all the comforts, relaxing before yet another hectic day in front of the cameras at the Sky Channel studio or at the races. Instead, he is out training horses.
“In November 1977 John trained 24 winners, in just 16 months with four second-hand horses, picked by him and purchased cheaply.”
From whence they came resonates for me. My first recollection of Moody was at Randwick track gallops when he was foreman for Bill Mitchell. In the centre with trainers and track riders Moody stood out like Arthur Beetson at a Sunday School picnic. “He’s got a good idea (of training),” a clocker commented. “He’s playing for Kensington United (In the South Sydney juniors)”, another remarked. Gee, I thought, if he can fire, he should not be wasted here. We need him at the Rabbits.
Anyway, Moody became a horseman extraordinaire, responsible for Black Caviar, a champion, tooled with extreme delicacy. Unbeaten and 25 straight. Not a sound mare and consider Royal Ascot, out on her hooves but would not go down.
No doubt Purton was more dead-end than a potential topliner when he went to Hong Kong on the recommendation of John Schreck, the former Australian Jockey Club chief stipe. Many figured Schreck had pulled the wrong rein but reckons most credit should go to Purton’s wife Nicole, daughter of Jim Cassidy, also a Hall Of Famer, and a wizard from a wide barrier.
Obviously the spotlight is in Brisbane and Rosehill has what could be the precursor to a problem, more Sydney than Melbourne, with big stables monopolising fields.
The Archibalds of Warwick Farm have five acceptors in the Stayer’s Cup, three in the Captivant, while Ciaron Maher and the Waterhouse-Bott outfit have stablemates competing throughout the program.
Waller has seven acceptors in the Super Dry and in the Tatt’s Tiara, has four, the most favoured being Firestorm, par for his operation.
Firestorm drew 19 and has the services of champion James McDonald. Waller horses invariably go back in the field from outside draws.
When resuming Firestorm settled near the tail and was beaten last start under J-Mac, not by the launch but lack of match practice. Previously at the meeting, the three-year-old Hidden Achievement was rearwards from wide in the JJ Atkins and was downed by Cool Archie.
The ensuing mess prompted the thought of whether a “champion” jockey could be defrocked, lose the title? Alas champions are human. George Moore was beaten on Tulloch in the Sydney Cup which he confessed to being his worst ride. So we must be forgiving. Champions are for life.
If Waller can take the Tiara, he will be the first trainer to win 20 Group ones in a season so his riding tactics have reaped benefits. Of course, stable mates Olentia (eight) and Konasana (one) have drawn better while Gumdrops (two) is fifth reserve.
Oh and Bella Nipotina won the Tiara from 15 last year.
Australia has the best race callers by a Randwick mile .