by The Supernova Tribe
John Tapp interviews the people who make racing tick.
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5/22/2018
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April 15, 2025
Racing has seen few more distinguished careers than the one enjoyed by Ron Quinton over six rewarding decades. His stellar riding career spanned almost thirty years. His successful training career is now in its thirty second year and counting. Ron’s an inductee of the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame and the recipient of a Medal Of The Order Of Australia, fitting acknowledgements of his contribution to Australian racing. I’ve conducted interviews with Ron Quinton many times over sixty years and there was a comprehensive podcast in 2018, but several recent email requests for an updated version have got us on the job. It’s a pleasure to revisit the career of an iconic Australian horseman. His passion for the game is unwavering. His recall of horses, horsemen and events will take you on a nostalgic journey. Ron admits he’s a disciplined trainer who never takes his eye off the ball. The seventy seven year old acknowledges the support of long time client Ray Gall who’s rarely without a horse or two in the stable. Ron remembers the first yearling Ray gave him to train. That filly was Mamzelle Pedrille who remains the trainer’s all time favourite. Ron pays tribute to his first Gr 1 winner. His magic moment came on the opening day of the famous Melbourne Cup carnival in the year 2000. He looks back on another unforgettable day at Flemington when he won the historic Victoria Oaks with Bulla Borghese- his second Gr 1 as a trainer. Ron has had a commanding presence in the history of the Coolmore Classic run at Rosehill during the Golden Slipper carnival. He won it twice as a jockey and four times as trainer. He looks back on his quartet of training wins beginning with classy mare Ofcourseican. He remembers Peeping, Daysee Doom and Dixie Blossoms who all won the high profile race. The veteran horseman looks back on his association with the respected owner Millie Fox. He was recommended for the job by Brian Mayfield-Smith who’d decided to explore the possibility of becoming a conservationist in South Africa. Ron looks back on the best of the 95 winners he trained in four years for the universally popular Mrs.Millie Fox. He pays tribute to the lengthy list of talented junior riders who spent all or part of their apprenticeships under his wing. Ron looks back on his twenty years as stable jockey for legendary trainer Neville Begg. He speaks of Begg’s affinity with fillies and mares. He goes back to childhood days at Mendooran in the Central West and early days in the saddle. Ron pays tribute to his master and mentor Theo Green. He looks back on a rewarding apprenticeship and the wonderful opportunities afforded him by leading stables. Ron takes us on a nostalgic journey as he revisits his association with horses like Analie, Bletchingly, Emancipation, Dalmacia, Marscay, Sir Dapper, Rory’s Jester, Marauding, Kingston Town, and Baguette- a true galaxy of stars. The former great jockey was involved in twelve race falls during three decades in the saddle. When it comes to injury he regards himself as one of the lucky ones. From the outset of his riding career Ron harboured an ambition to ride overseas. He looks back on three memorable stints with champion Irish trainer John Oxx. Ron talks of the devastating loss in 2017 of Margaret, his wife of 45 years. His horses helped him through a difficult time. He talks of children Shawn, Trent and Annabel and of his four grandchildren. Ron looks at his future direction. This is a wonderful trip down memory lane with a giant of Australian racing.
April 8, 2025
There’s no busier jockey in northern NSW than Wauchope based Luke Rolls. The expat Kiwi drives huge mileage to honour commitments at northern rivers and tablelands tracks. Born and reared in Fielding on New Zealand’s North Island, Luke was initially apprenticed to Bruce Marsh at Foxton. He transferred to a Victorian stable in the early 2000’s and his subsequent journey has produced an impressive tally of more than 760 winners. Luke begins our chat by talking about his move to the NSW mid north coast with Cassie Schmidt, the lady destined to become his wife. He says hard work was the only way to go in the first few years. The jockey takes us through a normal day in his life. Few jockeys ride more trackwork than Luke Rolls. Luke says he has to keep an eye on the clock when he has commitments at a faraway meeting. The constant travelling is the toughest part of his job. He acknowledges the ongoing support of a special group of northern trainers. Luke takes us back to early days on the farm at Fielding NZ. Horse racing wasn’t on his radar. He admits he was more intent on becoming an All Black than a professional jockey. Luke looks back on his initial apprenticeship to top trainer Bruce Marsh. He’d never been on a horse. He looks back on his first race ride. He finished second but says the horse should have won. Luke hasn’t forgotten his first winning ride. It turned out to be his one and only NZ winner. He talks of a transfer to a Victorian stable when Bruce Marsh landed a contract to train in Singapore. The jockey remembers a happy 18 months with Terry O’Sullivan at Stawell and the handful of winners he rode on country tracks. Luke admits he suddenly lost interest in racing after the Victorian stint. He went to Sydney with mates and landed a job as a welder. He looks back on a return to NZ and a job with Affco Abbatoirs. That job generated an opportunity to work in rural Queensland which didn’t work out. Next step was another meatworks job on the Gold Coast. Finally the lure of the thoroughbred prompted him to give riding another crack. A newspaper advertisement led him to a job with a Gold Coast trainer. Luke was thrilled to win a race at Ballina soon after returning to race riding. He talks of a tremendous winning run on the Gold Coast which yielded a local apprentices premiership. Luke remembers a growing interest in his services from Brisbane stables. He’s never forgotten his first trip to the metropolitan winner’s circle. In fact it happened twice on the day. He talks of the jockey who became a formidable rival on the Gold Coast and of the day he rode the first four winners on the programme. Luke looks back on his only ride in a Gr 1 race. He was flown to Sydney by Queensland owners to handle a lightweight in The Galaxy of 2009. For one thrilling moment at the 200m he thought the race was in his keeping. He talks of an Eagle Farm win on a horse destined to win a Gr 1 down the track. Luke acknowledges the successful riding career of wife Cassie despite a torturous battle with weight. When she opted to relocate from the Gold Coast to her native Wauchope he elected to go with her. Cassie’s “dream job” came along soon after. He says nobody was surprised when Cassie decided on a training career. Her first win came not long after gaining her licence and Luke Rolls was the jockey. Luke talks of his marriage to Cassie and the successful trainer/jockey combination they’ve developed. It’s a nice chat with a Kiwi born jockey who preferred motor bikes to horses in his early days at Fielding.
April 1, 2025
We’re approaching the fifth anniversary of one of the most unique race days ever seen in Sydney. Drastic covid protocols saw only jockeys, trainers and a handful of stable staff in attendance to watch the running of the Derby, Doncaster, T.J Smith and Sires Produce Stakes on day 1 of The Championships.. The day belonged to that pizza eating, beer swilling, arrogant mare Nettoyer who came from near last to win the Doncaster for trainer Wendy Roche and jockey James Innes Jnr. Jimmy joins us on the podcast to reminisce about an experience he still describes as surreal. James talks about his recent move to Canberra and a whole new phase in his career. It’s not the first time he’s had a Canberra connection. He says the eerie emptiness of Randwick on Doncaster day 2020 didn’t detract from the thrill of winning his first Gr 1. James credits a well known Sydney trainer for getting him the ride on Nettoyer. He confirms the many stories that were doing the rounds about the mare’s vile temperament. The jockey says it took him forever to get her to the mile starting point. A friend who worked on the barriers saved the day. James takes us through the running of the 2020 Doncaster. He says the mare went from a bolter’s chance at the 800m to a realistic chance on top of the rise. He says he tried hard to control his emotions on returning to scale, but lost it completely. The jockey relates a humorous story about father James and mother Julie who watched the race at home. James Jnr pays a heartfelt tribute to his dad who rode many winners before his retirement in 2007. He talks about several trainers who contributed to his education along the way. James reflects on a serious fall at Bathurst which put him out for an extended period. He says it took a long time to get over the accident. He regards a stint with Keith Dryden during his apprenticeship as a life changer. James looks back on a bout of depression during his time with the Godolphin operation. He was on the brink of quitting the saddle when he received a timely phone call from Gerald Ryan. He acknowledges the best horses he got to ride for the Ryan stable. One of them remains his all time favourite. The jockey has vivid memories of a stakes win for Waterhouse/Bott at Rosehill. He was pleasantly surprised. James talks affectionately of his young sons Carter and Asher who live in Victoria with their mother Aimee. He says Canberra is the perfect base for his regular day trips to country venues. Innes says he’s not as light as he used to be, but lighter than many of his fellow jockeys. James acknowledges the talents of partner Teaghan Martin who’s had her share of injury in recent times. It’s an enjoyable chat with a personable young man who’s very good at what he does.
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