Paul Harvey – The Pontiff
Paul Harvey is one of the best jockeys to ever grace a saddle in Australia – anyone nicknamed “The Pontiff” has to be good. While he may never have won a Melbourne or Caulfield Cup, he has a remarkable record in his home state of Western Australia where his strikerate of one winner for every 4.9 rides makes him a punter’s and trainer’s favourite. Just having Harvey in the saddle can be the difference between winning and losing racing tips.
A rising star
Born in 1970 in WA, Harvey began riding from an early age. He became an apprentice jockey at the age of 16 under his uncle Bob Harvey but his start in the saddle was nothing exceptional. He rode just two winners in the 1986-87 season in Perth and mustered just eight city winners in his first three seasons. A softly spoken jockey, Harvey continue to ply his trade in the city and at regional races and he began to pick up more lucrative rides as his obvious talent began to shine through. By the time the 1996-97 season ended, Harvey had amassed 114 city winners, breaking the record set by Rod Kemp for the most city winners. He also recorded the most wins by an Australian jockey that season, saluting the judge on 165 occasions.
The Caulfied Cup – One Of Australia’s Great Races
One of the most famous races in Australia, the Caulfield Cup has seen champions created, dreams shattered and hopes fulfilled. Along with being the third richest race in Australia, it is one of the most significant as it is seen as a crucial lead-up to one of the world’s great races, the Melbourne Cup. It is also a race that attracts plenty of punters, both casual and experienced, who are keen to test out their horse racing tips. It is part of the Spring Racing Carnival and along with the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup it is the place to be seen with social events attracting as much attention as the action on the track.
The big race
The Caulfield Cup is held at Caulfield Racecourse each October, with Newminster winning the first ever Cup in 1879.Today it remains a handicap event and is run over 2400 metres. It is open to horses aged three years and over and carries a total prize purse of $2.5 million. Horses that compete in the Caulfield Cup are also capable of running in the Melbourne Cup and the race also serves as a qualifier for “the race that stops a nation”. It is a popular event with the punters who use it as a guide to the Melbourne Cup, testing their racing tips, and also betting on the two Cups in conjunction with each other.
The Great Bookie Robbery
Australia’s biggest ever heist, The Great Bookie Robbery is still talked about 35 years after the event as conspiracy theories continue to abound. It is a tale almost too hard believe and actually has nothing to do with horse racing tips but everything to do with the money punters fork out to bookies. In fact, The Great Bookie Robbery in Melbourne of 1976 is so intriguing that a television series was made about it and tours and even a re-enactment occur to mark the event. What is even more remarkable is the money stolen – believed to be anywhere between $2 million and $15 million – has never been recovered, and the culprits were never brought to justice.
Laying the groundwork
What is indisputable about The Great Bookie Robbery is that six men were involved – the mastermind, Raymond “Chuck” Bennet, Ian Carrol, Laurence Pendergrast, brothers Brian and Leslie Kane and Norman Lee. Their plan was to steal the tote of more than 100 bookmakers, which amounted to untold millions. It was money taken from punters who had been unsuccessful with their racing tips . All of this cash was housed at the Victoria Club and an elaborate plan was hatched to steal it. The men hired an office in the same building as the Victoria Club and conducted an extensive reconnasance for months before snatching the cash. They even managed to get inside the Victoria Club to check out the exact surroundings. They planned to strike close to the Easter long weekend when maximum cash would be ripe for the taking.
Rogan Josh – Country Runner Becomes A Cup Champion
Rogan Josh is the classic rags to riches story that Australians love to embrace – a tale of the battler overcoming the odds to become a champion. Bred in country Western Australia and a solid performer in regional racing, it was legendary trainer Bart Cummings who brought out the best in the lightly raced gelding for a successful tilt at the 1999 Melbourne Cup. Far from the hottest racing tip around, Rogan Josh captured the imagination of the Australian public with his gutsy run to win one of Australia’s greatest sporting prizes.
A solid country performer
Rogan Josh was foaled in 1992 and bought by owner Wendy Green for just $13,000. He was a powerful horse with impressive staying power and soon began to prove himself over longer distances at regional tracks. His first race was at Bunbury Turf Club, where he went on to win four of his first five starts as a four-year-old. He was transferred to trainer Colin Webster who took him to Perth for a rise in class, winning another four races. Highly regarded country races were then on the radar with Rogan Josh successful in the 1998 Pinjarra Cup, followed two weeks later by victory in the Group 3 Bunbury Cup at the track where his career began.
The Magic Millions – More Than An Auction
Thoroughbred racing and parties go together like bread and butter, so it is understandable that Australia’s richest horse auction has also become one of the social occasions of the year. The Magic Millions is far more than an auction of prime horse flesh. It is now also a racing carnival in its own right and is recognised as being second only to the Melbourne Cup on the racing social calendar. The auction itself is where the future stars of the track – and in years to come the hottest horse racing tips around – get their beginning. But in the wake of the global financial crisis, the Magic Millions is now looking to reinvigorate itself.
An event of global significance
The Legend Of Tommy Smith
One of Australian thoroughbred racing’s most endearing characters, Tommy J Smith takes his rightful place as a leading figure in the sport’s history. From humble beginnings to the dizzying heights of Melbourne Cup success, Smith was a horseman who pioneered training methods and enjoyed remarkable success. Few others can boast a record that includes two Melbourne Cups, seven Cox Plates, four Caulfield Cups and six Golden Slippers. There was a time in the 1950s that if you had a hot horse racing tip that involved Tommy J Smith, then you were pretty much onto a sure bet.
In the beginning
Born in New South Wales is 1916, Smith went to work for his father at the age of seven driving draft teams and breaking in horses. It meant there was little time for schooling, something Smith lamented in later years, but it set him on a path that few could have seen would lead to such remarkable success. He loved to ride and had dreams of becoming a jockey, which he began to fulfill at the age of 13. He tried his luck in Melbourne and Sydney but soon became too big for flat racing so switched to hurdlers. But his riding dreams were shattered, along with his hip, during a race fall.
Makybe Diva’s Triple Treat
The terms “champion” and “legend” are often bandied about carelessly when describing Australian sporting heroes, but in the case of thoroughbred Maybe Diva, they are almost understatements. The sensational mare is the only horse to have won the Melbourne Cup three times and is also the highest earning racehorse in our country’s history with more than $14 million in winnings to her name. In the early years of this century she was one of the hottest racing tips going around, and with good reason. Her efforts on the track have made her a part of racing folklore.
In the beginning
Makybe Diva was born in Britain and came to Australia in 2000 when bought by South Australian Tony Santic. A tuna fisherman, Santic named her by taking the first two letters from the names of five of his employees – Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa. She began racing as a four-year-old in 2002 under trainer David Hall and finished fourth in her first outing. She then won her next six races with the last win in that sequence qualifying her to run in 2003 Melbourne Cup.
The History Of Australian Bookmakers
Bookmakers, or “bookies” as they are more commonly known, are among the most colourful characters on the racecourse. Racing could not exist without them and their influence on the industry is as significant as that of trainers and jockeys. As technology advances, fewer bookmakers are seen at the track as punters opt to try their luck with them online, the TAB or even with their mobile phone. But modern bookies are moving with the times and whereas once before that had a mechanical tote board and wads of betting slips, modern-day bookies are armed with computers and electronic tote boards. There is nothing like the thrill of heading up to a bookie who is offering the best price for your big racing tip, and they have gone a long way to making racing what it is today.
The early days
Archer, The First Melbourne Cup Winner
Australia loves its sporting heroes – just think Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser and Phar Lap. But one of the nation’s first ever true sporting heroes is probably only known by a few, a shame considering he forms a significant part of Australia’s history. That legend is Archer, the winner of the first and second Melbourne Cups and a champion racehorse of freakish proportions. Far from being just a hot horse racing tip , Archer captured the imagination of a fledgling colony.
In the beginning
Archer was foaled in New South Wales in 1856 and then leased and trained by Etienne de Mestre. Known as “The Bull”, Archer was huge – he stood at 16.3 hands and had striking features. He was known for an unusual gait in his early years and for the fact that he always ran with his tongue hanging out! Archer lost his first two races at Randwick in May 1860 but made amends by winning his next seven in succession in the autumn of 1861 in NSW. As was the way in the early days, Archer often had to walk many kilometres to even get to a race meet.
Strike Softly And The Jumping Jockey
Race tracks in the heady 1980s were a lure for scoundrels keen to make some big bucks in any way they could, even by illegal means. The Fine Cotton ring-in is regarded as Australia’s most infamous racing scandal, but hot on its heels is the tale of Strike Softly, jockey Danny Hobby and West Australian entrepreneur Laurie Connell. This was far more than a dodgy horse racing tip – it was a intricate plan designed to earn the conspirators a lot of money. And only this year did it have its conclusion.
The 1983 Bunbury AHA Cup
Strike Softly was entered in the 1983 Bunbury AHA Cup, which was being run at the regional Bunbury Turf Club in WA’s South West. The horse was the hot racing tip and a big time player in WA business, Laurie Connell, had hatched a plan to make some big bikkies. His horse, Saratoga Express, was also in the field and it was his plan to eliminate Strike Softly from the running to give his charge a better chance. Connell obviously had some serious cash riding on his horse.
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