#70 | Tommy Berry: Melbourne Cup Mindset🏆

Cooper & Matty sit down with champion jockey Tommy Berry ahead of the Melbourne Cup, chatting form, pressure, and life inside racing’s biggest week. Tommy opens up on Hong Kong, the state of Australian jockeys, and balancing life on and off the track.

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0:00-Tommy’s In Form

4:20-Peaking

10:00-Hong Kong

12:30-Jockeys by State

14:00-Spring Carnival

18:00-Melbourne Cup

24:00-League Chat

27:00-Bloodlines

30:20-Pressure on Track

32:00-Jockeys Say

35:00-Weight

38:00-Schedule

40:00-Business Class

42:00-Rapid Fire

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we're on Tommy Sharnie in the studio. Good bit
of a crowd, tom happening mate, Thanks coming over again,
Tommy first time. It's his first time a repeat.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is our first repeat.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Guests.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
Beautiful and I see you've done a lot to the
place as well. We have.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
We've just got it. Given a certain personal teach you
might say, yes.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes, the photos not straight. Yeah, Tris put it up.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
And it's good to see you've got the dress code.
Tommy is wrong.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Yeah, well I thought when you a lot of that
ran and grab this out of your boot.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Made, I was trying to I had I thought I
had a pair of Moleskins up there. I've got I've
got the Armadale shoes on.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Them.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
You've got no socks.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
He's weird like that. He'll wear like like rule like
if you're wearing boots, you got to wear socks with it,
because there's tenure that breathing. Those things he actually does have.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Everywhere.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
My old man when he gets out of my car
and he scratched himself, there's it's just white. The whole
back seat's white as Yeah, he's just yeah, he's yeah anyway, Well.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
They reckon the most. Most of the dust that sits
in your house is human skin.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
That's this is a nice way to start the podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
You can make a suit.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
And I want to. I want to. Ever since we
had you on the podcast last year, this fell up
big am. Whenever he's down and out on the punt,
guess who he's You're like his hero because every single
time he'll go he won't even look at the form.
He won't look at anything. He won't look at how
much weights on it. If you're on it and he
needs a win, he just backs you.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Well. It's funny because I'll get the odd message make
great day in that, but it will be like it
might not even be a big race, So you could
ride a group one win or something no text message,
but you might get something why on or hawks we
made that was great? It's sweet.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
He'll back at any racetrack. He doesn't just follow the
main right.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
The Gold Coast. Before he goes, I'll be watching the
Gold Coast, you know, gold Coast down and out?

Speaker 1 (02:10):
What Tommy, you're having a great year. I should know him,
but everyone muscle Brook.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
The last six months has probably been the best best
form of beaning for quite a while now. So it's
it's it's a good feeling. It's when your when your
luck's up and you're having a good carnival on that.
It's makes it easy to get out of bed. And
and yeah, it's it's it's a hard carnival, but it's
it's been rewarding so far.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
How long ago when you had that fall? I thought
of you, Sharney during that my god.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, I think it was probably ten months ago, yeah,
or something like that. Yeah, so that one, Yeah, well
I was only out for I think I was back
in five weeks from that. Broke a neck and the
and the shoulder.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
So it was breaking neck.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
But when neck and did ligaments in my shoulder.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
So and then how do you come back after five
weeks from that?

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Just the good reap whatever they told me to do,
I was just doubling up on it, and I actually
went they said, oh, you're going to be out for
longer because of your shoulder. My shoulder was giving me
a lot more trouble. So I spoke to Jared Croger
and he actually I went to the Center of Excellence
there in canber And and got their doctor to injected
for me. But it was funny. He kept like trying

(03:16):
to put his finger in between because obviously foot guy's
shoulders were a lot bigger than mine, and he ended
up put like in the next ray and then putting
the black dot on where he had to stick the
needle in.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
What do they call that the injection they give you,
it's like the.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, yeah, it was a weird feeling.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
When after you have a fall like that, when you
go back and only five weeks after, is it quite
because when rugby league players go back, they hurt a
shoulder and you're trying to make a tackle like pts.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well like an answer that, because I think just about
Tommy's first race back, you took a rails run. Yeah
I did, Yeah took, I thought to myself with a mate,
that's guts.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, but last time that up and yeah I got
put through it. And actually I think a week and
a half later it was I was riding at Hawksbry
were coming out of the shoot there and as you
join up to the course proper, the rale goes for
about twenty meters and a young girl would put me.
I was up the fence and the rail finished. I
ended up inside about four horses and just got back
out in time to match up to the course proper.

(04:11):
So yeah, I had a couple of couple.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Of Yeah, Tommy, we're going to talk about We're going
to talk about tomorrow shortly about more felons and the
chances there have just talk about the Cup. But what
was I going to say? As we get older, my
memory just starts to fade.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, you know, they feel free to read it.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
I just thought we're only going to go with this
right now. Now. Rugby league players and sports people they
peak for events. Do you peak for the Do you
train your schedule around to peak for the spring carnival?

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, definitely the spring of the question waiting for it there,
You definitely have to peak from your everything, your body.
You just got to have it in good shape. My
weight's always better, like over the wintertime and the summer. Obviously,
when the racing isn't as big, it's hard to stay
focused for as long and it's hard to have your
weight as low as it is. But at the moment,
I'm as fit as I could be. Weight's really good,

(05:08):
And even things at home with the kids and chari
and stuff like that. If your home life's happy, and
everything's running smooth there then usually everything else sort of
falls into place, and that could be tough at times.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Fitness wise, how do you measure your fitness? Because in
most sports it's running and whatnot training, But how do
you measure your fitness?

Speaker 3 (05:25):
I do a lot of car you know, because your
core strength is your main strength when you're riding. And
then I'll do usually eight to ten k's a day running,
a bit of both, but mainly walking because when I run,
my legs get too big, so I build up too
much muscle. So I do a lot of walking, but
I'll split it up, might do five k's in the morning,
five k's in the afternoon, or six and six and

(05:46):
stuff like that. But I find I know when I'm
really fick because I sweat well. So if I got
to lose at the moment i've been losing, I can
lose two kilos in an hour in the bar sweating
in the bath two kilos. Where when you're not fit
to lose two kilos it probably take me two hours.

(06:06):
But because I'm just sweating so well at the moment,
every fifteen minutes, last week I was losing half a
kilo in fifteen minutes in the bath. It was just
pouring out.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
So you do it in the bath? Is that where?
And what? You just have it hot as like?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, So I'll put the heaters on or if I'm
not home, I'll get sharn. I've got a massive heater
in there. And then you've got the heat lamps. So
I'll put that on two hours before I jump in
the bath, so the room's just pumping like it's just boiling.
And then and the bath as hot as you can
have as long as you can stand, put your worm
in there, and then you just laying it for Yeah,
I usually do twenty minute hits.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
A bath must hate to see you coming.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, bath.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
A bath doesn't have a soul or a mind.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
I don't think it really has an opinion.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
You're as biggest enemy. Do you go in the sword,
same street, but you don't going the sworm?

Speaker 3 (06:51):
See the thing with the sauna is you're either in
or you're out. You know, when you're in a sauner,
there's no way of cooling yourself down. We're in a bath.
If I lay completely in the bath or sweat quicker.
But if I'm sweating quite good, I can sit on
the side of the bath and just have my legs in,
or I can sit up and have your legs hanging
over the side. But in a sauna like you can't.
It's not like you can poke your head out.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
There's no escaping out.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah, there's no escape. The heat just kills you. So
I do a sawn if I'm away, like a wagger
and stuff like that, because there's not a lot of
baths around. But I just it takes me too long
to get it off around a bath. It's just everyone
is different. Like Nashall Willa and Hugh Bowman, James McDonald,
they like steam, so they've they've got enough money where
they can have a steam in their house, you know

(07:31):
them people.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, we throw stones at the public steaming rooms. They
must be. They're one of the most disgusting places I
reckon I've been. Yeah, I just signed up for a gym.
I don't know you can tell, but I just signed
up for a gym. I haven't been in a gym
in a very long time, and I've never paid for
a gym membership in my life. First ever time paid
for a gym membership, which hurt me because you don't
realize how expensive the gym.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
Is, especially when you don't go exactly.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
I go like once a week two sort of waste.
But I went into the steamer room in there, holy smokes,
just a bunch of fifty year old blokes in towels
with nothing underneath.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
Sure at the gym or just the el Ken's Karate club,
I was.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Like, this is is such a weird setting.

Speaker 3 (08:16):
And the worst part about going to a public sauna
or steam is the guys will get in there, the
old fellows or even young people, and they'll get it
up as hot as they can and then they sit
in there for five minutes and get out piss off.
Well you're trying to you're gonna be in there for
an hour, and they just cranking it up, and then
they walk out and they come back in crank it up,
so they just fucking leave it alone.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
A bloke in there and it said it said in
massive riding with like a laminated piece of paper on
the world, said don't put menthol or eucalyptus on the rocks.
And he just came in, just did a massive water
and then just dropped all these eucalyptus on it, like
you said. Two minutes later he was out and my
eyes and sinuses. I was literally crying because every time
I breathe in it just burned me.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Not long ago, he was an old fellow and he
had nothing on, like no jocks or anything. And he's
standing up on the second row and it was a
small one and he's bent over and he's just running
up his ass, cracking his balls and just shape.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
That's dark address of that planet a place once remember,
and Pampa was there again during the origin time we
at this place, and there was pumpa.

Speaker 3 (09:24):
Nude big fellow.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Well yeah, just on the some of the horses kaying
rising when you know the everest winter when it came
out here told me they said, yes, sorry, that's like
you saying to be a good When did you arrive

(09:51):
that people saying it's the best horse in the world.
What do you think?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Yeah, I think he is, Like he's we've got the
best sprinters in the world here in Australia and and
and obviously that race attracts the best sprinners. And what
he did to him was incredible and he and he
did it. He did it when I don't think he
was at his best, you know, like he came over
he wasn't. He didn't settle in well. He said his
trial was blow par. Zach said that he had to

(10:15):
improve to obviously come out win the Everest and to
do it in the fashion that he did it, And
Zach said he thought it was blow par for him.
I think that speaks volumes for how good he is.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Pertin what like, he's a great jockey over in Hong Kong.
If you're watching the Hong Kong races, you just back
him for that giant moro all the time. But actually,
what's the appeal of him being over in Hong Kong?
Would he want to come back?

Speaker 3 (10:37):
No? I wouldn't think he'd come back and ride here
after being there for so long. I don't think Zach's.
Zach said that when Ka Rising retires, he will retire
probably himself, and really and that horse has kept him.
He probably would have retired this year or next year
if he wasn't around, or even last year, because he's
getting the point now he's and without speaking out a school,
he's he's done really well. Obviously, the money over in

(10:59):
Hong Kong's massive taxis very low over there, and the
jockey club supply with an apartment a car, a phone. Yeah,
so you've you haven't got a lot of outgoing, so
you can earn good money over there. And I think
obviously Hugh Boone's done the same. He sort of did
everything he had to do in Australia. There wasn't a

(11:20):
lot more for him to do there, and he probably
only has another four years left in the saddle, so
he's probably he's gone over there. He can make a
lot of money, like some of the jockey's going to
the Super the players going to the Super League once
you've finished here, like Elliot Whitehead and stuff like that.
You know, if you want to just go for that
couple couple more extra years. So yeah, it's a it's
a great place to ride and you only got to

(11:41):
ride twice a week.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, pretty ruthless.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
A lot of pressure there is, and well you've got
a lot of nationalities. You're riding against people from all
over the world, and you know, like the frenchhire different.
You know, we're different, like the way you live your
life and the way you go out your business the
way you ride as well. So it's it's very cutthroat
over there, and it's very it's tough in the room

(12:05):
as well, especially with Zach. Zach's Zach's the best of
playing mind games. You know, He's he will get under
your skin and an he'll abuse you just to get
under your skin, and then you've got to go out
and back, you know, face him again. So he's I
remember Joe Morera his first year writing in Hong Kong,
Zach just rattling like he just really he didn't know

(12:25):
how to handle Zak, you know. He Zach would come
in and give him a spray and he walked around
the corner and Zach would laughing, I've got him, I've
got him, and he did, you know, and it took
him a while to learn just to In the end,
Zach will give him spray and he gave yeah whatever
that turned around just and he'd stay calm, you know,
so right, Yeah, that's why he's very good.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
Zach him in Hong Kong. I think he was playing
mind games with me because he gave me.

Speaker 2 (12:52):
What do he know? Like would most of the jockey's
no ragby believer, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:56):
It would be like rugby league players love racing.

Speaker 2 (12:59):
Yeah, I'm going to say, like all the sports I
reckon racing and rugby league they kind of mingle the
most they do.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, I think the only Melbourne stick to the AFL
a bit more than they do the NRL. But here
in Sydney and Queensland and stuff like that, they're mad
for it.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
What is the difference between like when you look at
the jockeys that race in Melbourne of the jockeys that
race predominantly in Sydney, is there much of a difference
between them culturally?

Speaker 3 (13:25):
No, I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
They all get a lot.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
The boys in Melbourne like to go out quite often.
They love their nobu at the casino and that, like, yeah, yeah,
they do. They and they love their wine and not
Mark Zari's. What's that bodily drinks? Is Sean Donald whatever?
Don Perry. Once again, I can't afford that sort of stuff, but.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
May just dig up some of the money you're bury
in your backyard.

Speaker 3 (13:52):
You must have left it at the last place. But
I always say to people, once you've got as you know,
you've got your four kids and a wife and it's
a siff and I'd sit at the bottom holding my
hands out and see what And there's not a lot
that goes through this.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
There's no exact they're.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
Talking about Sydney and Melbourne like it from us being
Sydney centric as far as putting a dent in the
Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, like we continue, do you think
encroaching on that? Where do we sit now in relation
to Melbourne?

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, well I'd say that there's not too many people
that would have known the Corefield Cut was on.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
Ever a stay mate spots spot on and even to
the Cox played to a certain extent Cox Blake d.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yeah, that's right, it's sort of Peter Vlanni has done
an incredible job to bring racing up to where it
is prize money, and he's brought in a younger generation
as well, Like you saw that on Everestay. I think
they said seventy five percent of the people were under
twenty six and you could see that being there on
the day and it was like watching the Evers being
there for it and everything like that. You did you

(14:55):
forgot the Corefield Cut was on. I think the Melbourne
Cup stands on its own still like that's you still
want to go on, right and you still want to
be a part of it. You want to be a
part of Cut week. That's but I think the lead
up races to to cut week has sort of got
a little bit lost in the Sydney Orland Carnival Sydney
Spring Carnival now. So I think he's done a great job.
He's got under this skin a bit and I think

(15:16):
Melbourne have to you know, and Melbourn's really struggled with
getting fuel tizers now. I think on there was a
group one race there what I mean three weeks ago
and you had four or five runners in it and
it was a Group one, but it was only worse
I think half a million. The same day here over
two thousand meters we had a two million dollar race

(15:37):
on but it was only a listed race and it
was a full field with emergencies. Yeah, you know, they've
got a bit of work to do there.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
I think what about the culture of the crowd, like
you know, as far as yeah atmosphere and the partners,
like Sydney has a reputation of being young and brash
and Melbourne a little bit more conservative. Is that do
you find that with the crowd is sort of coming.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
Out of the not so much. I think Melbourne does
it very well, like Melbourne does sport well in general,
as you guys know, So I think Melbourne their crowds
and that over Cut week even Corfield Cup. I was
down there for the I think it's Medicado for the
Friday night meeting and it was pumping that joint. So
I think that's one thing that they, even though they're racing,

(16:19):
that they've got to improve with their prize money and
stuff like that and field sizes and there's a few
things that they have to change there. I think one
thing that they've never had trouble with is bringing a
crowd of the races.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
They do events well, they just do event like that.
I reckon the best race I've ever like, race day
I've ever went to was Derby Day. Yeah. We got
addressed in all black and to be black and white suits.
So yeah, awesome, We're out there with Uncle Joey two
years ago.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
What was the crew? Was that the photo that was
sent through?

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Oh yeah, actually that's a good right. So this was
the year that I'd just been sacked from Melbourne and
I'm looking for and I'm looking for a gig at
a new club and then goes come down to Derby
Day with us. It'll be a great day, And I said, sweet,
the crew down there that he was doing it. It
was like he was in this mad section with doing
like he was doing a bit of talk with Wayne Kerry,
Dane Swan, Brendan Favola, him and me. And I sent

(17:14):
a picture. I put a picture on my story. Stupidly
I was blind and with all of us just a
selfie at the races. I reckon my manager could not
have ranged me quick enough. He rang me within fifteen
minutes and he goes, mate, shoud probably take that down.
I said, what do you mean? He said, it's not
a great look for a young player who's trying to
get another contract, trying to get a job, mate. And

(17:34):
then it was up on news dot com within half
an hour, and it was and then the title of
the article was loosest crew ever assembled?

Speaker 3 (17:41):
A can someone give me a job.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Tomorrow? Melbourne carp had Tommy. Is it just business as usual?
Like get up the morning? It was a little bit
like you know, for us Grand final day of semifinals week,
a bit more adrenaline.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
Yeah, definitely, it's. It's and even in the in the
in the room on Melbourne Cup dates, it's a lot quieter,
you know, it's everyone's sort of not as many jokes
getting thrown around and everyone sort of has their own
little routine. A couple of boys listening to music and
stuff like that. But it's there's a there's an excitement
that runs through your body when you wake up. It's
like Christmas Day when you're a kid. It's it's it's

(18:20):
even being in Sydney or Melbourne Cup Day. Even though
I won the Big Dance last year, it's just not
the same, you know. It's like, it's a great race
to win. The prize money is great, but the Melbourne
Cup just stands out on its saying it's it's the
race you dream about when you're a kid. You got
the posters up on your wall. It's it's something that
everyone wants to be a part of.

Speaker 2 (18:38):
Would you say that's the like that's the apex for
every jockey.

Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah, I think there's a the Melbourne Cup and the
Cox Plate is it's sort of divided. When I asked
Jockey's along and I saw, I think get put up
the other day and it's sort of fifty to fifty.
Some say Cox Plate, some say Melbourne Cup. But for
me it's the Melbourne Cup. If if I could win that,
I don't almost be happy to retire.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
Yeah more tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah. Look, he's a great chance. He's got incredible thirty
two metaform from Europe before he came over here, and
so he's really looking for that. He's running the Saint
LEDI was massive. He clocked the quickest last six hundred
four and a two under of the race. So he
was nice and strong through the line and you know
it's it's just important for him to draw well, and

(19:22):
for him to do that, then you know he's going
to be riding in it for a long way.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
You're talking about drawing from a barrier, like for those
people who aren't as skilled of knowing horses that well,
no about everyone else. I'm one of the great. I'm
one of the great. I'm intelligent everything. How important is
a barrier draw?

Speaker 3 (19:38):
Like?

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Is it? Is there some times you draw a barrier
and you go, I'm no chance.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
Yeah, barriers win your races, that's the old saying. And
like you're the most economical run in the race usually wins.
And like in a Melbourne Cup, it's a long way
to go around if you're if you're wide, you know,
without cover, So it's very important to draw well, get
a good run in the race, get your horse into
a nice rhythm and not after spurring him up to
go forward to find a spot. I think that the

(20:03):
most forgiving track for barriers would be run Wick. If
you don't draw well at Ranwick, it's not the biggest
issue in the world, where if you draw bad at
rose Hill it's it's almost game over if you don't
get a good run.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
What's your favorite barrier because I imagine it. You know,
the wide ones goes without saying a problematic, but I imagine
sometimes with big fields in the one barrier can sort
of reduce your options.

Speaker 3 (20:24):
Yeah, I hate barrier one, and horses don't step well
from barrier one either, because you've got the starter who's
obviously you're right there and they're close enough, and I
reckon a lot of horses look at the starter and
they'll jump away from it. So I'd say anywhere between
three and six is your perfect ideal barrier, and then
you can get that one off the fence position and
you're not locked away. But everyone's different. I know Hugh Bowman,

(20:46):
he'd love to draw one and be on the fence
midfield in every race. That's just the way he rides.
But yeah, for me, I'm like like Corey Brown, he
used to just put him in the one one all
the time. If that was me, you know, it's a
perfect spot.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
Like when you're riding, like you know, one of the
most important things Tommy, you know you talk to jockeys.
Has been able to get the horse to relax for
the thirty two hundred meters winning a Melbourne Cup? Putting
the horse to sleep? How do you do that?

Speaker 3 (21:12):
Well, I think it's trying to just find that happy
meeting with them. You know, you don't want to push it,
don't want to pull, you just want to I find,
especially in stane races, if you can let the horse
find its spot and you're able to draw well and
let them get themselves into a position, and they're going
to relax better, They're going to breathe better. And it's
like anything if you're a runner or a swimmer, if
you get your breathing right and you can and you

(21:33):
can just get it perfect, then you're going to have
something left at the end. But if you're if they're
in the on the bit pulling your ass out, you know,
and they're not breathing right, well they're going to run
out of gas pretty quick, so it's very important just
to get at first, you know, three furlongs of the race, right,
And I think by doing that, it's just trying to
let them find their position instead of you're trying to
rush them into a position or drag them back to

(21:53):
find one, you know. So that's why gates are important.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
There not so much to do with we suppositionally, but
that first two hundred meters in a welding cup, do
you know in the first two hundred meters, I'm a
massive chance here or it's I can't see this happening? Yeah,
that quick.

Speaker 3 (22:11):
It is, especially in the cup because you're coming down
the straight the first time and it's a roofless race
to ride, and like the jockeys, because you've got to
get a good spot. It's so important. You know, you're
getting the short back in sides all the time, and
that the pressure going into that first corner is just
it's for me, the hair stand up on your back
when you talk about it. There's just so much happening

(22:32):
in that first two furlongs and then you get past
the winning post down the side of the track and
then everything just goes quiet. You know, and you can
hear the horses, you can, but going down the straight
first time because of the crowd and everything like that,
there's a lot happening.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
You know, can you hear that crowd?

Speaker 3 (22:47):
Now'd be like you guys, I guess I always ask
a lot of footy players can you hear the crowd
on the field? And I think what they happened problems
in the was it the state of origin with the
Queensland fans they couldn't hear it other.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
Talking, I think there was I think it was finals
without playing let go Broncos.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah, yeah, and they were struggling with the communication and that.
So for us it's it's like you guys, playing you
can't really hear a lot. It's bit of a white noise.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
Funny with you watch it with the NFL. It's American football,
and you see it more when you go to the
ground when the opposition have got a really important possession.
Let's say they've got to make five meters on this
final play, then the team, the home team will just
rev up the crowd and they are screaming so that
the quarter they all can't communicate in the line of

(23:36):
scrimmage because you know, what they have when they were there,
they do the attacking coordinator. They're allowed to have ear
phones to the quarterback, but they're the only ones. So
if they'll call a sequence and then the quarterbacks have
got to they've got to portray tell everybody else. But
then at the line of scrimmage the defense might change

(23:56):
and then they've got to do it again. So that crowd,
if it's roaring, they just can't communicate.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
It's incredible in it.

Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, I've said this before on the potty, but I
remember the left edge of the storm when it was
Cam Munster, Kenny Bromwich, justin Olum and the Fox. They
the crowd noise going in to finals were so getting
so loud, especially at games at sun Court, that they
come up with sign language for the moves. Really, so
there was a move called creepy and there was a
move called forty four. Creepy was named after Munster. Kenny

(24:26):
Bromige would hold up a cea to communicate that move
and then hold up before for the other one, and
then they had a couple other moves where they'd like
a bit more complicated names, but they'd have to do
it because it's too hard for months to run out
and get close enough for them to hear it.

Speaker 3 (24:39):
Do you just have that like with plays though anyway,
Like even you say that's because of the crowd enough,
But so that's not a thing.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
That wasn't that that was the first time I'd ever
experienced it, and like nobody they just come up. Kenny
had just come up with that because he was founding
it hard to hear. So then usually it's just all vocal.

Speaker 3 (24:53):
Because you think it'd be actually come into a little
bit more often, wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
You Like if we if we when we played in
the Grand Final in ninety seven, if we got a
repeat set, we'd always go before the game we said
drawer in, flex out, which means we get a penalty.
Everyone just move into the middle of the field just momentarily,
and we can say I'm going to get to to
the middle for a birdie. Followed by that everyone just
FLEs back out again. So just that touching base because

(25:20):
that you know for yourself, you know you said trying
to steady the horse, the horse more relaxed going into
big games. One of the most challenging thing for a
halfback is not just controlling your own adrenaline but everybody
else's as well.

Speaker 3 (25:34):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, And you know it often.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
Seems to see the ball early and there's just been
thrown sideline, a sideline that's just losing control of your adrenaline.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, and how do's what's we're backing up? You know
how they talk about, you know, the seven day back
up sixty How important is that to have the extra
day or two.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Oh massive particularly like like that's why finals, that's why
we kind of we both sort of thought Storm would
win the Grand Final based that was like the deciding factor.
They had nine days, Broncos had seven days because it.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
Goes in the game the Broncos players and warm conditions
day football, which takes a lot more out of out.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
But it's not even just the body to recover, it's
it's the work you can do during the week. Like
when you have anything that's seven day, So if you're
playing Saturday to Saturday, that's a good amount of time
where you'll have two days off and then you can
get into a lot of work during the week. But
as soon as you go underneath, that throws the whole week.
Like sometimes on a six day turnaround, if you've had
a short turnarounds in a row. You might only get

(26:28):
one training session on the field together really, and then
you do your captain dry on the day before and
then that's it.

Speaker 3 (26:33):
So you've got to manage it a bit more. And
every play is different, Like would you train some harder
than others? Like is it like horses where like he
reacts better if he's hammer him a bit more and.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
Stuff like that. Yeah, without a shadow of doubt. In fact,
we had got a drink water and here last week
and we'll talk. I said, you're such a frustrating side
the cowboys. Yeah, you're capable of so much, like you know,
you great one week, pull the next, he said. Really
funny mate, he said, we found that the harder they
train is the better we go. But he said, but
with short turnarounds just not always possible.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
You can't do it.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
So they're aside that it's hard work. Tommy on the
like going into this race, when you talk about you know,
things like blood lines and whatnot, Which horses in this
going the milk have got the best blood lines? Headn't.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
Oh? The Europeans definitely, you know, they're just they breed
them tough, and their stays they're running over short distances
as two year olds, where our two year olds won't
really well. They don't run past the mile up until
they get pretty much close to three, so you know
where they're running over twenty twenty four hundred at the
age of two, which is which can be quite taxing

(27:44):
on a horse. But so I think they breed them
for that. So they breed a good stay, we breed
good sprinters, we breed good two year olds. Where over
there it's not their things. So Europeans usually when they
come over, even though they haven't been they've been successful
enough in the Cup. But the best ones that they've
brought over aid and O'Brien and he's really struggled. His
son's done really well. I think he's won two Melbourne Cups,

(28:04):
so usually they've got it in the bag. I think
there's a French horse in it this year that brings
out really good form from France, and and then obviously
the favorite he's he's got to carry fifty nine kilos
this year, but he won the Saint Ledder and you
know he's owned by I think your brother's mates Australian bloodstocks,
so yeah, yeah, yes, he'll be a great chance Yeah, you.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
Talk about distance, then how important if you'll look at
like punners looking at their up and they go through
and they see horses form, and how many times it's
raced at that distance recently? How important is the prep
distance wise? Like do you want to get a lot
of distance leading into the race.

Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah, well there's there's an old time I can't remember
exactly what it is, but Buck Cummings used to say
that to win a Melbourne Cup had to have so
many thousand meters you know under the under the belt,
you know, so whether it have to have three runs
at two thousand plus to win a Melbourne Cup. So
he always believed that they to have a good grounding
to run thirty two hundred and thirty two hundreds. Plenty

(29:05):
of horses will run twenty four hundred, but that thirty
two hundred, it takes a unique one, you know, and
they're usually the ones that are so good at thirty
two hundred struggle at the shorter distances as well.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
About jockeys and if you're if you're exclusively a jockey
European jockey, the race always around that you know a
couple of miles and whatnot. Would you train differently than
you do in Australia.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
No, I think you're still got to be well, you've
got to be as fit or fitter because it's you.
Obviously you're on the horse for a lot longer, and
especially if they're keen and stuff like that, so you've
got to work on yourself being fitter. But I find
with the European jockeys are a lot sharper now. But
when they first used to come here or used to
go to Hong Kong, they used to get left left
behind a lot at the start of the race because
they obviously in over in England and Ireland and stuff

(29:52):
like that. Their first three furlongs of the races they
sort of just find their positions and mosey on and
it's sort of gentlemen, yeah it is, and they build
into it. Where here it's like you bang them out.
You've got to find your position quick and then then
you get your mid race breather and then you go
from the six hundred. So it's a very different way
of riding. So the Europeans sort of really struggled when
they first came here, but they've sort of really adapted

(30:14):
with it now. And as I said, years off camera
when when it's their winter they'll go over and ride
in Japan and Hong Kong, and I think that's helped
them a lot when they go home.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
You know, there's a lot of so many aspects that
you blakes do. It takes courage and you know, but
that turn for home as you're heading into that last
six hundred meters on Melbourne Cup day in that race,
what's that like?

Speaker 3 (30:38):
Yeah, it's where you can feel it building up because
the six hundred is pretty much at the top of
the straight. It's so long, so you get down the
side there from the thousand meters in the Melbourne Cup,
that's when it really starts to build up. You have
a couple of early moves and the pressure will really
start to build and people start making their runs. And
then when the field feel the back markers are coming

(31:00):
up and around, they're riding really tight because they don't
want you popping out underneath and forcing him wide. But
then you're trying to make you run at the same time,
so it's a lot of jostling at that point. So
it's it's a lot of pressure going into that last
band and everyone's trying to find a run and there's
you've got the tiring horses on speed that aren't running
the distance you're trying to navigate to get around there.
So that eight hundred meters to the to the top

(31:22):
of the straight, you've really got to have your wits
about you.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
Would you say it's the most dangerous race, I'd.

Speaker 3 (31:28):
Say the Slipper is probably the most dangerous because you're
at rose Hill. You come out of that shoot in
the back straight and there's a short run to the
first corner, and obviously on two year old so you're
on inexperienced horses and you're rushing into that bend at
one hundred miles an hour. That's that's probably the roughest race,
you know, and you're.

Speaker 2 (31:45):
You're a jockey right here, so you're going to understand
You're going to sorry I thought that, but I was
just interested to see how you answer this question right,
because I if I'm looking at a race, I always follow
jockeys like I've got I've got my jockeys that I like,
you're one of them, as roll time. But how influential

(32:08):
is a jockey on the hall? Like how much is
on the horse and how much is on the jockey?

Speaker 3 (32:12):
You think a lot on the jockey. I think especially jockeys,
like footy players as well, when they're in form, there's
nothing better. You follow a jockey in form and then
when you see you go out of form, then you
sail off them for a while. But jockeys, they can't.
It's very hard for a jockey to start at his
peak for twelve months of the year, and that's what
we ride. We ride all year round, unlike you guys,

(32:34):
where you get your off season. So there's going to
be times where whether you're a bit fatigued or a
bit flat, or you just you're not you're not having
a great run and your confidence he's down, so you're
not making them second decisions that are the right ones.
So if you're following a jockey and he's at a
great week, just follow him into the next week. But
if you're following someone and you're losing all on the punt,

(32:56):
then just get off and get back on another.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
Is it really confidence game?

Speaker 3 (32:59):
Like massive? Confidence is everything? You know, like you'll make
I heard you guys talking about once Reese Walsh like you.
When he's confident and he's he's running his own race
and he runs the ball a lot more, and you know,
gap seemed open for him. And it's same with jockey's.
When you're riding with plenty of confidence, things just seem
to happen for you in a race, and things happen

(33:21):
slower like it's like everything's in slow motion, where when
things aren't going right, everything's having one hundred miles now
and you're trying to make decisions and then you're changing
your mind halfway through and stuff like that. So yeah,
confidences everything.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
I'll put this question to you. If I gave you
ten grand right, you had to put it on, I'm
going to give you up. I'm going to get good, yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
And you.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
To the roosters. If I give you ten grand right,
and you've got to put on one of two horses here,
you've got one horse that's ten out of ten horse,
but it's written by a jockey, a young jockey, good
jockey on the app but it's still a young joke,
like is that Lloyd? And then you get a horse
that's made out of ten and jas mc donald's riding it.
Who do you put this hand ground on?

Speaker 3 (34:06):
Well, it's interesting because it depends. I'll throw this one
back at yeah. If you've got a young jockey coming
through that's got a lot of confidence, like a Reese Walsh,
you know, and they think they're the man. And Zack
Lloyd's a little bit like that. You know, he's he
knows he's good, so you put him on that and
they don't get scared, they don't get nervous or anything

(34:26):
of that because they think they're the man and they're
only young, so they've got no you know, they haven't
been beaten enough times to have any you know, like
any nerves or anything like that. So I'd go I'd
go to Zach Lloyd.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
You're right, okay, but only if, like you said, if
he's in if he's in a confidence.

Speaker 3 (34:44):
If he's riding well where James, like you talk about James,
and before the weekend winning the Cox played his I
think he went almost three weekends without a winner, which
doesn't happen with James, you know. And even he I said,
they ad you retired last week, you know, and he said,
don't worry. I felt like it because he hadn't been
in that position for quite a while. So for him

(35:04):
to win the Cox plate, I think that, you know,
you watch him for the next two or three weeks
of a cutweek, he'll kill it, you know, right, So
it's a big confidence thing, even with a bloke of
his stature and ability and yeah, I reckon Yeah, for
the next three weeks, it's going to be scary to
see what he does.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
What about weight, Like, the Melbourn Cup's a big field.
You got top weight all the way down to the
bottom weight. At what point does weight become a big factor.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Yeah, in staying races, Weight's a massive factor. In sprinting races,
I wouldn't say so because they're not carrying it for
as long. But in the Melbourne Cup, the best waited
horse usually wins. I think that's what made I think
it was very elegant. She might have carried fifty eighth
that's what made her win so good because she had
to carry the weight. I think she won the core

(35:50):
Field Cup leading up to it like she was the
form horse in it. But usually the horses around, you know,
fifty three, fifty two kilos, sometimes at fifty one, they're
the ones that usually the better chances in Melbourne Cup.
But this European coming over with the fifty nine, that's
where it's going to be interesting to see if you
can carry that weight and win.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
In an amazing like And I say to this to
the boys. Sometimes we talk about professional rugby league, for instance,
and you're trying to maintain a weight. You might have
someone that's ninety kilos and all of a sudden they
jump on the scales in game day and they're ninety
two and a half kolos And you go, well, that's
t onenty two and a half killer's not a lot.
But if you're riding a horse Tommy, like that European
horse's fifty nine kilos and suddenly they put sixty one

(36:30):
us back, does a win?

Speaker 3 (36:32):
Yeah, I don't think so, you know it's it's no,
it's it's a big difference. Like wait, when you get
that high, like I think when you're talking about fifty
two kilos or fifty one or fifty three, I don't
think it's a big difference. But when you get higher
in the weight, so I think it makes a difference.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
At that And you look at that ninety kilos versus
a half ton animal, A difference to two kilos makes there's.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
Two kilos a lot? Like would you say that's when
you start to see a differences from the wall.

Speaker 3 (37:01):
I think they say kilo's kilo is two or three lengths,
so that's that's that's how they measure it. So two
kilo's six lengths. That's a lot of ground they've got
to make up, you know.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
So yeah, outside of More Felons, who are the horses
to boot something?

Speaker 3 (37:18):
I'd say that the Corfield Cup form is obviously always strong.
You've got half rls that won it. It's in great form.
I think it's one eight out of its past ten.
If Buccaroo ends up there, I think he's a great chance.
He should have probably won the Melbourne Cup last year.
I don't think it was Joe's best ride that day.
And what's the other one something King Valiant King. I

(37:40):
thought it was really good in the Corfield Cup as well,
So I think the Corfield Cup form usually stands up
quite well. And then out of Sydney, I think, yeah,
More Felons is probably the one to take out of here.
But I think it's a very competitive races year. I
think the two Europeans that have come over they bring
strong form, but as I said, the weight he is
a big factor with them. But I think that the
Corefield Cup form will probably stands.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
Is this the jockey his grand Final?

Speaker 3 (38:01):
Like?

Speaker 2 (38:01):
After that? Do they go on like a Maden Monday?

Speaker 3 (38:04):
Nah? I wish the worst thing about the copes. It's
on the Tuesday. Then you've got Oaks Day on the Thursday,
and then you've got Champions down the Saturday, so you've
still got to back up for another two days.

Speaker 2 (38:14):
So you're racing in all of them.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
Yeah, I'll ride obviously, rode yesterday Derby Day, and then
I'll ride Cup Day tomorrow, and then i ride Oaks
Day and then I'll come back to Sydney for the
big day.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
He about turnaround before with you, So the times you
have a forty minute turnaround between races. Let's imagine Tommy,
you know that tomorrow you know you're basically leading into
the Melbourne Cap. You've had three winners, right, how hard
is it, like, how hard is it to maintain focus?

(38:46):
Or more to the point, you've got the big race,
You've got the Melbourne Cap a little later in the day,
and then you've got another race in race too. How
hard is it to compartmentalized and just focus on yah,
on the job at hand.

Speaker 3 (38:59):
I think come with maturity as well, like as you
get older, you handle them situations better. And I think
riding in Hong Kong, because when I was riding in
Hong Kong, flying and flying out, I'd ride here on
a Saturday and then I'd get on the ten forty flight,
fly to Hong Kong, get there at six o'clock in
the morning. You'll be and you have eleven rides there
on the Sunday, and then you get back on a

(39:21):
flane plane and be back here on Monday. So you're
having a big day here on Saturday. You might ride
two or three winners, and then you've got to get
on the plane and you've got to you've got to
try and switch off and have a bit of a
sleep and then regroup again and go okay, now you've
got to be on the ball again.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
Class class, what classes?

Speaker 3 (39:37):
They fly over him and only turn left straight into
the cockpit. I remember having a young bloke there because
when they fly your family over, he was what was he,
I think to two or three years old Caden, and
he's sitting back in a recliner ch and these blokes

(39:57):
are walking past him to go to the back of
the plane and he's his three year old kid got
his own better than everything, Champagne.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
I'll tell you what you've said, him off for failure there,
because once once you turn left, turn and ride is
a whole lot sad.

Speaker 3 (40:11):
It's very hard to do, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (40:13):
It's hard to go back.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
Well. There's been a couple of times where I've sent
down the back with the kids and yourself, mate, the
way people look at you when you do that, mate.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
But I cop ship when I jump on you, like
just when we just fly just locally once we get
I think Fiji is to cut off after we feel
but we justly that time, mate, the ship I cop
and I'm walking down staying jet start and then I'm
going down right, and you have people in business you're
walking past and there going Oh fucking mate, you're going

(40:43):
down there.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
I went up to towns Well early in the year
and the people that had flown up booked me business
and my town's was not a massive flight. It doesn't
really matter, but six seats back in economy belly Craig
and he was texting me and he didn't tell me
he was even on the flight. He just started abusing me,
saying you've changed, and I shoot myself. I thought I've

(41:06):
done something wrong. I've said something about him and he's
off it. And then I look back like half did
a flight and he was back there give me the finger. Anyway,
I told it on the poddy like the next week
because I thought it was a funny story, and then
there was all these like buzz Brotherfield said put it
in his Spotted Spotted article later in the week, being
like Spotted Craig Bellamy and Economy, whilst his former player

(41:27):
Cooper John's in business.

Speaker 3 (41:29):
Good old Buzz too, trusting that it is the worst
feeling though, when you walk and past business and you
see people there and you just.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
They give you that look walk like good and it's.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
Like they get it. They mightn't even drink the fucking champagne,
but it's like they got it there just to sit there,
just so you can watch.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
And you're were drinking bull warter, they're looking It's like
if you feel like you're begging for change on the
way through and they were all just looking down at
you throwing twenty cent.

Speaker 3 (41:55):
Pieces, especially Jetstar too, because they charged for absolutely everything.

Speaker 1 (42:00):
Peanut, Now some rapid fire questions, right, I love this
is on the world of jockeys. Okay, just for us
get going forward, Well just for the.

Speaker 2 (42:11):
I suppose it's for everyone on the podcast.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
If you were which jockey would you take to have
a great night out?

Speaker 3 (42:19):
Mark Zara? Yeah, really he's a king. Yeah he goes
to Where does he go over a year? No, I
know he gets the super Bowl, but you're not part
of this. Where does he go to? Like what party?

Speaker 2 (42:31):
Location wise?

Speaker 3 (42:32):
Yeah, Michanos does he every year? Without fart? Oh?

Speaker 2 (42:36):
He goes Greece summers?

Speaker 3 (42:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (42:41):
Have you ever been to the Bergheim in.

Speaker 3 (42:44):
What's what's an underground?

Speaker 2 (42:48):
It is an underground hardcore stuff. Two hour line to
get in, and you've got a dress in all black
and there's a security guard there, famous security guard. He
reads people straight away. He knows if you're into that
sort of weird cuck stuff or like weird just like
if you're a bit of a weirdo and you'redressed like that,
he'll let you in because it's very like it's like
a fetish place.

Speaker 3 (43:08):
Yeah, yeah, so there's people.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
Yeah, I go every weekend.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
Excuse me this sharny, but there's no easy way to
explain it. Basically, frozen ships. You use the dildos. Is
it really true the Germans that they've got to ship
in infatuation, which was told me by an old Hungarian man.
So what they do is they'll they'll cut one cut

(43:33):
some cable ship, just pop it in the freezer freezer,
then take the burg and uses the dill doll.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
Yeah, is that Let's let's not quote him an old
Hungarian man like he's not really like you know, it's
not NASA, so let's not quote him like fact. But
we have heard that multiple times from multiple sources and
don't and we don't want anyone to try it.

Speaker 1 (43:57):
Yeah, please don't sick in your mouth. Now, what about
the most who's the one jockeying? Okay, I'm going to
have a big night out. I'm going to take So
I take Mark Zara for the best. Who's the one
I should avoid? Who was the most boring?

Speaker 3 (44:13):
Tom Mark? Yeah, he doesn't drink. Oh him and Willie
Pike to Willie Pike's non drinker.

Speaker 2 (44:18):
Don't tell me that.

Speaker 3 (44:19):
He's a non drinker. But when he moved over here
with what was it COVID because he wasn't allowed to
ride in w A because he wouldn't get bacinated. He
was living in the Caribbean on the property. Yeah, we
shan't want to have let him in the house. I said,
you can have the you're gonna have the Carabban. So anyways,
like it was his second weekend over here and I'd

(44:40):
ridden three winners, he'd ridden two, and Sharney was in
camera with the kids. I said, mate, come on, you've
got to have a few drinks with me tonight. He goes, oh, no, no, mate,
said please, just I'm begging you. He goes right out.
I said, what do you want to drink? He goes on,
and I don't really drink you, so I'll just drink
what you drink. So I got him a full packer
double blacks. He was drinking what like that lemonades and

(45:01):
he's already cross eyed anyway, and then they really started
rolling back in his head and he was calling his
missus while she was off me. After that, I don't.

Speaker 2 (45:11):
The double black sneak up on you. I remember back
when you have house parties and like you know, you're
you're underage and whatever, and you get like the real
sugar drinks because you think it just tastes nice, tastes
like ship to your back. Then Summer's bees and that
and mate some of the blogs. You could get through
a whole night on three double blacks and be blind
for seven hours.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Yeah, we got the vineyards and you boke those sticky
dessert wines in the first one and you go, oh
that is darling, and then halfway through the bottle, it's
just like I think I've got diabetes.

Speaker 2 (45:39):
We used to have a saying Backpike, drink what you like? Yeah,
well that really that really has put a frozen turd.

Speaker 1 (45:45):
And that's Chris Farnum listening to John farn Is he good,
Chris Panhum good, Chris Farnum, I mixed up my far
and was parum John brother.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
He's good, but he's a bit the same he's he
doesn't really you wouldn't. You wouldn't take him out for
just put the lines through him in Patty Cary Patty
Carvery is good, great on the piece, and you can
pack him in your suitcase and take hi wherever you want.
He's that big, so perfect.

Speaker 1 (46:14):
Okay, if you had a if you had a sister,
which which jockey would you allow her to marry?

Speaker 3 (46:21):
To marry Bill.

Speaker 1 (46:22):
Pike sounds like a bit of a catch.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
I'd have to say Alan Robinson, Alan Robinson, well, would
not let me nandating, Well, not Pumpa. What you're saying, No, No,
I wouldn't wanted to get a.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
Papa's really going to love this.

Speaker 3 (46:45):
I remember the first time I met Pumpa. It was
that it wasn't the first time I met him. But
we're at Cananbury Jockey's Room. It's like, use all your
shower out like in front of everyone. So anyway, I look,
I looked in and I just stared at him and
he goes, yeah, he goes reckon. They call me the pumper.
But although it was the way you road, but well still,

(47:07):
i'd say maybe carry back of boys. Yeah, he's just nice,
most beautiful person you'd ever meet.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
Or Craig Williams.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
Yeah really Okay, what about the one that you would,
under no circumstances les just to get here?

Speaker 3 (47:21):
Ah, Hugh Bowman, Yeah, you would be right up there
with number one probably, And you'd have to say Reagan
Byalos as well.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Oh is he from Newcastle?

Speaker 3 (47:38):
Reagan bless he's Queenslander. Yeah, they breed him.

Speaker 2 (47:43):
Crazy up in Ipswich tweat outcouts from Is he a
breakout out out you know? The sprinter? Oh yeah, yeah,
he goes to he goes if he's still in school,
still in school? Yeah, he's only seven, he's still finishing
your twelve at ipswich grammar, Jesus.

Speaker 1 (47:57):
Freak and there's us Now are best karaoke performer?

Speaker 3 (48:03):
Best well, Robbie Dolan?

Speaker 1 (48:05):
Oh of course, yeah, what a like mate, likable.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
Have you done a couple of functions with him?

Speaker 1 (48:13):
No, no, I haven't.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
Oh he's a champion. Yeah, he's good fun, he's and
you know, and he hates singing as well. You can't
get him up on karaoke like he probably wouldn't do it.
But he's but Irish obviously so can't drink and he's
fifty one kilos. But yeah, he's great fun. That's won
the Melbourne Cup was yeah, I understanding.

Speaker 2 (48:31):
Yeah, one of the one of the characters who did
the speaking that game.

Speaker 3 (48:36):
Great characters.

Speaker 2 (48:38):
What's happening with the gate keeper? Well, yeah, he's a
gatekeeper as well. He had his spare time beyond Baker. Yes,
one of the great characters. Remember that night when that
Afternoon Singers part with these guys Alan.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
Thomas got up and Alan was just he Tom. I
was just basically teeing the volleyball up and was just
smashing it. He was coming over these jokes. There was price.

Speaker 3 (49:00):
He's good like if you for an owner, like he's
just he puts on a great, great day for you.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
Like he was. He was nearly stand up comedian level.
It was sitting there hosing myself.

Speaker 1 (49:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (49:10):
Well they had to in the chairman's lounge. I think
in Melbourne he got kicked out because he was too loud.
So yeah, he does.

Speaker 2 (49:17):
He does get quite sloppy, you know what I mean.
Like he's at the races, everyone's in suits and that.
But at this he had the tie was down, there
was four buttons undone and he just looked like a
sweaty mask.

Speaker 1 (49:30):
And Allen was there with his head like the Japanese flag.

Speaker 3 (49:34):
What's he doing now? Alan Alan Thomas, Alan Thomas Alan
robber because I saw him. I saw him on They
Had the Best of You with Reggie, Yeah, yeah, and
had him on one of them, one of them. Yeah,
I'm pretty sure it was the best off.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
We did a footy show one night and we're playing
camera the next next The next night, in camera and
they went right out. We've we've got to get you
blokes and footy shows. We've got to play the cambon
next day. I tell what I'll do. We'll send a
stretched leamo fork and lay in the back you Chief
and joe yep sweet. And as we're about to leave
newcastleho does the left hand team in the shortland one

(50:14):
of the suburbs there where you're going. He goes, I've
got to pick up Alan Robinson. We're going ah fuck
mat on the On the drive down there, he was
punishing on the drive back and he jammed a few
into himself. Mate, he was fucking mate. Chief was going
to throttling. Really, Chief said to the driver pull over

(50:35):
the side of the way. He got him out and said, mate, listen,
keep caring. He gas mate old.

Speaker 3 (50:43):
But he chased me one day I accidentally hit him
in the straight with me with He chased me the
whole way around the back into the back straight to
try and hit me get me back with a stick.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
Was in the local government.

Speaker 3 (50:53):
Yeah until he.

Speaker 1 (50:56):
Yeah, there was already going on. I mean, really, what
about right, Let's move to trainers. Most fun out apart
from Bejorn.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Michael Hawks he is great on a night out. He's
good fun.

Speaker 1 (51:09):
I mean Chris Chris Lee's Yeah, he's good.

Speaker 3 (51:12):
Yeah. Actually they're both good, you know, and and actually
their wives love a good night out as well. Yeah yeah, yeah,
not very good.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
What about worse the trainer that you would definitely? Why
is it Chris Waller?

Speaker 3 (51:25):
Well, actually Chris is a bit of fun. I haven't
been on a night out with him, but being to
a lunch where he's had a couple of drinks and
he loosens up a little bit.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
I want one last question for I just thought of
it coming through. What's one piece of memorabilia that you want?
Is there is there a dream piece? You know everyone's
got someone might want to sign Michael Jordan this or
Lebron James that. Is there something like that for you?

Speaker 3 (51:47):
Yeah, it would be. I'd say it'd have to be
probably a Melbourne cup, like one of Buck Commings Melbourne cups.
If I could have one of them?

Speaker 2 (52:00):
Does he sell them or you'd have to?

Speaker 3 (52:01):
I don't know, he's not alive, he passed.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
Yeah, well there must be there'd be somewhere them.

Speaker 3 (52:06):
Yeah, there was somewhere, but I don't know, like that'd
be pretty cool because me growing up, obviously you'd leave
school early to get home to watch the Melbourne Cup.
And obviously Bart was I think won eleven of them,
so he'd have one to hopefully share around.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
I did a story about Bart, so they did a
docco only once down his place and he said, I
do you must have been this guy's production company's house
and I said, I'm going to barbecue and yeah, he said,
love steak. Anyway, they've gone on. Sorry, we can't. We
should have thought ahead. They need to frosting and Bart coming,

(52:40):
he said, doesn't worry me, I'll lead it frozen. And
they said they all sat there and disbelieve as he
was literally so he ate it frozen, a frozen steak.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
No, there's no way he could do that. He was like, soaring,
that's coming it.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
He had a he had a health inspector come to
the stables one day and got to the end of
it and they said, mister Cummings, you've got a problem.
You've got too many flies in your stable. And he said,
all right, well just let me know how many how
many I'm about that and I'll get a sort of.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
Mate. Was it was? It did he did he have
was it Gerner's lane or yeah? Or was there another one?
Let's a lope? There was a story. I don't know
if it's me.

Speaker 3 (53:26):
He took it a japan Cup? Did he? Pretty sure?

Speaker 1 (53:28):
Did he? There's a story in Melbourn Cup Day and
I don't know if it's urban myth that they said
that Melbourne Cup day. His trainer or one of the
young trainers went down and let's the lope I think
it was was just laying laying on the ground and
he went in. He said, oh to Bart he said,
it's quite lethargic, and you know, we're just we're going

(53:49):
to give a bit of a troup. Will give it
a rest, he said, mate, get the saddle on it,
take it down to the beach and just flog it,
work it hard. He's gone, mate, it's Melbourne Cup day.
He said. I know when a horse needs to be worked.
He got to workers out of its lethargy. I did
it then one moment.

Speaker 3 (54:04):
Yeah, he was a freak, wasn't he was the best?

Speaker 2 (54:06):
I think that was looking? Was that a fact check?
Were you asked? Have you ever heard that before?

Speaker 3 (54:10):
I know I haven't, but I can find pretend on
the next one.

Speaker 1 (54:14):
Yeah, you know that.

Speaker 3 (54:16):
You know.

Speaker 1 (54:16):
The worrying thing, as I just say that, was the
fact that the bloke who told me that is my
father Gary, and my father is one of the great liars,
told me.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
I couldn't lie straight and better as well we get along.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
Well, thanks, Tommy.

Speaker 1 (54:31):
Now I've got some before you before you go to Tommy.
You got it out there because my wife I had
this certain minute memorabilia and this was given to me
by my late great great grandfather who was one of
the first jockeys and it might have been the first
jockey in Australia to ride two thousand winners, really called
Sam unwin so looking up that I wrote a book
about him called Only Winners Can Laugh. So he gave

(54:54):
me this picture and it was Archer winning the first
It was like a drawing of Archer winning the first
of all the Melbourne Cup. And it sits out in
the garage. Trush won't let it into this room. So
my grandfather would love nothing more for me to tell
him that I gave it to tom.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
Be beautiful, appreciate that, tell him now, I suppose yeah,
well I'm talking figuratively.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Yeah, and thank you for here, tom You gave us
the jockey helmet. That is all.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
Actually, once I got that done for your dad, I
actually want to get one done for myself as well.
It's pretty good.

Speaker 1 (55:31):
Yeah, well you can't have this one, which would which
one was like, you know, needed to make get this
sign for Maddie, which one was like oh wow, which
one was sort of a fucking that asshole, which.

Speaker 3 (55:41):
Moment I said, I need to get this done for
Maddie because that had some good nights out with him.

Speaker 1 (55:51):
Good luck tomorrow, Tommy, thanks for having on shy