2025 Australian Racing Hall Of Fame inductees include John Tapp, Zac Purton, Peter Moody and Mahogany

News.com.au

19-06-2025

Peter Moody revealed this was the highlight of his celebrated training career, international superstar jockey Zac Purton felt humbled, and acclaimed race-caller John Tapp admitted to being deeply touched.
These three titans of the turf were genuinely moved when each were told they will be awarded Australian Racing Hall Fame honours at a special ceremony in Brisbane on August 31.
Champions Mahogany and Hydrogen will also be inducted alongside the greats of Australian racing like Phar Lap, Tulloch, Bernborough, Carbine, Kingston Town, Peter Pan, Makybe Diva and Black Caviar.
Moody has achieved so much in the sport including training the greatest sprinter of them all, the unbeatable Black Caviar, but admitted he was taken aback to learn he would be joining training legends like Tommy Smith, Bart Cummings, Colin Hayes, Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller in the Hall of Fame.
'It's an absolute honour when you look at the trainers who have come before me and no doubt those who will follow,'' Moody said.
'To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, to be recognised in this way is probably the highlight of my career, to be quite honest.''
Moody came from the tiny Queensland outback town of Wyandra and as a teenager, he got a job as a stablehand with Tommy Smith at Randwick.
He took out a trainer's licence in 1998 and prepared his first winner that year with Ebony Way at Eagle Farm.
Nearly three decades later, Moody has trained the winners of almost 3000 races including 60 at Group 1 level. He's trained many outstanding racehorses including Typhoon Tracy, Dissident, Incentivise and the freakish Black Caviar, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Believe it or not, it’s been 10 years since Black Caviar won her first TJ Smith Stakes. We caught up trainer, Peter Moody to take a look back at some of her incredible moments and to see how she is enjoying retirement #LoveTheHorse @moodyracingpgm pic.twitter.com/pGIWSMz675
— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 8, 2021
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Black Caviar, undefeated winner of 25 races including 15 at Group 1 level, took out two TJ Smith Stakes, three Lightning Stakes, two VRC Champions Sprints and most famously of all, her win in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Purton grew up in Coffs Harbour and became apprenticed to Trevor Hardy when he was just 14 years old. He rode his first winner at Armidale in 2000.
From those humble beginnings, Purton has emerged as one of Australia's greatest ever jockeys, with nearly 2800 winners so far including 47 at Group 1 level.
Purton was twice runner-up in the Sydney jockey's premiership before moving to Hong Kong in 2007 where he is now recognised as one of the world's best jockeys. He has ridden more winners in Hong Kong than any other jockey and is about to claim an eighth Hong Kong jockeys premiership.
But he has remained proudly Australian and his outstanding career deserved Hall of Fame honours alongside the greatest jockeys in Australian racing history including his father-in-law, Jim Cassidy.
Zac Purton marches towards an 8th Hong Kong Jockey Championship Title ðŸ'¥ pic.twitter.com/WYmA7aZoRZ
— Hong Kong Racing North America (@HKRacingUS) May 12, 2025
'It means a lot to me to be recognised by my peers, it is very humbling,'' Purton said.
'I've been away from Australia for so long but I have been 'flying the Aussie flag' in Hong Kong.
'Most of the world's leading jockeys and trainers aspire to be successful in Hong Kong so being able to prove myself on the world stage was important to me.
'It would have been easier to stay in Australia but I felt it was more of a challenge for me take on the world, so to speak.''
Tapp was working as a clerk on the Department of Main Roads, a state government department now known as the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority), before he gained a race-calling role as understudy to Ken Howard in 1965.
It wasn't long before Tapp took over as number one caller and he became a household name until retiring from race-calling in 1998 to take over as host of the Sky Racing home service.
Tapp eventually stepped down from his roles at Sky in 2015 but remains as busy as ever with his website and podcasts.
'Fancy receiving an honour of this magnitude for being given the privilege of sharing my love of racing with Australian race fans for such a long time,'' Tapp said.
'I am very privileged and I regard it as a great compliment to the Australian race calling profession. I'm deeply touched.''