Bruce Tapper may have been a late starter to the training ranks, but he hasn’t let that slow him down, with the Timaru horseman bringing up his 100th win at his home track on Wednesday.
It was a special day for Tapper, who was able to celebrate bringing up the milestone with visiting family members.
“It was good to get it (100th win), it has been a while,” Tapper said.
“I had three grandchildren from Cambridge and two from Pukekohe here, and three from Timaru, so it was pretty special to have them all here.”
He was also delighted to achieve his 100th win with one of his favourite horses, Natural Momentum, who recorded his fourth career victory in the Hospitality NZ – SC Branch 1600.
“The horse, even though he is no champ, he is a pretty special horse,” Tapper said.
“We have got a girl with us now, Grace Afleck, and she is the third rider he has taught to ride track work. He also teaches all of our young horses in the barriers. We just go one by one with him and he jumps out with them. He is just a neat horse.”
Tapper spent his formative years in racing but elected to pursue a career outside of the industry and kept an interest in racing through ownership. At the age of 60 he decided to try his hand at training and he has enjoyed plenty of success in that capacity over the last decade.
“Since I was 13, I used to ride track work for my Dad at Matamata,” he said. “I got out of it for a while to earn some money and when I turned 60 I decided to take out my trainer’s licence. I was a bit of a late starter.
“It wasn’t a bucket list thing, but you like to achieve it.”
Among his 100 wins, there are three that stand out above the rest for Tapper.
“The first one, Five Kings at Gore, the Group Three (Barneswood Farm Stakes, 1400m) at Ashburton that Specialty and Redmond ran first and second, and Specialty winning the Dunedin Guineas (Listed, 1500m).”
The now six-year-old Specialty is a sentimental favourite of Tapper’s, having recorded both of his stakes wins to date, and he will attempt to add to his win tally at Riccarton Park on Saturday where he will contest the Cup Week Tickets On Sale Rating 75 (1200m).
The Rip Van Winkle gelding ran third when first-up over 1200m at the Christchurch track earlier this month, and Tapper is hoping for another bold showing this weekend.
“Specialty is coming up very well this prep,” Tapper said. “He is in on Saturday, and he should be running a good race.”