John Tapp Racing

The legendary jockey’s sudden retirement announcement in December caught the NZ racing industry by surprise.  Opie says he’d been contemplating retirement for six months but it took a simple experience on Xmas Day to convince him the time was right. The champion jockey was out jogging on Xmas morning, wearing his mandatory heavy sweat gear when he was suddenly conscious of passers by in high spirits, out enjoying life on such a special day. Opie was unplaced on 3 rides at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. Driving home to Matamata after the races he made the massive decision to call time on his stellar 30 year career. He says the withdrawal symptoms have been manageable so far. Opie says he was a little hesitant as he sat down to type out his retirement announcement for release on social media. The jockey says weight issues have plagued him for many years. He explains just how tough it’s been over time. He reminds us that he walked away from racing more than twenty years ago when wasting got the better of him. He spent