It’s been a pleasure to welcome a sequence of popular country trainers to the podcast lately and we’re going “bush” again in our first interview for 2026. Our guest is respected horseman Paddy Cunningham who’s currently the only trainer based at the Glen Innes racecourse in the NSW New England district. He and wife Kathy achieve consistent results with a team of just twelve horses, and are happy to travel long distances to find the right races for them. Paddy Cunningham put together a tidy record as a race rider before ongoing weight problems saw him transition to the training ranks. After two lengthy stints at Grafton and another at Caloundra, Cunningham returned to his native Glen Innes in 2016 and you’d need the army to shift him again. Paddy talks about the well appointed property he and Kathy share close to the Glen Innes track.

He looks back on his early days at Ben Lomond, a unique little village situated so far above sea level that snow isn’t uncommon in the winter months.

Paddy talks of his parents and siblings and the little pony that first introduced him to the sensation of speed on horseback.

He looks back on the circumstances that led him to an apprenticeship with local trainer Hunter Kilner and the unforgettable thrill of his very first day of race riding at an Inverell meeting. He made a spectacular start.

Paddy talks of consecutive Armidale Cup wins very early in his career.

The jockey turned trainer says he quickly tired of continual wasting and ventured to the Northern Territory in search of a complete change of environment. He found employment at the famous Wave Hill station.

Paddy talks of his return to Glen Innes after a two year sabbatical and a resumption of trackwork duties for his old boss Hunter Kilner.

He talks of the mare who regenerated his interest and motivated his return to race riding. The same mare would later provide his first winning ride at Royal Randwick.

Paddy says he couldn’t believe his luck when another winner came along at Canterbury the very next day. Two weeks later the same horse was involved in a spectacular fall at Canterbury. Paddy was lucky to escape serious injury.

He remembers a wild ride he had on a Grafton Cup day in the 1970’s. Despite doing everything wrong the horse in question was able to score an amazing win.

Paddy talks about “the one that got away”. He regarded a horse called Final Say as the best he’d ever ridden and was bitterly disappointed when the gelding went amiss.

He says unstable weight eventually hastened his retirement from race riding but has never regretted his brief but exciting few years in the saddle.

Paddy unhesitatingly nominated the country jockey who inspired him the most.

He looks back on the low key beginning to his training career. Surprisingly he can’t remember his first win as a solo trainer.

Cunningham talks of his training career to date- two stints at Grafton and a decade on the Sunshine Coast. His move to Caloundra coincided with daughter Kylie’s decision to become an apprentice jockey.

Paddy says he often travelled to faraway Queensland destinations in search of the right races for his horses.

He looks back on a return to Grafton in 2010. The winners flowed over a six year stint but he decided on yet another move when synthetic training tracks came to Grafton. He’s pretty vocal in his opposition to them.

Paddy elaborates on the talents of several nice horses who helped to forge his reputation as a very serious horse trainer.

He talks of Jodi Worley who rode work for the stable for close to five years before deciding to become a jockey. Paddy signed her up and the young rider got away to a spectacular start.

Paddy has always been one to support the jockeys who’ve supported him. He makes mention of a few special favourites.

Paddy pays tribute to best mate and devoted supporter wife Kathy whose behind-the-scenes work for Cunningham Racing has been unwavering.

He and Kathy are the proud parents of four daughters. He brings us up to date on the whereabouts and current activities of the girls.

This is a laid back chat with a dedicated country horseman who can’t imagine a life away from horses.

Great to chat with a man who co-founded Hyperion Thoroughbreds, one of the very earliest racehorse syndication companies in Australia. We find out what Allan’s been doing since a crippling recession brought Hyperion’s operation to a halt in 1990. Allan takes us back to his childhood in Gravesend near Warialda when radio was a way of life to country people. He fell in love with the theatre of racing, the day he listened to the broadcast of the 1956 Melbourne Cup. He talks of school days in Inverell and his first job at the Valuer General’s Department in Sydney. A job transfer to Moree led him to a friendship with Terry Mulhall, destined to become his business partner in later years. Allan reflects on the creation of Hyperion Thoroughbreds and the concept of forming larger syndicates than those offered by predecessors. He recalls the creation of the famous black and pink silks which signalled the emerging popularity of syndication. He reflects on the tough guidelines introduced by the Corporate Affairs Commission in the 1970’s. Allan looks back on the extensive methods of communication necessary to keep hundreds of owners informed about their horses. He acknowledges some of the better horses to keep the Hyperion banner flying, beginning with the cheap Dubbo sale graduate Prince Clarendon. Allan pays a special tribute to the evergreen Targlish, almost certainly the best horse to represent the company. The remarkable gelding raced 109 times for 17 wins and 31 placings. He reflects on the ground breaking idea of purchasing a horse to race in America for Australian owners. He pays tribute to So Vague who won 5 races in the USA before being brought to Australia. He later won stakes races in Melbourne for Colin Hayes. Allan acknowledges the devotion of some special trainers who gave great service to Hyperion Thoroughbreds. He pays a special tribute to the veteran jockey who rode many winners in the Hyperion colours and frequently helped out behind the scenes. Allan reflects on the inevitable winding down of the 16 year old company when the recession started to bite. Hyperion was one of hundreds of businesses to be brought to their knees. The last of the horses were placed according to the wishes of their owners, and a great era had come to an end. It was a tough day for old mates Gainey and Mulhall.

It’s always a pleasure to talk to a dedicated bush trainer from any part of the nation. This week we go to the busy training hub at Dubbo and to one of its most respected participants. Dar (that’s his official christian name) was one of a family of jockeys from the tiny village of Carinda in the Walgett Shire. He spent more than 35 years as a respected member of the western riding ranks before having to quit following a serious kick from a nervous young horse. Dar has been training for some 14 years from a Dubbo base and has no intention of trying any other job. Right off the top he appeases the curiosity about his first name.

Dar talks about his infrequent trips to town and says it takes a pretty handy horse to warrant a crack at the city slickers.

He made a rare appearance at Randwick on Saturday where his two runners were out of a place, Saint Philomena and Elson Boy who had a pretty tough run. Dar says he travelled the horses to Sydney the day before in heatwave conditions.

He talks about a horse called Green Run who might earn a trip to the big smoke in the near future. The horse’s regular rider is out of action following a freak mounting yard accident recently.

Dar talks about his birthplace of Carinda which boasted a population of 200 during his childhood.

The Dubbo based trainer reflects on the riding activities of four brothers.

Dar looks back on school days in Carinda and a move to Walgett as he reached a higher grade.This was when his association with thoroughbreds began under the tutelage of a veteran trainer.

He makes the frank confession that he wasn’t licensed at the time of his first few race rides.

He looks back on his first legitimate race ride and his first winner way out west at Bourke.

Dar says he wasn’t dedicated to looking after his weight early days, but mended his ways soon after.

He talks of the shortage of race meetings in the west and the distances he had to travel to carve out a livelihood as a bush jockey.

Dar says he rarely rode on metropolitan tracks, but recalls one exciting win at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.

He says he could count his Sydney rides on one hand but reflects on a two year old race at Rosehill when he ran into a rising topliner.

The 64 year old remembers his final winning ride on the spacious Warren track on a horse trained by brother Garry.

Dar talks about the freakish accident that ended his riding career.

The experienced horseman takes us through the Elson Boy story- the unraced horse identified on line by one of his most supportive owners. Dar admits he made a few mistakes before working the gelding out. He takes us through some exciting wins and one heartbreaking setback.

Dar looks back on a horse he felt was going places before going amiss.

He looks back on a great association with a western trainer who was destined to become his father-in-law.

This was Dar’s cue to acknowledge the unwavering support of Jill, his wife of 39 years.

He and Jill are the proud parents of daughters Brianna and Layne. Brianna has in turn presented her parents with three grandchildren- all girls.

Dar speaks candidly of the sudden stroke that stopped him in his tracks just over two years ago. He hated the inactivity of his recovery but opted to do everything the doctors ordered.

Dar Lunn has earned the respect of all in NSW country racing. It’s a pleasure to have him on the podcast.