John Tapp Racing

Michael Travers joined an exclusive club in 2021 when he became one of a handful of NSW jockeys to acquire a dual trainer/jockey’s licence. A short time later he became the first to train and ride a winner in his home state, when successful with Estaverdi at Gundagai. A minor injury sustained at Leeton in April was enough to see Michael make the decision to train exclusively. We recorded this interview just a few days before his Gundagai double on Sunday. He talks about the reluctance of Racing NSW to issue dual licences a few years ago. He says Michelle Payne indirectly helped his cause. Michael says he’s a little surprised more jockeys haven’t availed themselves of the opportunity. He says attaining the licence was one thing- finding stabling in Wagga was another. Michael looks back on the thrill of his history making feat at Gundagai in 2021. He rode another winner on the day for an outside stable. He says it wasn’t easy to attract owners who were happy to have the same person training and riding their hor