AS riders strut their stuff out on the tricky Talmoi track today, sitting in the stands watching intently will be one of the greatest picnic jockeys of all time.

Bobby Mackay, now 86 years of age and living at Inverell, rode extensively across the north and north-west in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

He been called a professional among amateurs, and when talks arise about jockeys from different eras, pundits readily agree Mackay was “the one”.

“I thought I might come across for the Talmoi meeting; I’m looking forward to it,” Mackay said.

Mackay had his first race ride at Talmoi in 1956, and rode his first winner the same day.

“I had my first ride in the first race and rode my first winner in the third race the same day for Eric Jurd. I only had three rides at the meeting,” Mackay said.

He was 16 at the time and would completely dominate picnic race meetings across northern New South Wales and southern Queensland for the next 22 years.

Mackay rode four Talmoi Cup winners – Mulgate (1961), Another Tie (1969), Passing Trade (1973) and Yakinova in 1976 – as well as four Talmoi Bracelets on Electrify (1961), Gold D’Or (1963) and Highline (1972-1973).

In total, Mackay rode 960 winners and created records that still stand today. He broke long-standing records – many of his own.

During the 1960s, he rode 22 winners in the space of a week – an achievement documented in the Guinness Book of World Records.

He also won the Desmond Martin Trophy at Moree for most successful rider 10 times between 1957 and 1973.

Mackay’s career in the saddle was punctuated with good horses and big wins – but he says there was nothing quite like winning “in town”.

“Winning the Corinthian Handicap at Randwick on Top Missile was the biggest highlight, I suppose – that was in 1965 or 1966,” Mackay said.

He also won the Corinthian at Newcastle on Havilah Bay and the Queensland equivalent at Eagle Farm with On the Wagon.

“When I won in Brisbane it was the richest Encourage race in Australia that day,” Mackay said.

But creating records, or breaking them, was nothing new for Mackay.

One season he rode nine consecutive cup winners at different tracks across the north and north-west and western districts.

“I missed the 10th, and then won the 11th,” he laughed.

In 1962, Mackay rode 10 winners over two days at the Moree picnics and three years later steered home seven winners, again at Moree.

Mackay also won premiership titles in southern Queensland, northern New South Wales and western New South Wales in the same season – twice.

But it was his absolute dominance of the Golden Triangle that is still talked about today.

He rode eight Moree Bracelet winners – Calm Day (1958), Luluai (1961 and 1963), Another Tie (1968), Knight’s Success (1969), Speribo (1971), Passing Trade (1972) and Highline in 1973 – and for three consecutive years in the early 1970s rode a quartet of winners at Moree.

He reigned supreme in the Boolooroo Cup, winning on Calm Day (1958) and Mulgate (1961-62) as well as five of six in the early 1970s – Speribo (1971), Charmero (1972), Passing Trade (1973), Highline (1975) and Yakinova in 1976.

Out Mallawa way, Mackay stood without peer on the honours’ board.

Between 1958 and 1975 he partnered 10 Mallawa Bracelet winners: Calm Day (1958), Mulgate (1959), Luluai (1961-1962), Australia (1968), Knight’s Success (1969), Young Steve (1971), Highline (1972), Epstar (1973) and Moppin Mail in 1975.

Mackay partnered Mulgate to an historic treble of cup wins at Moree, Mallawa and Talmoi in 1961 and rates the Eric Jurd-trained gelding as the best picnicker he’s ridden.

“Mulgate was an exceptional horse – a very good weight carrier and very honest,” Mackay said.

“He won a fair few races – and won them easily with big weights; he was a good, solid horse with a real good turn of foot.

“He was always up there and close to the speed. He was never far away and was a reasonably big horse,” he said.

“Another Tie was also a good horse and so was Calm Day, a terrific weight-carrier. I won the bracelet on him at Armidale with 13st 6lbs.”

The former great said winning all three cups on the Golden Triangle is no easy feat, adding the third leg at Garah was a tough ask around the tight Talmoi circuit.

“You have to be up there (at Talmoi),” he said.

“There is a long straight and a lot of room at Moree, and Mallawa was modelled on the Randwick course.

“But it’s pretty tight around Talmoi – it’s a fair turn around the back until you get into the straight.”

Mackay repeated the coveted treble in 1973 on Passing Trade, owned by Henry Moses and Percy Stirton and again in 1976 on Yakinova for trainer Arthur Squires and owner Wallace Munro.

On rare occasions, stewards permitted Mackay to ride at professional meetings, and he certainly showed he was equal to the task.

“When horses got a lot of weight at the professionals, you could get permission to ride,” Mackay said.

“I rode Scottish Crag one day at Tamworth when he had 11st. He won by a couple of lengths and went on to win the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton.

“He’s probably one of the best horses I’ve ridden, if not the best. He also won the Lightning handicap in Brisbane,” he said.

Mackay retired in the mid-1970s before making a brief comeback for one ride for Dr Geoff Abram in the Quirindi Picnic Cup.

“Doc rang and pleaded that I come over and ride in the cup for him, so I started skipping and got fit and we won the cup by about half-a-length,” Mackay said.

“I rode at Coonabarabran the following weekend, but that was the end of it. I had a young family.”

Mackay, who last attended Talmoi races in 2019, will again be trackside today.

“It’s a great little meeting, with a lot of memories,” he said.

After about 1mm of rain during the past 24 hours, today’s Talmoi meeting will go ahead as planned with five races.

The meeting, with online tickets available HERE, closes the 2026 edition of bush racing’s Golden Triangle after hugely successful meetings at Moree and Mallawa in recent weeks.

Return buses will operate from Moree, departing the Royal Hotel at midday and returning at 6pm and 9pm.

The Talmoi committee encourages patrons to bring along picnic hampers, while Moree Lions Club will serve up traditional steak sandwiches, sausage sandwiches and cold drinks throughout the day.

Words: Bill Poulos (adapted from an article first published in 2019)

Bush Racing’s Golden Triangle

Talmoi: Saturday, June 20.

Online tickets for Talmoi: Talmoi Picnic Races TIX

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