MV On Track 2018

12 ON TRACK MAGAZINE I will always remember the 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate. The emotions I experienced as the race broadcaster were like no other I have ever called. The mighty mare Winx, heading for a third Cox Plate, was always going to provide a major racing moment and for months leading up to the race I knew I had a significant responsibility. The great Bill Collins set the benchmark In 1986 when Bonecrusher raced into equine immortality and I knew the 2017 renewal would be watched forever and a day. Race callers are the narrators and most of the time are required to call the races accurately and appropriately. The 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate required more than that. It was a sporting event that had so much theatre attached, the whole race day felt like an event instead of a race meeting. The fact that Winx was going for a third win in the race was the story. I researched words and tried to factor in where she sat in the overall scheme of racing history. I also had to keep in mind that this was a horse race and there were other horses involved too. Trilogy was the word I worked with for the week in the lead up. A neat box set of three wins. Over the years the champions have been heralded over the line with simple but magnificent lines. Greg Miles so eloquently captured Makybe Divas third cup win with “a champion becomes a legend”. BBC caller Jim McGrath had his finest hour when he captured See the Stars in his famous Arc win by simply saying “perfection in equine form, a horse of a lifetime”. I wanted to say something that could be printed and framed next to the pictures of the great mare for years to come. As Humidor jumped out of the clouds to make it a grandstand finish, it all became a big blur and I wasn’t fully aware of what came out in the moment. I managed to cram in as much as I could as the great mare “completed the great trilogy of the turf”. That night I sat back and watched the entire race again hoping that I did the race and the champion mare justice. I look back now satisfied and honoured to have such a responsibility, realising that 2017 was the entrée and that she is back again for number four! And yes, I am already thinking about the last 100 metres and the words to match. Like winning four Cox Plates, it’s not an easy task. A DAY I’LL NEVER FORGET: FROM THE CALLER’S BOX By Matt Hill