Race callers. Their job is to describe with accuracy and a touch of flair. They make the pictures come to life and the best races memorable.
Racing wouldn’t be anywhere near as special if wasn’t for those men (and the odd woman) perched high up in the grandstand doing their best to describe the action.
Over the years Australia has produced the world’s best callers of horse racing – Bill Collins, Ken Howard and John Tapp are but a few.
But of those who haven’t hung up the binoculars, who is the greatest? Who is Australia’s best race caller?
David Raphael
David Raphael cleared the haziness of Hong Kong racing. Without Raphael’s thrilling calls, I may never have come to appreciate racing in the former English colony.
With his nasal voice and fantastic choice of words, Raphael made racing in Hong Kong sound so exciting.
One of his calls of champion-sprinter Silent Witness winning at Sha Tin was so good it made Channel Nine’s six o’clock news.
On another occasion, when Silent Witness lost his first race at start 18 in 2005, this is how Raphael described it: “Here comes Bullish Luck! Comes to run him down! The crowd roar! The roof of the grandstand rattles! Bullish Luck draws up! Beats the champion!”
Raphael’s greatest call is probably his description of the 2000 Hong Kong Mile, won by the great New Zealand mare Sunline.
“Fairy King Prawn, the horse of Hong Kong coming after the mare of the world…” the call went.
Sunline hung on to victory and I still get tingles down my spine listening to that race.
Raphael is back in Australia, working for Sky Racing World. He isn’t calling at the moment but I hope to see him behind the binoculars soon.
Greg Miles
Greg Miles must be pretty good because he calls the Melbourne Cup each year.
Miles’s got it all – the words, poise and accuracy. And he has a habit of making a good race feel like a great one.
Miles will forever be remembered as the man who said “a champion becomes a legend” as Makybe Diva claimed her third Melbourne Cup. But Miles isn’t a one-line wonder.
His 2004 Australian Cup call is an outstanding example of brilliant broadcasting.
“Lonhro! He’s going to get there! Y-es! Lonhro won it! What a champion! What a way to go!”
But my favourite call of Miles’ is the 2002 Yalumba Stakes.
“A great battle! Sunline, Lonhro. Lonhro’s getting to the great mare and Lonhro beat Sunline by a neck!”
Mark Shean
Mark Shean is Mr. Professional.
He doesn’t get too excited but he doesn’t make too many mistakes either.
The best thing about Shean is his ability to correctly pick the winner of a close race, sometimes even before the race is finished!
Shean calls Sydney racing over the PA at the track and for TVN. When he started calling Sydney racing about six years ago he lacked confidence and mumbled but he has developed into a fine caller.
His call of Takeover Target winning the 2009 TJ Smith at Randwick will forever live in my memory as a great piece of broadcasting.
Hilton Donaldson
Poor old Hilton Donaldson has the task of bringing the mire that is Adelaide racing to the masses.
Donaldson’s most famous call was a trot race – the 1998 Miracle Mile when champion New Zealander Christian Cullen (named after the All Blacks fullback of the same name) smashed them at Harold Park in Sydney.
The call went: “He’s done it there! Now, he’s done it here! Hail the new Australasian champion Christian Cullen!”
Donaldson has his fans but he has just as many detractors.
One of Donaldson’s latest tricks is his pronunciation of the name of Adelaide sprinter Goon Serpent.
Goon Serpent may be ten lengths from the leader in a close finish but you’ll still hear Hilton wasting valuable seconds when calling “Goooooooooooooooooon Serpent is last”.
Poor old Donaldson. He’s probably not the first person to go crazy after living in Adelaide!
So who is Australia’s best caller?
We couldn’t go through them all. I would’ve loved to have written about Alan Thomas from Brisbane, Matthew Hill from Sydney and Darren McCauley from Perth.
I have a soft spot for all four callers I’ve spoken about above. However, I can’t go past Greg Miles as the best.
Sure, Miles is helped by calling the great races in Melbourne’s Spring Carnival, but he nails the classics.
The Brain
Guest
:happy: Ken Howard & Bill Collins were inseparable in different states call the gallops. Some of Kens calls were electrifying especially pre TV days, he had you at the course, calling landmarks and identifying points in the call so you knew excatly where the field was. "They top the rise and flatten out for the run to judge" " and here comes Gunsynd with a withering run" "Its a photo but you can bet London to a brick on, that The Goondiwindi Grey has pinch the Epsom".
theJudge
Guest
Bump - who replaces Miles?
ian poole
Guest
Allan Thomas has provided the best and accurate race calling with a touch of flair that I have listned to. Great job bro.
Scottsburg
Guest
There's a fella named Royce in west australia calling up north port headland,roebourne. He's going to be right up there with the best of them given a break similar to the best of them Ian Craig now he was poetry in motion
Scottsburg
Guest
There's a new comer in west australia who is going to be better than you've all heard his name is Royce and is calling country port headland roebourne Wait and see
humbo
Guest
IAN CRAIG was by far the best I ever heard. Darren mac, iz very innacurate. The guy who calls Brisbane harness, iz by a mile the best around at the moment.
ken martin
Guest
I am not that interested in accuracy . So bring back Hilton Donaldson. I don't care if he makes a mistake (or ten) He has more panache than anyone else
phillock
Guest
The best Racecaller in Australia is Alan Thomas from Brisbane bar none. Accurate,clear with good diction who calls the race for listeners not to his pocket like most. Somebody that actually knows horses and the racing game well and it clearly shows.
Jakartaman
Guest
Mark Shean should NOT be calling races either on the track or on TV. Listening to him call trials was bad enough. He has a very boring ockerish voice and poor diction to boot. ie the name 'Williams' becomes 'Weeyams', Brilliant becomes 'Breeyant, Australia turns into 'Ostraya' etc and he has no timber in his voice at all. Unlike Ian Craig, John Tapp and the late great Ken Howard. I was just a lad of 17 when I heard his terrific call of the 1967 Doncaster as my favourite horse, the mighty Tobin Bronze got up in the last stride to snatch victory. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. Was he the best? IMHO opinion he was. In fact you could London to a brick on that. lol
ken martin
Guest
I don't care. I listen to races from all states and and Hilton Donaldson at least provides some hilarious entertainment. So what if he makes a few mistakes. Miles better than the boring clinical calls with no feeling from the guy who calls Sydney metro.
Thunder
Guest
Young bloke called his first TAB meeting in country west Australia Saturday 29 march impressive!
Thunder
Guest
.trevor Jenkins in Western Australia ran rings around them all,he was a real good announcer
Elvis
Guest
Iv been listening to and watching the John Tapp scholarship winner Luke Marlow. Hes improving in leaps and bounds calling all forms of the codes. Hes definitely not a fence sitter always trying to split the close finish. I think even at a young age Luke Marlow is good enough to call in lower city races like Adelaide or Darwin on his way to Brisbane.
Josh 1
Guest
True Wayne. Hilton has an issue with assessing a horse's momentum. Listening to him on radio is a nightmare. There's always something coming at the leaders ... then you watch a replay later and the horse was never going to get close. I believe these things are fixable, but SKY management either don't have the trainers or the inclination to help him. Hilton grates me, but not as much as racing host Nadia Horne on RSN. She's also in the shocker category. High pitched upward inflecting = listener agony.
wayne
Guest
Darren McAuley easily the best Hilton Donaldson What a joke Can never get a photo right Always calls a race through his pocket Or something is flying down the outside only to run 5th or 6th
Parrarobbie
Guest
How true about Hilton Donaldson , he must have been on Mogadon on Saturday. Half way down the straight the horses spooked a flock of gulls , Hd's analogy was " they just cleared a flock of sea-gulls or whatever breed of bird they are ..." oh please !!!
ken
Guest
Hilton has no idea what horse what horse is please replace him time to go he has no idea is he smokin a pipe r they always coming home today it took hime 1 minute to wirk out which horse was what
michael
Guest
This article is let down monumentally by that fact you critiqued Hilton Donaldson and did not include AT or DM who are light years better. Darren McCaulay has the best voice in the game by country miles in my opinion and rarely gets a call wrong.
Grant College
Guest
Don't forget Brisbane! Vince Currie and Wayne Wilson were the voices of racing in Brisbane for decades and added accuracy, passion and flair to every call they did. Wayne's call of the second of Daybreak Lover's back to back Stradbroke victories still rings in my memory!
bill bennett
Guest
My top 3 ,, Bert Bryant== John Tapp== Alan Thomas...