Champions retire when they are good and ready, and race caller Greg Miles is every inch a champion.
This afternoon at Caulfield, the 58-year-old will call his last race, ending 40 years of yeoman service as the voice who stopped the nation a record 36 times.
Last year he passed his boyhood idol Bill Collins. It’s hard to come to grips with the fact that just two men have called the last 71 Melbourne Cups.
Records are always made to be broken, but Greg Miles’ record will be hard to beat.
And it all started when a youngster in short pants heard Collins and Bert Bryant calling the races, and how vibrant they made it sound.
You can throw Joe Brown into the mix, too, and that explains how well taught Miles was when he called his first race as a 17-year-old for the ABC.
“I was so nervous I was shaking, I couldn’t even keep my binoculars steady, I really botched it,” was how Miles recalled his debut.
But he was made of sterner stuff.
When he walks away from the microphone this afternoon, there will be countless memories flooding back, like the first of his champions in Kingston Town and Manikato, then Might and Power, Northerley, Bonecrusher, Makybe Diva, Black Caviar, and Winx.
Those were the thoroughbreds that stood out and I will never forget Miles’ call after Makybe Diva’s third straight Melbourne Cup win in 2005 with: “a champion becomes a legend!”
An historic description, the perfect words.
And that really sums up Greg Miles. A modest man whose calls were crisp, clear, and accurate – the latter the most important for the punters to hear how their hard-earned was faring.
No doubt Miles will be still around the race tracks of Victoria which have been his second homes. There is too much experience that mustn’t be wasted in any number of capacities, bar calling.
But this afternoon in Race 10 at 5:20pm, Greg Miles will make his retirement call. Matt Hill will take the reins after this, so to speak.
French Emotion will be the likely favourite, and there’s no doubt Miles will be feeling the emotion – so an omen bet.
And there are two other omen bets in the top weight – Great Esteem and Plot The Course.
So good calling Greg, and congratulations on such a stellar career. By the way, the name of the race is Bravo Greg Miles.
Bravo indeed.
dannotquiteaman
Guest
He was a fine caller,the last few years he has slipped,too much gulping and an overabundance of pauses during calls,should have bailed 5+years ago
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Nope
michael steel
Guest
Roar Sports: Maybe it's worth changing the video at the start of the story with the Darley 2015 call. I just watched it on You Tube. Greg Miles did nothing wrong. It's 1200 down the Flemington straight. Chautauqua is the hot pot favourite. The jump and Buffering goes to the lead . Miles calls the field with Chautauqua and Terravista last. At the 800 Miles calls the field again with Chautauqua improving and Terravista last. From the 400 to the 200 Miles calls the the field up to Chautaqua who is now about seventh. With 200 to go Miles goes back to the leader and all the horses making runs. Being a straight six race they are coming from everywhere. Miles rightly so is letting the punters know where Chautauqua is sitting They hit the line and Miles calls the field through again. Chautauqua gets called in the race maybe 5 or 6 times and Terravista 4 times. Most of the punters would want to know where and what Chautauqua was doing ( as I said 3 lines back) There was nothing wrong with this race call.
mds1970
Roar Guru
I'm surprised he's only 58. Not that he looks particularly old, but because he's been around calling the races for so long.
Swanny
Guest
David Greg miles is a fantastic caller. Great voice That guy no one in particular changed his name from another boofhead this arvo
michael steel
Guest
As much as I love horse racing I couldn't call a race to save myself. It comes across in many ways as a lonely profession that has many great rewards. It shows a touch of class that Greg has retired at the relatively young age of 58. To me he hasn't been around all that long because for most of his career I have listened to Bryan Martin. I'll say this, as a caller he called a race properly and methodically and he wasn't into hysterics and he's a human so there would have been mistakes. He's called in an era in which the technology has made the punter very aware of the what's going on in a race. The great race callers of the past would have gotten away with murder, calling a horse winning by a head when it half a length and many other exaggerations 36 Melbourne cups. Congratulations Greg. (I'm sure Bert Bryant would have called Melbourne Cups back in the day when two radio stations had racing or am I wrong again?) Once again Congratulations Greg, also I like what you say when being interviewed.
David Lord
Expert
I sure do know the meaning of over-rated, you are living proof no one in particular. When you find the balls to use your real name, try again. Until then, you are in the non-existent file, never to be answered.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Congrats on your comprehension skills. Do you know the meaning of overrated? overrated does not equal crap For example, Greg Miles was an overrated race caller. This means he was good, not great. David Lord is a crap journalist. This means he is beyond awful. Little wonder he spent years living off the taxpayer, not good enough to make it in the world where you get rewarded for having ability. And no, Terravista was not a scratching, he ran third
kk
Roar Pro
Melbourne racing has been well served by five Group 1 callers in my time. From Joe Brown, Bill Collins, Bert Bryant, Bryan Martin to Greg Miles. What do you call a five way tie or dead heat? Thank you Greg and happy days.
Scott Pryde
Expert
I can't claim to be a horse racing fan by any stretch of the imagination, but Miles' has called every Melbourne Cup I've ever watched. A great career at the top of the industry.
David Lord
Expert
Congratulations om your apt pseudo name, and for unanimously winning the Nark of the Year award, even though there's still seven and a half months to go. Greg Miles was such a crap caller he lasted 40 stellar years in a cut-throat industry, and his voice stopped the nation annually for 36 years. How many times did you achieve the feat? I'll save you the typing, only in your dreams. By the way, was Terravista a scratching?