Our questions are answered by leading Australian race caller Matt Hill, the voice of the Melbourne Cup – and also a regular in Britain on the Grand National for BBC Radio
Matt Hill has been the voice of the Melbourne Cup since 2017. The 42-year-old’s official job title is lead race caller for Racing Victoria, who run the website racing.com, which means Hill provides commentary at all the major Melbourne metropolitan tracks: Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown.
Prior to his appointment, Hill was lead commentator for Sky Racing in Sydney and worked on general sport for ABC. His work has also extended to Britain, which he visited in 2002 to see the Grand National.
Two years later he was invited to join BBC Radio’s commentary team at Aintree, where he made up a four man line-up of an Australian, Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman.
In 2004 and for another five years he called the race over Becher’s Brook and in 2018 he called the finish of the race when John Hunt was unavailable. “I’ve called seven Nationals and it’s just about the greatest thing I’ve ever done,” he says.
Which racing figure past or present do you most admire?
In my field it would be a broadcaster. When I was a young man I wanted to be Greg Miles and Bruce McAvaney, who is our leading sports broadcaster in Australia. Bruce loves racing and has been hosting the Melbourne Cup for years. In Britain I wanted to be Jim [JA] McGrath. I’d loved his voice and it was a massive inspiration to see an Australian call all of those races.
When I was in year 12 at school, my economics teacher said: ‘Look, can you just put your head down for another six months? You’ll be Greg Miles one day.’
He was saying it flippantly of course but it’s amazing to think I’ve done it. I sat next to Greg in the box at Flemington when I was 15, thinking I’d love to be in that chair. Now I call the races and there is a stool there waiting for the next young buck to come along.
Which is your favourite venue, and race, anywhere in the world?
My favourite venue would be Flemington. I spent a lot of time growing up there – Granddad and I would go to the races all the time. So I’d dream to be the caller there. Even on a quiet day, walking into Flemington is a privilege.
I have a soft spot for Cheltenham because I love jump racing and my favourite race is the Grand National. I love the challenge of it for everybody, horse, jockey, owner, race caller. I always had a fascination with it.
And then also the Melbourne Cup. It’s changed my life, opened doors to things I wanted to do. I commentate on Australian Rules now and I’ve covered six Olympic Games, now doing more major events which I wouldn’t have got without the profile I have obtained through the Melbourne Cup.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
Better Loosen Up was the horse I first remember huddling around the television to watch win the Japan Cup. As someone who loves international racing it was such a novelty for us in the early 1990s. They broke into the cricket on Channel Nine to show it. It was so foreign to watch a race from Japan in Australia.
In more recent times Winx was exceptional and gave us so much excitement. Also I have a photo on the wall at home of Red Marauder clambering over the last at Aintree. I use him as a bit of an inspiration. He’s not the best-looking type, not the most talented, but he was the gutsiest and he still won the biggest race in the world. I loved him too.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
As an Australian it should be the Melbourne Cup, but to be given the honour to call the Grand National was a pipe dream. If I’d said to someone at 21 I would like to be in the grandstand to call a Grand National, I think people would have said: ‘You’re 5000-1 and on the drift.’ To have it happen was unbelievable.
The great thing about racing is you never know what’s around the corner so to see the King win a race and Frankie Dettori win at his last Royal Ascot this year was one of the great hours I’ve been able to broadcast.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
I would promote the ‘less is more’ mantra, as opposed to hundreds of races. We have a lot of racing in Australia and it doesn’t become important anymore.
We are moving into a model where we have ten races on a Saturday. I can understand why because we are very punter-driven. Even at Royal Ascot they now have seven, when it used to be six.
If I could change the perception in the wider world about horse racing and its welfare issues, I would do that as well. I know how it is seen now and it wasn’t like that 20 years ago. I worry about it in another 20 years.
Matt Hill was speaking to Jon Lees
• Visit Matt Hill’s website
• View the entire What They're Thinking series
Michelle Payne: One of the best things to see are the opportunities now being given to females
Fran Berry: I think we can do a lot better to make racing more accessible
Fernando Toro: I wish the stewards would take more control of aggressive riding
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires