Our questions are answered by ITV Racing stalwart, who calls all Britain’s major races for a terrestrial television audience
Richard Hoiles is the best-known racing commentator in Britain, having called the races since ITV took over terrestrial coverage of the sport in 2017.
Hoiles, 57, does rather more than merely describe the action for the television audience as he is also the go-to man when a knotty issue needs untangling. As a qualified accountant, he is also well equipped to explain the intricacies of the betting market.
Always a racing fan, Hoiles got his break when he responded to an advert placed by SIS for commentator roles. He called his first race at Bath in 1992 and quickly became a regular of the circuit before spending two years in Hong Kong between 1997 and 1999. Since returning to Britain has covered every significant race and race meeting in the country.
Which racing figure past or present do you most admire?
Multiple South African champion jockey Felix Coetzee, from whom I learnt more than anyone else. We worked together when I was in Hong Kong and for quite a few years after I left.
Felix was meticulous in his preparation and hours were spent walking Sha Tin and Happy Valley and drawing up speed maps which 20 years ago was quite a different approach, as was having a list of sectionals for each class and trip which he could check off against the numerous big screens positioned around the track.
The attention to detail and full commitment to a plan meant it was the closest I could ever come to being out there in a race myself.
Which is your favourite venue and race anywhere in the world?
As regards the venue I have to stay with Hong Kong and Happy Valley at night. It is the most spectacular venue in the way the city has grown up around it. At one end there is the residential high rises and at the other end the business districts and malls. At night the place just buzzed and I always had to pinch myself whenever I was presenting or calling as to how lucky I was to watch racing there.
The best race is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Jumping was very much my first love, mainly because you could get to know the horses and their likes and dislikes far more easily as they were around for longer. The Gold Cup remains the supreme test and its duration means there is plenty of time for several twists and turns along the way.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
My favourite horse was a jumper called Pegwell Bay. When going racing in my youth I always used to watch from out in the country as I believed you saw more that way.
One afternoon this little horse passed me in midfield full of enthusiasm and stuck on to finish fourth on a cold muddy day. He was terrifically athletic and became a smart chaser and the first to win the two big 2m4f handicaps run at the last two Cheltenham meetings of the year.
A year or two earlier after one of his early wins I had written to his trainer Captain Forster to congratulate him and convey my admiration for PB. I received in return a lovely picture of the horse with a hand written note on the back and then a few days later a big brown paper parcel with one of his racing plates and another note inside. The horseshoe still hangs over my front door.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
There have been many great days but two stand out. Firstly calling my own horse Blue Sky Thinking to win his maiden at Ascot in 2003. It was the last race on the card and it was clear a good two furlongs out that barring unseen disasters he was going to win. This was before the new stand at Ascot so it was quite a rush to get down to the winners enclosure from the lofty old commentary position to greet him back in. A wonderful day and likely to be my only ever Ascot runner.
The second was Felix Coetzee winning the 2011 Golden Shaheen on Rocket Man. We had stopped working together about five years previously when I couldn't keep up with all the Hong Kong form but I was in Dubai presenting the world feed on World Cup night.
Felix had been riding Rocket Man, the Singapore sprinter, who was favourite for the race, and so we relived old times, going through all the form, speed maps and the works. It was a pretty easy win as he was by some way the best horse but it is probably the loudest I have ever shouted a horse home, pretty embarrassingly probably, but it meant such a lot to have another big win together late in his career.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
Where to start? I think in the UK the biggest barrier to meaningful change is the fact that the racecourses own the majority of the fixtures, which are assets they cling to even if their positioning makes little sense. This results in loads of days where the geographic location, split between the codes etc could be much more effectively scheduled.
At the very least courses should be forced to give 25% of their days to a central body to schedule (they can retain ownership) which would allow greater flexibility to make significant change. If I had absolute power I would take central ownership of all the fixtures.
In the latest fixture list just announced for 2024, I would say Sunday is the biggest step forward. Sunday has been a massively undeveloped day for us compared to other jurisdictions and bookmakers believe Sunday evenings is an untapped revenue market.
Let’s find out but let’s make sure we put the targets and objectives in place before we start. There’s no point in conducting an experiment if you don’t know what you expect the answer to be.
Richard Hoiles was speaking to Jon Lees
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