Matt Hill’s appreciation of Moonee Valley will always be linked to the Cox Plate, but his appreciation of the track runs much deeper than just calling Australia’s premiere WFA race.
For Hill, a Western Suburbs local, The Valley played an integral part in his journey to become Australian racing’s most recognisable voice.
“This particular venue, I’m very fond of, because my misspent youth was coming here,” Hill said.
“Up in the spare broadcast box with my little tape recorder and a pair of binoculars, if it was a race meeting or a harness meeting, I’d be here just pumping them out.
“Just race after race, going home, listening to the cassette the next day, thinking ‘I should’ve said this, or I should’ve said that’.”
While the process took plenty of effort and commitment, Hill kept coming back; partially to commentate next to some of the legends of the sport, but also to try and set himself apart from the swathe of aspiring callers who would occupy the spare box with him.
“There was a fair bit of toil to it, but it was great times because I was up there next to (Hill’s predecessor) Greg Miles, Bryan Martin, John Russell and Dan Milecki,” he said.
“They were all lined up and there I was in a spare box… back in the day they young callers would get there as early as possible to try and get a spot in the spare broadcast box.
“The rule was if you had to share the box that day, at least practicing, that you got to call the big race if you got there first.
“As a fifteen-year-old kid you’d be in the spare box just hoping one of the race-callers walked out so you could say hello to them, share a cup of tea with them and get some of their wisdom.”
WATCH: Cox Plate - Where Legends are made
With these former greats in mind, Hill agreed he is somewhat a “keeper of the flame” when calling events such as the Cox Plate, which has featured some of Australian racing’s most iconic broadcast moments over the years.
“Absolutely, and I’m extremely lucky that there’s only one caller who does it now,” he said.
“The days of Bonecrusher, Our Waverly Star… Bill Collins’ call was famous, but Greg called that race for ABC, Bruce McAvaney for Channel 10, also Frank O’Brien as the on-course caller.
“There’s a lot of history in the broadcast of the Cox Plate… like everyone else, the heart’s beating, the stress is there, the anxiety’s there, and you just hope that you’re fully up for it.
“After the race is run, you basically just slump in your chair, almost exhausted, because it’s such an adrenaline rush for two minutes.”
It would be agreed by most that any expectations placed on Hill, by himself or others, have been consistently exceeded throughout his career, and the Cox Plate is a fine example of that.
The first Plate run after Miles’ retirement saw Winx attempting to score her third consecutive win, and the following year her fourth.
Had Hill made a mess of either of these calls, or Winx been beaten, it would have been at best case an underwhelming start as Miles’ replacement, and at worst case resulted in public mutiny.
The worst affected may have been the aforementioned Bruce McAvaney, such is the legendary broadcaster’s appreciation of not only Waller’s magnificent mare, but the great game in general.
But she was too strong on both occasions, and Hill played his part to perfection over the microphone, even when it looked like Humidor would issue a serious threat to Winx’s hat-trick late in the 2017 edition.
His words as Winx passed the post will live long in the memory of many racing fans.
“THE GREAT MARE HAS COMPLETED THE GREAT TRILOGY OF THE TURF!”
It may not have audibly thrown him off, but Hill felt a few worries creep in as the margin lessened over the last furlong.
“That race, even though it was such a famous win for Winx, but I think a lot of people were in shock at Moonee Valley that day because of how close she came to being beaten,” he said.
Though Hill’s call as Winx won an unprecedented fourth Cox Plate may perhaps feature the more iconic line.
“COMETH THE HOUR, COMETH THE LEGEND! GREATNESS! WINX HAS DONE IT! IT’S EQUINE UTOPIA!”
With quotes like that, it is easy to see why Hill is not only the Victoria’s premier race-caller, but has also commentated AFL, The Olympics and the Australian Open on national television.
Internationally, he has been on the commentary team for the Grand National at Aintree seven times, including once as lead caller, and this year he called four-races per day at Royal Ascot.
But even with the viewership for many of these events mounting to the millions, he follows a few simple key rules to keep nerves from impacting him on big occasions.
“I imagine my mums driving over the West Gate Bridge and I’m just calling to her, describing to her what I see,” Hill said.
“I imagine that the box is a cocoon and nobody’s listening, it’s just me in the box calling a race.
“They’re the two sort of thoughts I have, because If I were to imagine the people listening downstairs, or the people listening in pubs or watching at home or the people watching in America or England you wouldn’t be able to do it, you’d be a nervous wreck.
“That box is my sanctuary and as long as everything’s OK there, you could be hitting me over the back of the head with a newspaper and I wouldn’t even know you were there.”