Television presenter Phillipa Morris blazing a trail for women in racing

Phillipa Morris will join commentators from around New Zealand on Commentators Day at Palmerston North next month.

In the members stand at the Manawatū Raceway early next month, in among the mumbling of men, will be the voice of Phillipa Morris.

The 31-year-old will be the only woman calling a race on Commentators Day, now an annual event and a rare occasion where all the racing commentators from New Zealand meet in one place.

The first time Morris called a race was in Palmerston North at Manawatū Raceway at the corresponding event last year - creating history in the process as the first woman to call a greyhound race in New Zealand.

The milestone went largely unheralded, but its significance could not be understated considering greyhound racing first started in New Zealand 110 years ago.

For Morris herself, the race calling was about challenging herself and adding another string to her bow. The commentating could one day complement her main focus of television presenting.

Morris had been a television presenter with racing channel Trackside for nearly three seasons now.

Phillipa Morris will join commentators from around New Zealand on Commentators Day at Palmerston North next month.

The idea of commentating a race herself was only bandied about early last season. The rubber hit the road when she was given a couple of months to prepare for her debut.

"I started practising at home with the TV on mute," she said.

Conscious of doing well and wanting to prove to herself she could do it, she began practising as much as she could and was able to get behind the binoculars at trials meetings.

But, just like the athletes on the track, nothing could beat that raceday experience for shaking out the nerves and gaining experience, and the historic day proved a valuable learning curve.

"I wouldn't say I aced it at all... it was hard. I had over-prepared and made the mistake of pre-empting the result," she said.

"There was a $1.50 favourite and I thought he'll jump out and I'll go from there, but it didn't work out like that at all. I learnt a valuable lesson straight away... the second race went a bit better."

Morris described herself as someone who was naturally a fast talker and thought that would hold her in good stead for race calling. But the opposite was the case.

"The thing I had to learn was to slow it down. There is this perception that you have to talk fast," she said.

The outbreak of Covid-19 put paid to an opportunity for Morris to meet Australian race commentator Victoria Shaw, who was to have been at Commentators Day last year.

Trackside television presenter Phillipa Morris has made history.

"I was really looking forward to meeting with her to get a gauge on it and get her perspective," she said.

Morris said she had never entertained the idea of commentating until hearing Shaw call a race.

"I'd never dreamed of it. Not even being sexist, you just think you have to have a deep voice just because it had always been done in a man's voice," she said.

"I realise now it's all good for women to be race calling... the main thing is to normalise it."

But equally as important to Morris was the need for any women race caller to be given the microphone on merit.

Much like the women jockey pioneers of the 1980s, it brought with it another level of scrutiny.

Now, women riders are dominating the jockey premiership. In fact, women are on par with their male counterparts in all aspects of racing now, from trainers, jockeys, a racing personalities.

The only exception is in race commentary. But that was all part and parcel of the challenge.

"As long as you can do it properly. The last thing you want is to be doing the job just because you are a woman. You want to be doing it because you're good at it," she said.

"I'm my own harshest critic and like to push myself anyway. I'll tell myself if it wasn't good."

Morris said she was getting plenty of support. Experienced people like Mark Rosonowski were helpful.

One day she hoped to become the first woman in New Zealand to call a full meeting, but for now, she was happy to bide her time and gain as much experience as she could, and improve with every race.

"Presenting is definitely my passion, but I do enjoy commentating. I love greyhound racing and it's another string to the bow," she said.

"I absolutely love my job. I get to talk about my passion."

Meanwhile, joining Morris in the commentators box on Commentators Day was a who's who of New Zealand race calling - Tony Lee, George Simon, Bruce Sherwin, Craig Rail, Justin Evans, Matt Cross, Aaron White and Trevor Wilks.

There will be 12 races on the card for Commentators Day at Palmerston North on March 1.

While as there were 13 callers and just 12 races, Mark Rosonowski and Andy McCook would share the calling of a 720m race. Former race callers Brian Martin and Darryl Robson were coming out of retirement to join in.

It was the third edition of Commentators Day, the brainchild of Palmerston North Greyhound Racing Club president Paul Freeman.

As a youngster Freeman remembered attending a similar day at Ascot Park. When he found himself involved in racing administration year later, he was in a good position to fan the flames.

"I took it upon myself to annoy the people I needed to annoy to make it happen," he said.

Freeman said the club donated all its sponsorship from the meeting to support child cancer fundraiser Kids Can, with good support from businesses involved.

"To be fair, the commentators love it. It's never difficult asking them. I think people take it for granted but these guys don't actually get to see each other and socialise very often," he said.

"It's a rare catch up."

The day would also see participants from all three codes on track, with Blair Orange, Stephen Marsh, Greg O'Conner, Gary Vile and Royden Bergersen all attending too.

Commentators Day would be at Manawatū Raceway on March 1.