Greyhound racing: Pip Morris returns to Manawatū Raceway for Commentators Day

Trackside television presenter Phillipa Morris will join fellow racecallers from around New Zealand for Commentators Day at Palmerston North on July 30.

New Zealand racing personality Phillipa Morris will return to the venue that kick-started her career next week.

Morris created history at Manawatū Raceway in 2020 as the first woman to call a greyhound race in New Zealand.

The milestone went largely unheralded, but was significant given greyhound racing first started in New Zealand 114 years ago.

While predominantly a studio television presenter with Trackside these days, the 34-year-old returns to Palmerston North as a guest commentator for Commentators Day on Tuesday, July 30.

Racing personality Phillipa Morris is returning to where her commentating career began for Commentators Day at the Palmerston North greyhounds meeting on July 30.

“I’ll always take the opportunity to call. I did a full card last week and am calling 15 races at Southland tomorrow,” she said.

“I fill in over the winter months to cover leave.”

Race callers George Simon, Matt Cross, Justin Evans, Mark Rosanowski, Andy McCook, Aaron White and Craig Rail will join Morris in the commentators’ box.

For the likes of Simon, the doyen of thoroughbred racing commentators, it was a chance to test his skills in a greyhound race, which is over in a breath.

Commentators Day was the brainchild of Palmerston North Greyhound Racing Club president Paul Freeman, who saw it developing as a special day on the New Zealand racing calendar.

It is a rare occasion where all the racing commentators from New Zealand to meet in one place, he said.

“I know they all enjoy it and look forward to it. The don’t get a chance to congregate like this otherwise. They’re in a box by themselves,” he said.

“It adds a lot of flavour to the day. It adds increased interest, too, and that is reflected in the turnover.”

It was the third time Commentators Day had been held in Palmerston North, but the first since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

He hoped the promotion would lead to a large crowd in attendance and said commentators would be available for informal chats with racegoers throughout the afternoon.

“The whole idea is that people might want to meet someone they only heard. It is a chance for people to meet them and put a face to the voice,” he said.

There was “at least a 12-race card” planned, so some commentators would end up calling more than one race. He even hinted at a “duet” for some of the longer races.

Freeman said he was looking forward to it continuing as an annual event.

“It will become famous as the last Tuesday in July,” he said.

The first race starts at 12 noon.