Racing: Hypnotic eight minutes for caller

Race commentator George Simon says he learned from the best - Keith Haub - on how to call the Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie. Photos / Herald on Sunday, Glenn Jeffrey

Even the winner of this afternoon's gruelling $85,000 Kiwi Bacon Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie will be close to exhaustion.

So will the commentator.

The difference will be that the commentator will have a level of exhilaration to go with the breathlessness.

George Simon wouldn't have it any other way.

The Great Northern Steeplechase is the race Simon looks forward to each year, as did Keith Haub, who sat behind the Ellerslie raceday microphone before him.

"Even before I started calling races, the Great Northern was the race I always wanted to call," said Simon yesterday as he prepared for his annual fix.

"Some callers say they can't wait to call their first Derby - for me it was always the first Great Northern."

Providing a description of New Zealand's longest race - 6400m - run at a slower pace than most races, would seem to some to be a relatively easy assignment with plenty of time to call each horse.

Simon and Haub will both tell you it's the toughest.

"You have to use everything you've ever learned about race calling to call the Great Northern," says Simon.

"And I learned from the best - Keith Haub.

"Haubie made this race his own and I can see why. I feel the same way."

As dramatic as every Great Northern Steeplechase invariably becomes, there will be a very special edge to today's big race.

The most remarkable call anyone can remember in a Northern was when Haub called Hunterville to an all-time record of winning the race for the third consecutive year in 1985.

They said that feat would never be matched and here at Ellerslie this afternoon Simon will be relaying the microphone action of Hypnotize to equal that remarkable performance.

Hypnotize, the 2007 and 2008 Northern winner, will attempt to successfully carry a huge 69.5kg three times over the fierce Ellerslie Hill.

Simon thought at the time he wouldn't be able to match the thrill he felt and was able to convey when Hypnotize won last year's big race.

"Last year he was 100 to 1 to win even with 300m to run and then he got up in the last few strides.

"It was a magical moment and you just can't beat that sort of drama."

Simon rates Haub's call of Hunterville's 1985 victory as the best he's heard.

Haub remembers it well.

It was so dramatic and remarkable, Haub even allowed himself to break his golden rule - momentarily lose impartiality.

Like Hypnotize last year, Hunterville and the late Denis Gray looked little chance to win 250m from the line.

When it all started to change the atmosphere was electric and Haub said: "... go Hunterville, you've got there, you beauty."

With the exception of the connections of the runner-up, everyone felt the same.

Haub was simply relaying the thoughts of the masses.

The now-retired Haub remembers calling his first Great Northern and how surprised he was at the exhaustion levels - his own - late in the race.

It was Ballycastle's stunning all-the-way win in 1978.

Ballycastle had won 11 races on the flat and was a lot faster, even at an advanced age, than your average steeplechaser.

Haub thought he had his rhythm, but Ballycastle tore along in front so fast, he ran a race record of 7.39.35.

Compare that to the 8.52 Ascona took to win the race admittedly on a wetter surface - the previous year.

"I'd been going along at a hundred miles an hour all race," said Haub yesterday. "They got to the top of the Hill and Grant Cooksley gave Ballycastle a bit of a breather and I took a big breath myself.

"I said: 'Some of these horses are getting tired', and from nowhere I said: 'And I'll give you the tip, so am I - it's a long way this race'."

Simon knows he'll need to be concentrating calling today's race.

The strong wind and sunshine in Auckland yesterday continued the drying process for the Ellerslie track - something the connections of the dour Hypnotize did not want.

Hypnotize is a mudder who outstays the best of them when they get breathless.

He will need to rely on every bit of his stamina to get him home on a drying surface.

If he's within a few lengths of them coming over the last fence make sure you don't miss the official commentary of the closing stages.