MCAVANEY LOOKS
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“ I am lucky — I have the best job in the world!”
The words of Channel 7’s popular sports
broadcaster Bruce McAvaney, a man who has
successfully combined a lifetime passion with a
high profile media career.

Of course that passion is sport and on the top of his list of
sporting loves is horse racing — in particular, Melbourne
Cup Week.

3YO Storm Prince. Photo Bruno Cannatelli.

“The buildup to the Melbourne Cup stands alone in the
sporting year,” he said, “only the first fifteen minutes of
the Grand Final can compare.”

Which is why McAvaney, fresh from Channel 7’s
Commonwealth Games coverage (“it was a terrific trip —
I had a lot of fun”) is excited about his network’s
upcoming involvement in Australia’s biggest week of
thoroughbred horse racing.

Taking over from Channel 10 who have covered
Melbourne Cup Week for the past 23 years, Channel 7 will
televise each of the four day’s racing — the action kicking
off at around 10.30am.

And it will be McAvaney at the helm — overseeing
proceedings from the studio whilst Peter Donegan takes
his usual place in the mounting yard.

“Peter does an outstanding job,” said McAvaney who has
enjoyed working with Donegan in the broadcasting of
tennis.

Also due to be involved in Channel 7’s coverage (which
also took in the Caulfield Cup Carnival) is the well known
Brisbane racecaller Wayne Wilson who won the coveted
position of Melbourne Cup caller from several hopefuls.

“This is a really good appointment,” said McAvaney who
has long been a fan of Wilson’s “distinctive style.”

“Calling the races in Cup week will give him great
national exposure,” he added, “and it is something that he
can really get his teeth stuck into.”

Whilst McAvaney would love to have called the Cup
himself he is the first to admit that he is out of practice —
“ I haven’t called for 14 years,” he said, “and I would have
to do at least three to six months to get back into the
swing of it — I have too much respect for the job to just
jump straight back into it.”

After the races, established fans of racing — and new
ones — can enjoy a comical approach to the sport, a
night-time overview of Cup Week happenings presented
by Roy & HG.

“ HG is an avid racing fan,” said McAvaney, “they will do
a great job!”

Also looking forward to being part of the Cup Week action
is John Letts who will resume his much loved role
interviewing winning jockeys as they return to scale. Sky
Channel and 2KY’s Richard Freedman, a former

Melbourne boy, will also be part of the coverage as will
the well known Sydney punter Sean Bartholomew, the
former AFL champion Jason Dunstall and fashion expert
Wayne Cooper.

For McAvaney Channel 7’s Cup Week coverage enables
him to once again be involved in a sport he rates as his
favourite — “it is going to be great for me,” he said, “I
love racing and I am looking forward to the thrill of seeing
top horses again.”

Rating Sunline as “an all-time great,” McAvaney is also
looking forward to seeing in action the likes of Lonhro
(“the Caulfield Guineas is probably one of the top five
races in Australia and his win last year was
outstanding”), Northerly, Carnegie Express, Bel Esprit,
and Assertive Lad.

And then there is Storm Prince, the Lee Freedman trained
gelding who was unbeaten over the winter in two starts as
a 2Y0. A favourite horse of McAvaney’s, he is part owned
by his friends and colleagues Sandy Roberts and Drew
Morphett — “I have gotten quite a thrill out of his wins,”
he said.

Enjoying the ups and downs of racehorse ownership in the
past, McAvaney’s last horse was Toot And Whistle, a New
Zealand bred gelding who won seven races including two
in town in the mid nineties.

“We had a lot of fun with him,” he said, “and I would love
to get involved again.” But not for a little while yet —
McAvaney concentrating instead on raising his two
children aged seven and five.

Meanwhile Cup Week will keep him busy and McAvaney
is looking forward to each day — “every day is
distinctively different,” he said. “Derby Day is my favourite
day of the year — a great day from a pure racing point of
view.”

“And I love the Cup, it changes a person’s life. Oaks Day
is a phenomenon and Final Day is when we all wind down
with an outstanding mile race.”
“Cup Week has grown and grown,” he added, “and I am
looking forward to being part of it.”