Cover image courtesy of Southside Racing
The Thoroughbred Report was fortunate to catch up with the colourful and charismatic character for a trip down memory lane, as he reflected on the highs, the lows, and the unforgettable moments from a remarkable broadcasting career.
Going out with a call to be proud of
It may have only been a race on the Pakenham Synthetic on a Tuesday, but it was one full of meaning. Before calling his final event, Terry Bailey - known affectionately throughout the racing industry as ‘TB’, shared a few heartfelt words with the crowd and the many listeners tuned in for his swansong.
“I’ve had the greatest life in the world as a race caller, and I thank you all,” he said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure.”
“I’ve had the greatest life in the world as a race caller, and I thank you all, It’s been an absolute pleasure.” - Terry Bailey
Then came one last masterclass behind the microphone. In a tight photo finish, Bailey confidently called Reset The Jazz (Reset) the winner, just edging out the Robbie Griffiths-trained favourite Queen Of Tuscany (Fiorente {Ire}).
“I got the photo right, got the right horse, got the name right, didn’t go the early crow, you beauty!” he exclaimed post-race, with trademark flair.
As he soaked in the moment, Bailey added: “I feel very special, I feel very humbled... I came into the racing world very quietly, and I want to leave very quietly.
Bailey went on to elaborate “The Racing Club and Racing.com did a beautiful farewell for me. I didn’t want a big finale, and they were very respectful of my wishes and very respectful of my career.
“I am so grateful for the industry. My phone just hasn’t stopped ringing, and it’s taking a while to get through all the messages, some are from people I haven’t seen or talked to for 15 or 20 years, so it is very humbling. I wanted to go out quietly and respectfully, and that is what I’ve done.”
“I wanted to go out quietly and respectfully, and that is what I’ve done.” - Terry Bailey
Now, Bailey shifts his focus to his Tuesdays With Terry program on Racing.com and other endeavours, including his long-standing love of breeding and racing greyhounds.
Calling the greats
Bailey’s catalogue of race calls includes some of the finest horses the Australian turf has seen. While hesitant to name just one, his admiration for Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}) was unmistakable.
“I loved watching Sunline. It was nearly unfair when you saw her in the yard, she was so much bigger and stronger than everyone, especially as a filly and in mares’ races. She is one of my all-time favourites.”
Sunline (NZ) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“I was lucky to call a lot of other great horses too. Some that come to mind are Tie The Knot, Lonhro, Might And Power, Weekend Hussler, Miss Andretti, just magnificent horses and legends.
“I used to love calling champions. It was just unbelievable.”
“I used to love calling champions. It was just unbelievable.” - Terry Bailey
One other call also still stands out.
“I also loved certain moments, and one I do recall is calling Brave Warrior to win the Magic Millions, ‘Here comes the Queenslander!’ I still remember that fondly.”
If I could call that one again
There isn’t one call that Bailey looks back on as a personal favourite, but he openly admitted that the G1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill was the most difficult, and also led to the biggest mistake of his career.
“The Golden Slipper is the toughest race that I have had to call, it is one of the shortest, and just so much happens in such a short amount of time.”
“The Golden Slipper is the toughest race that I have had to call, it is one of the shortest, and just so much happens in such a short amount of time.” - Terry Bailey
It was also the race where Bailey felt the most pressure.
“When I called my first Golden Slipper, there was a lot of pressure. I remember Catbird winning the race. I had visitors up in the broadcasting box,” he said. “The Queensland bookmaker at the time, Stan Tapsell, and his daughter were up there. Not long before the race, I popped out to go for a toilet break, and as I came back in, Stan shouted very loudly so all could hear, ‘The kid’s shitting himself!’”
But it was in the year 2000 that Bailey had what he described as his most regrettable call.
“It was the year I called Crowned Glory and Damien Oliver home, and Belle Du Jour bombed them late - ‘Crowned Glory, here comes the winner!’ I still remember it. I think Damien Oliver has only forgiven me now. He thought I had some kind of hold on his career after that.”
It wasn’t the only thing playing on his mind that day.
“It was a funny day. My ex-wife loved going to the committee room for Slipper Day, so I organised that. We had no family in Sydney at the time, so we couldn’t get a babysitter. My boy Michael was about 15, and I think the other two were 10 and 7. I left them to it and checked in on them on the home phone throughout the day.
“Not long before the Slipper ran, there was no answer. I was worried and beside myself. There was actually a telephone breakdown, so everything was fine, but did it affect me in the call? I don’t know, but it wasn’t ideal.
“That night, I went across the road from the racecourse and just got blind drunk. I was very angry with myself.
“As I got older, I got much better about making mistakes, it was never the end of the world.”
“As I got older, I got much better about making mistakes, it was never the end of the world.” - Terry Bailey
The toll of social media
The introduction of social media has brought new challenges for many in racing and beyond, particularly when things go wrong or mistakes are made. For Bailey, the negativity was at times overwhelming.
“It was horrendous at times, being told you’re a loser, can’t do your job, and even it got very personal at times,” he said.
“It’s a very tough industry at the best of times, but getting attacked badly on social media was hard. It smashed me.
“It’s a very tough industry at the best of times, but getting attacked badly on social media was hard. It smashed me.” - Terry Bailey
“After I lost my job in Sydney, it took a while to beat depression and start thinking more positively. But I understood the negativity of social media. I remember one day I posted something about a referee from a St George League game, and afterwards I thought to myself, what is wrong with you, I stopped straight away.
“I found out that everyone is cranky in the world and you have to be positive.
“A while ago, I had a lucky escape with cancer. They found something they weren’t even looking for, and the doctor said I would have been dead in two years if they hadn’t. He said, ‘Terry, you are blessed,’ and my outlook changed even further from that. You have to enjoy life and not take things too seriously.”
The word that stuck: "Moral"
Few words became more synonymous with Terry Bailey than 'Moral'.
Whether it was a good thing or just good fun, punters came to expect it, and Bailey knew exactly what he was doing.
“I’m a punter and I don’t take things too seriously at times,” he said with a grin.
“The use of the moral word became a real source of enjoyment later in my career. The more it riled people up, the better.
“The use of the moral word became a real source of enjoyment later in my career. The more it riled people up, the better.” - Terry Bailey
“I was in the car with Hutchy (Clint Hutchison) on the way to Terang, and I just kept going on and on using the word ‘moral’. In the end, he had to stick his head out the window to get away from me.
“When on air asking for selections, I told him I’d already said 20,000 times in the car that this horse was a moral. Of course, it delivered. It was a moral, moral, moral, and it wound him up, so it was brilliant.
“The younger punters seemed to love it too. If I called something a moral and it got beaten, so be it. It was always a lot of fun, and everyone always knew that I had an opinion and would let it be known.”
A career of gratitude and giving back
When asked to sum up his career, Bailey chose one word: “Lucky.”
“I’ve been very lucky, although I’ve worked very hard in addition to that. Wayne Wilson was a brutal boss, but he was what I needed. He was very tough, but one big thing about him was that he was a great interviewer, just like John McCormick. It was a real strength of theirs to listen and let everyone have their say.
“It’s something I’ve always tried to do too - not to use written notes, to read the room, and make people feel comfortable. That disarms them and helps them answer questions they might not have otherwise.
Terry Bailey | Image courtesy of Southside Racing
“I feel lucky and honoured to have called in the same boxes as John Tapp and Bill Collins. I came from nowhere, calling came very naturally to me, and in only seven years I got the call to replace John Tapp. It was for five years too early for sure, but after knocking them back twice I took the job, and I really had to swim with the sharks.”
Now, Bailey is determined to give back to the industry that gave him everything.
“I want to help young callers and broadcasters in whatever way possible. The more I can give back, the better. I want them to have all the support I had.
“I owe everything to this industry. I love the industry. Without it, I would be nothing.” - Terry Bailey
“I owe everything to this industry. I love the industry. Without it, I would be nothing.” It is very clear to everyone the industry provides characters bigger than life, and that sure is Terry Bailey.
