Female race caller one of a kind

Victoria Shaw was invited by the Tuncurry Forster Jockey Club to call prior to the main thoroughbred card. 

Local trainer Terry Evans tracked her down to express the invitation after meeting her at a race in Gosford a couple of years ago.

Based in Melbourne, Victoria’s career started when she visited 3TR – a radio station in Traralgon in 1993. It was there that she noticed a photo on the wall in the foyer of legendary race caller Bill Collins and, after looking at it, she immediately gained inspiration.

Soon after she pitched the idea to try out race calling to her voice coach Bob Taylor. Mr Taylor loved the idea and introduced her to racecaller John Russell who invited her to Flemington to practise her skills. 

Ms Shaw called her first race in 1998 at Hanging Rock – 50 years after Australia’s first female race caller Pamela Knox O’Connor who made her first and final call at a New Year’s Day picnic meeting in 1948. 

She then made her debut in NSW at Rosehill Races in Sydney in 2010 when she called the picnic races on Melbourne Cup Day.

Working full-time for a construction company, race calling is a part-time gig for Ms Shaw which she does on weekends and during her annual leave. 

While she revels in being the only women in the country to take up race calling as a career, she says it is also disappointing that there are not any other women wanting to do the same. 

“Since I’ve been doing this I haven’t come across any other women who have expressed an interest in it. It’s really sad because you sort of wonder why there aren’t any other women wanting to,” she said. 

“I don’t think it’s sexist though because you can’t say something is male-dominated when women don’t want to do it.” 

Being the only woman has had its moments but overall everyone has been accepting, she said.  

“The attitude towards women race calling is interesting,” she said. 

“I’ve had some interesting experiences, some people’s attitudes are not warranted but that’s in no way a stab at male race callers they have been great - its other people in the industry.”

She hopes to inspire other women to consider breaking into the industry.  

“There is a lot of homework and preparation involved. Our window for opportunity is limited there’s no margin for error in what we do. To do this you really do have to be captivated by what you see – the colours, the sounds, everything,” she said. 

“But when it all goes well it is very exhilarating. 

“All you have to do is ask. There’s no one standing there at the gate saying ‘how dare you.’

“I think it’s high time for women to express an interest in racing. It’s so enjoyable so there’s no reason not to give it a go.”