Greg Kachel farewelling Gunsynd Park

By Jordan Gerrans

As a young person who grew up idolizing the great Gunsynd, it was always a special thrill for Greg Kachel to call races at the Goondiwindi Race Club.

Kachel will do so for the final time at the Goondiwindi track on Saturday afternoon when he hangs up the binoculars at Gunsynd Park.

Based at Inverell, south of the Queensland border, Kachel has been calling at Goondiwindi for more than two decades as well as other Queensland tracks such as Talwood.

He is not completely retiring from broadcasting; the veteran caller will still do an odd non-TAB day here or there around his local area but he will no longer head north to Gunsynd Park following Saturday.

Kachel says he is not one to keep records but recalls working his first meeting at Goondiwindi in the late 1990s.

In that time, he has grown a great admiration for the local racing fraternity around the border community.

“It is a wonderful club,” Kachel said.

“I have seen the club improve so much, the track itself and the surrounds over the years. Any grants they have got, they have used them wisely.

“I have seen the track go from dirt to beautiful grass cover.

“They have done an enormous amount with public facilities there, every time I turn up to the track there seems to be something added there.

“They are so good at promoting the sport to the general public.”

Kachel will officially call his final meeting at Goondiwindi at their local feature meeting, the Bush to Port race day on Saturday.

The Port of Brisbane Cup is the headline event on the track. 

“Greg has been the voice of Goondiwindi racing for many years, bringing energy, passion and personality to every race he’s called,” Goondiwindi Race Club treasurer Graeme Scheu said.

“From all of us at the Goondiwindi Race Club, thank you, Greg, for your valuable contribution and dedication to country racing. 

“You’ll always be welcome back at Gunsynd Park, the home of the Gunsynd.”

Kachel has enjoyed a long and interesting career in the broadcast booth across Queensland and New South Wales.

After initially working in radio, before a stint in politics, Kachel has called gallops and harness racing at dozens of tracks across the states.

When there were issues around callers crossing borders during the pandemic, he became prominent on the TAB circuit by calling tracks such as Grafton, Ballina, Moree, Taree, Armidale, Tamworth and Lismore for Sky Racing. 

Kachel had a couple of years away from Goondiwindi with the border concerns and Sky Racing duties.

But, he was quick to get back to one of his favourite tracks when the opportunity was presented.

He has regularly called harness clubs around the Tamworth area, as well. 

While he is stepping away from Goondiwindi, he will still call non-TAB tracks around his local Inverell area such as Deepwater and others. 

Kachel has followed racing for his entire life and has branded the great Gunsynd his favourite horse he ever watched. 

Gunsynd was known as the ‘People's Champion’ through the late 1960’s into the 70s. 

A flashy grey, the humble Queenslander took on the nation's best and will be forever remembered as the ‘Goondiwindi Grey’.

“I loved every minute of his story, rags to riches,” Kachel said.

“I was there and saw his last race in Sydney in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“As a birthday present my Mum gave me the album featuring race calls of his early wins.”

The Goondiwindi Race Club have named a race “Thanks Greg and All The Best” to honour Kachel’s contribution on Saturday.

It will be contested as a Class 1 and Maiden Plate over 1400 metres.