Billy Slater has confirmed he will be back on horseback at this year’s Melbourne Cup in news that has left the horse racing world delighted.
The Melbourne Storm legend is best known for his NRL playing and commentary career, however, he is also a huge horse racing fan and was previously a trackwork jockey as a teenager.
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Therefore, at last year’s Melbourne Cup, fans were left stunned to see him on horseback interviewing winning jockeys.
In Channel 9’s inaugural year covering the race that stops the nation in 2024, they gave well-known sports personality Slater the mic.
It was a call that left viewers shocked. But he quickly became the talk of the town as he captured some of the most iconic and pure moments of the whole spring racing carnival.
His relaxed style and horsemanship made him an instant hit with fans, who were crossing their fingers he would be back again in 2025.
Slater posted a cryptic post three weeks ago on horseback with the caption: “What you do with your time is up to you”, sending fans wild, believing it hinted he would be back at the Melbourne Cup in 2025.
The 42-year-old then later confirmed he would be covering the four-day horse racing fest, starting with the Derby Day and finishing on Melbourne Cup Day.
And fans were quick to celebrate the news that he would be back in the saddle of his beloved mount, Sammy, in 2025.
“So much respect for everything you do and say, Billy! Have a great Tuesday,” one fan wrote in response to the news.
“I love this so much!!!” another said.
While former AFL star Dale Thomas commented the crown emoji.
Slater is a horse fanatic who owns and runs his own breeding stable operation, Slater Thoroughbreds, with his wife Nicole.
His love for the industry has even been part of the reason why the NRL legend is reluctant to get into full-time coaching, opting to stick with his part-time role coaching the Queensland Maroons.
And after success with his new role at the Melbourne Cup last year, Slater has again been given the opportunity to be the first person to interview the Cup-winning jockey in 2025, something he says is a true honour.
“It’s something different (working at the Melbourne Cup). Obviously, the interviewing is something I am accustomed to during the rugby league season with Channel Nine and horses I have ridden all my life,” Slater said in an interview with Trackside NZ.
“But putting them together in the biggest racing week in the Australian calendar, if not the world calendar, is just wow.
“And to talk to some of the athletes on horseback moments after they win the biggest race of their career is a great honour.”
Slater also revealed that it is so unique in the sense that he is often the first person on track to know who wins the race.
“It was a great moment (last year’s Melbourne Cup) because I am the only one with an earpiece on the back straight and all the jockeys didn’t know who won,” he revealed.
“So when word came through, it was Knights Choice and Robbie Dolan had won his first Melbourne Cup. I had the honour to let him know and do that interview.”
Jockeys have also taken to Slater, with leading jockey James McDonald, excited by the chance to talk to him post-race.
“I’m a huge fan of Billy Slater,” McDonald said in an interview with the Victorian Racing Club.
“I’ve known him for a while now, so I’ve got great respect for him — amazing player, amazing person, and he’s just brilliant to chat to.
“With his stature and what he’s achieved in sport, it’s a really good feeling cantering up next to him — he’s got street cred, hasn’t he?
“He asks some brilliant questions, and it really added to the whole atmosphere. You can tell he loves it, and you feed off that vibe. You can’t help but be motivated.”
Slater is no stranger to riding, either.
He was a trackwork jockey for legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse up until he was 16, before he decided to dedicate his full focus to rugby league after coming to terms with the fact he was simply too heavy to be a jockey.
“Horse racing is something I have always had a passion for,” Slater said last year.
“I was 16 years old and I finished Grade 11 and left school, and I was living down in Sydney on my own and working for Gai. That was a real eye-opener.
“To see the operation of a high-quality trainer like Gai, it probably helped me subconsciously when I went on to pursue an NRL career. I was about 70kg when I was 16, so I was never going to be a jockey.”
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