Sky’s the limit for Luke Marlow

“One of my early mentor’s said race callers were born, not manufactured.”

Luke Marlow (RGS 2010) had always grown up around horses with his dad Jeff a local horse trainer.

The racing industry has since taken Luke to Sydney, Singapore and now back in Sydney.

Luke’s early race calling interest started in 2008 when he had a spell at home from school battling illness.

“I would sit at home and watch the horses on TV, pretending I was a race caller with the TV volume muted,’’ Luke said.

That same year Luke had his first opportunity to call his first live race at Yeppoon.

“It wasn’t planned,’’ said Luke, now based in Sydney with partner, jockey Alysha Collett.

“Tony McMahon (Rockhampton race caller) sprung it on me and asked if I wanted to call a race that dad’s horse was running in.

“I called the race, without any errors, and dad’s horse won the race.”

Luke had since come a long way from the 15-year-old who had to stand on a milk crate to call that Yeppoon race.

A career in the racing game became a reality for Luke in 2011 when the 18-years-old was awarded a John Tapp Sky Racing Scholarship for promising race callers.

“It was life-changing for me,’’ Luke said.

The one-year scholarship landed Luke in Sydney.

In his early years in the NSW racing industry, Luke made some casual calls at Randwick but was a more familiar voice at tracks including Warwick Farm, Newcastle, Wyong, Gosford and Musselbrook.

Over the years he has called thoroughbreds, trots and the dogs.

“In my early days I mostly called the dogs which are really different to call,’’ Luke said.

“The races are much faster and the colours change depending on what box the dogs draw.”

It is the colours which is a key study area for race callers.

And surprisingly it is a small window of opportunity where the final details are locked in for a race caller.

“For me it (preparation) starts the night before a meet,’’ Luke said.

“I go through the form and watch race replays.

“Once you’re in an area for a while you get to know the colours of the trainers silks and the horses are in your memory bank.

“On race day there’s a five minute period before the jockeys are on the horses which is the key time. That’s where you do your main colour learning then.”

Luke said it’s a skill of some sort with photographic memory being a part of it.

“It’s something that hasn’t required much effort from me,’’ Luke said.

“One of my early race caller mentor’s said race callers were born, not manufactured.”

It is this ease of race calling which landed Luke a job in the bustling Singapore racing industry in 2018.

“It’s a different style of racing in Singapore,’’ Luke said.

“The races themselves are no different, it’s just learning new names, jockeys and trainers.

“In Australia the racing experience is more of the ‘salt of the earth’ type of people whereas in Singapore it’s not all about the social aspect and the love of horses, it’s more about hard core gambling.”

When COVID hit the Singapore region earlier this year, the country went into four weeks lockdown and then racing was put back six weeks. Luke and Alysha returned to Australia.

Once they returned to Australia they decided not to return to Singapore.

“I’ve since been lucky enough to start a new job with Sky Racing this month which involves both race calling and hosting radio programmes which include interviews and previewing the day’s racing,’’ Luke said.

“I’ll still call regularly.”

Luke said he was looking forward to returning to work.

“A lot of people have done it tough during this period but racing has been great for us,’’ Luke said.

* While the thoroughbred racing is the main focus for Luke these days he still keeps an interest in greyhound racing.

Luke and fellow RGS past student, and Rockhampton greyhound caller, Liam Mulry (RGS 2000) own a Rockhampton-based greyhound - Over Time.

Over Time has 16 career wins at this stage.

Luke admits he has owned a few greyounds over the years, but not necessarily with his parents’ approval all the time.