19 August 2014
Calling races for SKY is a dream come true for Luke Marlow
"I had to stand on a milk crate to reach the binoculars on the stand and I can still remember the race as clearly as if it happened yesterday” – Luke Marlow said of his first race calling experience.
By Greg Hayes
Young race broadcaster Luke Marlow is doing something that he could only have dreamed of growing up in the Queensland town of Thangool.
And Marlow occasionally pinches himself now that he is working in Sydney for Sky Racing and calling races for a living.
But for those that knew him as a boy, they could see he was destined for such an exciting role.
The 21-year old was born into a racing family with his father Jeff a successful country thoroughbred trainer. At the age of 12 Marlow and his family moved to Rockhampton and it was around this time that Marlow seriously considered race calling as a profession.
"I was in year six when the family moved to Rockhampton and I guess within twelve months of moving, I started to take the race calling more seriously," Marlow said.
"I started by calling races off the television and I only had to wait until I was 14 before I got the opportunity to call my first race to an audience."
Marlow went to the Yeppoon races one day with his Dad having no inkling that he was about to make his race calling debut.
Resident Yeppoon race caller Tony McMahon was aware of Marlow's ambitions to be a broadcaster and offered the youngster a chance to call a race on the public address system.
"I jumped at the chance”, Marlow said.
“I didn't know until 20 minutes beforehand that I would be calling and that was probably a good thing because it didn't allow my nerves to get out of control."
"I had to stand on a milk crate to reach the binoculars on the stand and I can still remember the race as clearly as if it happened yesterday.”
“Actually it is a funny story. A horse called Fleet The Bongo won the race and it was trained by my Dad and I still have a big photo on my wall of the finish to this day."
But the biggest break in Marlow's career came in 2011 when he won the fourth John Tapp Scholarship.
Previous winners included Matt Hill, Josh Fleming and Mitch Manners and while it meant making the move from Rockhampton to Sydney, Marlow had no doubt about his future.
"I had just turned 18 and it was a ‘no brainer’ for me once I got offered the scholarship. In fact I never even sat down with Mum and Dad or thought, should I or shouldn't I go…I knew that I had to make the move to further my career."
"I'll admit it wasn't easy in the early stages after making the move but everyone at Sky was really supportive.
“Matthew Browning was very good to me when I made the move and I think that was because he had to make a similar move when he shifted from Coffs Harbour to Sydney to further his career in the media."
When Marlow arrived in Sydney to begin his scholarship he had called thoroughbreds and greyhounds but had never described a pacing event.
"I think my first ever harness meeting was at Newcastle. I’d listened to Fred Hastings beforehand to see how he did things, but I was very mindful of having my own style at the same time.
“I really enjoy calling the harness racing.
"I've been lucky enough to get the opportunity to get to Broken Hill and call their Carnival Of Cups meeting for the past couple of years and that has also been a great experience."
Away from race calling Marlow is a keen sportsman and plays competitive soccer and basketball.
"I love any kind of sport. I play soccer every weekend and I play basketball for a team at work called the ‘Sky Racing Retros’ but we have been struggling of late and although I am too small to play rugby league, I am a mad Broncos supporter."
"I also dabble in the ownership of greyhounds and have four pups at the moment. Josh Fleming, Shawn Cosgrove from Sky Racing Radio and a few racehorse trainers from home are in a syndicate with me and it is another side of the industry that I really enjoy."
Marlow's parents Jeff and Lea have recently moved to the Brisbane Valley near Ipswich and he enjoys the time he gets to spend at home with them. His younger brother Jack and sister Paige also play important roles in Marlow's life as does his girlfriend Lily.
"I met Lily in Sydney, she's a Sydney girl and isn't a racing person but she is fantastic and keeps me grounded, which is a good thing. We've been seeing one another for about 18 months."
With such a big future in front of him, Marlow is hoping to continue to call races for many years to come.
"I would love to keep doing what I'm doing now for many years to come, my dream is to be the number one caller in a state but if I can continue to improve, I would be very content."