Episode 528: Luke Marlow

Luke Marlow’s love affair with thoroughbreds can be traced to the days when he had photos of the champion mare Makybe Diva  prominently displayed on his bedroom walls. Around this time his parents were managing the Merlo Downs Stud at Minden about 63 kms west of Brisbane. Luke’s life changed forever a couple of years later when Jeff Marlow took out a trainer’s licence and quickly enlisted his son as principal trackwork rider.  By the time the teenager had ridden a few fast gallops and provided a guest call of a race at Yepoon in 2008, the die was cast. Just three years later the young Queenslander won the fourth edition of a Sky Racing Scholarship and was off and running in the career he’d dreamed about.  Now approaching his 32nd birthday, Luke Marlow is recognised as one of the most versatile performers in the Australian racing media. He joins us on the podcast to reflect on a whirlwind fourteen years since arriving in Sydney. He begins by confirming a very important recent development in his personal life.  Luke talks about the never-ending variety in his working life. He lives by the roster. He talks of the changing face of country racing in NSW where undreamed of prize money levels regularly attract the patronage of major Sydney stables. Official barrier trials are almost as frequent as TAB race meetings. Luke is frequently called upon to describe the trials for Sky Thoroughbred Central. He talks of his hosting role on the popular Saturday morning radio programme Racing HQ.  Luke’s talks of the change in his situation when Sky’s Number 2 caller Mitch Manners accepted a full time role with the Gold Coast Turf Club in 2023. He immediately became understudy to the station’s chief caller Darren Flindell. In this capacity he’s had the opportunity to call five editions of the Provincial Championship Final. The easy going Queenslander talks of early life in his home state with special mention of happy days at the Merlo Downs Thoroughbred Stud. He recalls his introduction to the task of riding trackwork for his father Jeff. Luke recounts the entertaining story of the day he was invited to call a race on the public address system at a Yepoon meeting in 2008. The winner was trained by his dad and owned by his grandmother. He still regards the occasion as one of the greatest thrills of his life. He pays tribute to Tony McMahon, the man who gave him the opportunity to call the race that helped shape his destiny. Luke takes us back to 2011 when he “made the cut” for the fourth Sky Young Race Caller’s Scholarship. He looks back on a week of auditions culminating in a nerve wracking race call at Wyong.  He was in disbelief when the judges voted in his favour. Seven years after settling into his new job, Marlow was stunned to receive a phone call from the Singapore Turf Club who’d been left short of a race caller when Tom Wood relocated to Hong Kong. Luke agonised over the decision he had to make. He looks back on an exciting two years in the famous city-state with special emphasis on his meeting with the lovely Kiwi jockey now destined to become his wife. Luke talks about the ravages of Covid 19 and the soul destroying lockdown endured by all Singaporians. He and Alysha made the decision to return to Sydney.  He pays tribute to Alysha’s work ethic and acknowledges her emergence as one of Sydney’s most in demand jockeys. Luke explains how he manages to control his emotions when calling races in which his fiancee is competing. He talks about the legendary NZ racing family from which Alysha descends. It’s a laid back chat with a young Queenslander whose career  path was never in doubt. All he needed was an ounce of luck to make the dream come true.