Alex Vlahos
How did you get involved in racing?
My dad and his brothers owned a few horses when I was younger, but my first proper involvement was getting a job during my school holidays with Trevor Andrews’ stable when I was 16.
What is a memorable moment or experience that confirmed your passion for horse racing?
Being at Belmont Park as a 13 -year-old to see Northerly make his much anticipated return after nearly 18 months out.
What are your favourite tracks to call at and why?
It's very hard to answer as we have so many awesome clubs and country racedays, but Kununurra is one that's always very enjoyable. An extremely scenic racecourse and it's unique as it's such a remote racing locality for a TAB meeting, so everyone converges for their two race meetings and has a good time. Carnarvon and Esperance are where I've called most and I really enjoy getting to those two tracks.
Landor is a non-tab meeting that is really unique and good fun, being in the middle of nowhere for 4 days, no phone reception, two meetings and it’s a really different crowd to other meetings.
How would you describe your approach to race calling?
The priority is always to describe the race accurately and I always want to know as much as I can about the race and the horses in it. I'll do the form in the days prior to get an understanding of the horses engaged and how the race is expected to be run. Then on the day l'll learn the horses in the mounting yard and on the way to the gates, sometimes at the country tracks I call, it's a lot of the same horses week in week out which makes it a bit easier!
What is one call that has stood out to you the most?
The one I get reminded of constantly was the "Rock of Kaha can't win call” at Moora, but of the races where I didn't call the winner having no chance, probably my first call at Norseman. It was only a three horse field, but it's memorable because of the fact I'd finally made it to the races as a race caller. I had wanted to be a race caller as a kid and trained and called some trials as a teenager/in my early 20s but didn't have the work ethic (or probably maturity!) to make it. So after a few years away from calling, I decided to give it a proper crack and to put in the hard yards training and at trials, so once I got to call that first race at Norseman it was a pretty cool moment for me!
What do you enjoy most about WA country racing?
So many reasons! It provides a place for horses to race that aren't up to city or provincial grade. I enjoy seeing different tracks and towns I’d probably not otherwise experience as well as meeting all the people that work tirelessly to put on the racedays. When you go out to the respective clubs you realise how important they are for their communities. In a fair few towns, the race day is the only remaining social event on the calendar and one of the only chances for people of the town to get together. It's always a very jovial atmosphere at these meetings and it’s generally more than just the races, you could have fashions, undie races, tug of wars, running races and more depending on what track you're at. Every track also presents a different challenge which is cool, whether it be the size of the track, the position I call from or sometimes trees or other things in the infield obscuring the view!