Long before they faced the Racing WA TV cameras, members of the team were immersed in racing as children, listening to racing radio with family, working in stables, studying form guides, and aspiring to call races. Their individual paths into the industry are diverse, yet a shared passion unites them.
For Tess Daly, Scott Embry, Mathew French, Alex Vlahos, Amelia Hall, Michael Heaton, and Lochie Taylor, racing is more than just a sport they report on; it’s an intrinsic part of their identities.
Now, with the highly anticipated five-week series of The Pinnacles set to captivate audiences at Ascot Racecourse, the Racing WA TV crew is gearing up to present the pinnacle of Western Australian thoroughbred racing.
The series boasts nearly $11 million in prizemoney, three Group 1 races, and 16 black-type contests, attracting some of Australia’s premier thoroughbred talent to Perth.
However, beneath the surface of the major races, large crowds, and prominent names lie the people and narratives that have consistently made racing a special pursuit.
Daly’s deep connection to racing is particularly evident. Having grown up in a racing household, she was surrounded by horses trained by her father, a trainer for over fifty years. Her mother was a skilled horsewoman and trackwork rider, and Daly herself began riding racehorses around the age of eleven.
Some of her most cherished childhood recollections involve travelling to race meetings with her father in his truck, sometimes using a convenient bout of ‘horse flu’ as an excuse to miss school.
After years spent in various industry roles, including clerk of the course, trackwork rider, stable foreperson, and racing manager, she now finds herself reporting from the other side of the fence at Ascot.
“The five weeks of The Pinnacles in Perth truly lives up to its name, the pinnacle of racing here in the west,” Daly remarked. “Come Railway Stakes Day, the on-course feeling is like no other, the crowd is super, the horses look brilliant and the competitive racing is goosebump worthy.”
Family also plays a significant role in Hall’s connection to racing. She recalls accompanying her father to Ascot for the 2019 Perth Cup, witnessing Star Exhibit’s unexpected $31 triumph.
“The feeling after a big win in the mounting yard is unmatched, and I was so happy I got to share that moment with him,” Hall said.
These formative experiences have influenced her approach to her current role in racing media.
“I love being part of the build-up to a big race and helping create and feel that excitement build,” Hall explained. “I also love interviewing people after a big win and getting to see the emotion that comes with those moments.”
For Embry, racing’s roots trace back to school holidays spent with his grandfather, Gordy, in Geraldton. Racing Radio was a constant soundtrack, and summer visits to the Geraldton races became a family tradition.
Years later, after extensive travel throughout WA with Racing WA TV, his appreciation for the sport’s significance to its participants has deepened.
“I’ve seen firsthand the joy that owning, training, riding, backing or simply following a horse can bring,” Embry stated. “There’s so much raw emotion in racing. To some people, winning an Esperance maiden is just as satisfying as winning a Perth Cup.”
This sentiment is central to the Racing WA TV coverage, which spans from country meetings hundreds of kilometres from Perth to major Group 1 events at Ascot, featuring fields ranging from six to sixteen horses.
Embry particularly enjoys “being able to showcase every inch of WA, from a six-horse race at Kununurra to a 16-horse Group One at Ascot.”
Vlahos also shares a strong connection to WA’s regional racing scene. His initial foray into the industry was working for trainer Trevor Andrews as a 16-year-old during holidays, but his ambition to become a racecaller predates that.
After a hiatus from calling, Vlahos pursued his childhood aspiration. His debut call at Norseman involved only three horses, but the event’s significance lay in him finally achieving his goal of calling races.
Today, his work extends to tracks across WA, including Kununurra, Carnarvon, and Esperance.
“The complete focus on WA,” Vlahos said, highlighting his appreciation for Racing WA TV. “It highlights everything that is positive about racing in our state. From the big days to the smaller clubs and communities. Also, the crew.”
French’s introduction to racing was through his family’s long history in the sport, with his grandfather and great-grandfather both being trainers. His first professional role was as a valet in the jockeys’ room for Steven Parnham.
His earliest memories involve attending races with his father, observing the horses parade and the activity in the bookmakers’ ring.
Later, sharing ownership of a horse with his family provided a different perspective; the share was so affordable that, he jokes, the Uber ride to the track cost more than the horse itself. The mare went on to win five races.
These experiences evolved into a profound interest in form and analysis, but the opportunity to experience WA racing in its varied forms remains a highlight of his role.
“It provides a chance to get out to so many regional areas and racecourses,” French commented. “Being able to cover a sport we all love with great people in front and behind the camera.”
Heaton’s racing journey began in Kalgoorlie, over 500 kilometres from Ascot. He grew up on a property utilized by trainers, participated in equestrian activities throughout his schooling, and later moved into owner communications and jockey management before pursuing journalism and racing media.
While he still enjoys visiting Kalgoorlie, he acknowledges the unique atmosphere at Ascot during WA’s major races.
“It’s WA racing headquarters with so much history, the best atmosphere, the biggest crowds and it’s where the best horses race at the best time of the year,” Heaton stated.
Taylor also recognizes the impact of major racing events. Witnessing Winx’s victory in the 2017 Cox Plate ignited his fascination with how a race lasting just over two minutes could captivate a global audience.
Closer to home, he has covered significant moments in WA racing history, including Dom To Shoot’s Northerly Stakes win, where Jarrad Noske narrowly defeated James McDonald, securing a maiden Group 1 for Noske and trainers Sean and Jake Casey.
What Taylor cherishes most about Racing WA TV, however, is the shared enthusiasm among the team.
“The passion all of my co-workers have for WA racing,” Taylor said. “They all have an incredible understanding and knowledge for racing in our state and I think that comes across in the broadcast.”
This collective expertise will be put to the test over five significant Saturdays at Ascot.
The Pinnacles commences with the $500,000 Placid Ark Stakes and escalates through the Group 1 Railway Stakes, Winterbottom Stakes, and Northerly Stakes, culminating in the $1.5 million Gold Rush.
Among the races, the Northerly has generated considerable discussion within the Racing WA TV team.
Vlahos described it as “the race of the carnival,” anticipating a weight-for-age contest between top contenders like Cosmic Crusader, Buckaroo, Western Empire, and King of Light, possibly joined by emerging three-year-olds.
French, Hall, Heaton, and Taylor also have the Northerly marked on their calendars.
“Seeing the potential return of Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader in his own backyard to defend his title,” Taylor commented. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Daly, however, is focused elsewhere.
“The Winterbottom continues to take the cake for mine,” she stated. “The most competitive sprinters we have here locally and the intrigue of our eastern state raiders. Will it be Overpass again? Or can one of our star locals gain Group 1 glory?”
For a team that dedicates so much time to racing, it’s noteworthy that their most memorable Pinnacles moments seldom revolve solely around the winners.
They recall the people, the spectators, and the surrounding emotions. Embry remembers Inspirational Girl’s 2020 Railway Stakes victory and the roar of the Ascot crowd chanting “Pikey” as William Pike returned to the mounting yard.
Vlahos fondly recalls the anticipation surrounding unbeaten sprinter Barakey’s 2012 Winterbottom Stakes win and the massive crowd celebrating Playing God’s victory in the Kingston Town Classic two years prior.
Heaton looks back at the 2014 Super Saturday, where Magnifisio won the Winterbottom and Elite Belle took out the Railway Stakes.
French poses a simpler query: “Will anything beat being on course for Munhamek?”
Hall remembers the extraordinary scenes during Damien Oliver’s farewell on Gold Rush Day.
For Daly, Jigsaw’s triumph in The Quokka remains a standout.
Different horses, different races, and different reasons contribute to these memories, yet the underlying emotion remains consistent.
This is ultimately what seven individuals, each with unique journeys into the sport, will be seeking when the gates open at Ascot.
Daly values the opportunity to connect with participants and share the narratives behind track performances. “Sharing stories of hardship, luck, or even just all positives, being able to display that to the public is a very special feeling that I’ll forever be grateful to be a part of,” she expressed.
For Vlahos, it’s about highlighting the positive aspects of WA racing. For Embry, it’s recognizing that the sport’s emotional resonance extends beyond Group 1 days.
And for Taylor, it’s about collaborating with colleagues who possess a deep understanding and genuine care for the sport they cover.
Five Saturdays, three Group 1 races, nearly $11 million in prizemoney, and some of Australia’s finest thoroughbreds, alongside significant moments on the WA racing calendar, are on the horizon.
The Racing WA TV team will be present for every event, recounting the stories of a sport that has already profoundly shaped each of their lives.
Every TABtouch Pinnacles race day will be broadcast live and free on Racing WA’s 7plus channel and Racing.com, with further coverage on SKY Racing and SEN. The Railway Stakes, Winterbottom Stakes, Northerly Stakes, and Gold Rush races will also be featured on 7two.
For those looking to get involved, exploring the available racing odds at Australian betting sites could add another layer of excitement to the upcoming series.
