Chomping at the bit – and ready to call the Elitlopp!

Australian harness racing fans often have trouble grasping the energy, prestige and excitement that surrounds the Swedish Elitloppet – “The Elite Race” – but not Victorian racecaller Luke Humphreys.

And when Aussie trotting superstar Just Believe received an invitation to the world’s greatest race for square gaiters, the 22-year-old didn’t hesitate to throw his hat into the ring to head to Europe to call the event for Skychannel.

“I was lucky enough to go to the Elitlopp back in 2016 and I just could not believe the atmosphere,” Humphreys said.

“It’s incredible to experience and I don’t think a lot of people here really understand it. If you take out the UK, trotting is the number one horse racing code in mainland Europe, it’s a huge sport there,” he said.

“Harness racing there is like thoroughbreds here and I am led to believe there was a survey a few years ago that put the Elitloppet as one of two races in the world that really capture the public imagination – the other being the Melbourne Cup, of course” Humphreys said.

“It’s quite surreal, mostly because of the way the crowd gets into it.  It’s a real spectator sport – the crowd cheers as the horses go up to the mobile, they clap with a lap to go and as the field comes up the straight to the finish it’s deafening.”

Humphreys said as a young person being caught up in the event in 2016, it was something he always knew he wanted to get back to.

“And of course, as a race caller, it’s your dream to call one of the great races in the world.  So, when Just Believe was to be in the race, it just dawned on me that if we could pull it all together with the audio and everything it would be a great experience.”

Humphreys will head to Europe this Thursday (May 25) and on Sunday (May 28) will become only the fourth commentator to call the Elitlopp for an Australian audience – the first three being Sky thoroughbred commentator Matt Hill in 2013, UK-based Australian Arthur Cooper in 2016 and Anthony Manton during Maori Time’s campaign in 2018.

“I actually sat with Arthur in the commentary box at the meeting when I was at the 2016 Elitloppet.  The trip was my 2015 Christmas present from my parents, which I guess shows how obsessive I was about harness racing even then!” he laughed.

“My dad came with me, and it had some incredible highlights, like meeting the UK commentators and being in the commentary box at Royal Ascot, of all meetings, which was a wonderful experience. I was just a kid really on that trip with my dad, and this time I’ll be taking my mum, who’s never been to Europe, so it will be a lovely thing to do.”

Humphreys, who is based at Gisborne, near Melbourne, practiced race calling from the age of 10, became the trials commentator at local greyhound, trotting and racing clubs from the age of 15 and was a part-time caller at RSN (Racing Sports Network) radio at 16.

He made his name as the permanent harness racing caller at remote Mildura, in far northwest Victoria, and, after landing a full-time gig with Harness Racing Victoria at 18, now calls at meetings across the State.

But getting back to Europe will no doubt offer a sense of perspective of what’s transpired since a young Luke Humphreys made that first trip.

“The very first ‘real’ race I called was actually in Europe.  Darren Owen was a local commentator, and he gave me my first race at a place called Monmouth, in Wales, which was really, just like a race meeting in a paddock, it felt like!” he said.

“The reality of what I’ll be doing Sunday I think is really just hitting me.  It’s pretty humbling. You always hope and dream but it’s probably all happened very quickly, but I do appreciate how fortunate I am.  I can’t wait!”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink