ONE of Victoria’s youngest race callers is preparing to saddle up into the commentary box at his third Racing Victoria event tomorrow.
Swan Hill youngster Dayne Barry, 13, made his debut at last year’s Mt Wycheproof Cup, under the guidance of mentor and Racing Victoria caller Rick McIntosh, and tomorrow his short career will come full circle to where it all began.
Dayne said he is focused on this weekend and he will take whatever comes next one step at a time.
“I look up to Rick [McIntosh] and Melbourne Cup caller Greg Miles and it would be a dream come true to do it like those guys but for now I will keep practicing,” he said.
“I am pretty nervous, I worry about forgetting the names or the colours but just before the race is the worst normally.
“After about 100 metres, you can just call it how it is… I have been practicing a lot.”
Becoming a commentator is not a common dream among 13-year-olds, but Dayne said simply working in the race industry would be enough for him.
Watching the work his horse trainer uncle, Darren Weir, had inspired Dayne to potentially follow “in his footsteps” into the racing world but it was then he realised what he wanted to be.
“This is what I want to do, whether or not that changes I don’t know, but it has been good,” he said.
“I am chasing my dream and this is what I want to do for the moment, I am still getting help from Rick.”
Dayne told The Guardian the best piece of advice given to him so far was “all of the strategies to remember different colours and horses, and how to use your voice”.
