All the power to Bluff's leading voice

By Jordan Gerrans

Scott Power thought his days calling in town were finished but the Bluff-based broadcaster is chuffed to get the nod to head back to Doomben this Saturday.

And, he might even end up calling his aunty Glenda Bell into the history books of Country Stampede champions as she takes two runners into the event.

The 57-year-old will become a four-time caller of country series deciders this Saturday when he is in the broadcast position for the Country Cups Challenge and Country Stampede Finals.

The long-time regional caller has run his eyes over the CCC and CS twice before – in 2022 and 2023 – as well as being behind the binoculars for the 2019 edition of the Battle of the Bush decider.

The passionate racing man has been calling the gallops in his local area since he was a teenager. 

“I thought I had ticked it off the bucket list and didn’t think I would get the chance to go back again,” Power said.

“I thought it was my last hoorah in 2023. I am obviously thrilled and humbled, it is great to get the opportunity to go down there once again.

“It is great to get down there with all the country people and get around the atmosphere of it all.

“It is like a grand final for all those country people. I am very privileged to have called in town as many times as I have and I am still pinching myself.”

Power is affectionately known as 'Scotty' to many in the industry across the Sunshine State. 

A regional caller will often get the opportunity to work at showpiece country series deciders such as this Saturday’s CCC and CS or the BOTB.

Power has made the long trip into town in years gone by, as has Peter Rowe (Cairns), Tony Wode (Townsville), Andrew Watts (Longreach), Rob Luck (Longreach), Jared Wessels (Bundaberg), Ben Hall (Toowoomba) and Brett Moody (Dalby).

Interestingly, Luck was Power’s principal when he went through high school.

While the chance to call on a metropolitan Saturday during the summer carnival is every bush broadcaster's dream, it is also a significant challenge.

As fields of 15 and 16 will face the starter on Saturday, Power says it is tough ask to do the job well when you compare it to their local racing with fields of around eight and nine on most occasions.

Power regularly works at tracks such as Bluff, Emerald, Twin Hills, Dingo, Clermont and Springsure with Emerald the only club of his regular local circuit who have TAB status.

Former RadioTAB Program Director Tony Clements revealed Power’s selection for Saturday’s races on popular program Bush Beat in November.

“It is well deserved,” Clements said.

As well as his calling duties, Power also races a number of horses with his aunty Bell as well as giving her a hand at her Emerald barn on top of often taking the horses to the races.

The veteran Bell will saddle two runners in the CS – Writtle and Invictus Lad – while stablemate Bayerische is an emergency in the CCC over a mile.

Bayerische is unlikely to get a run and has been nominated for a race at Clifford Park later on Saturday evening instead.

Bell is Power’s mother's sister.

It would be a special occasion for the entire family if he could call one of his aunty's horses home in the big smoke.

“She is a hard worker, she has a lot of horses in work, around the 25 to 30 mark,” Power said of Bell.

“The better of her two would be Invictus Lad on an each-way basis.

“Writtle’s last few starts, they haven’t been that happy with.”

As Power has long helped out his aunty at her barn, he says that one day down the line he might look to open his own stable.

It is not something he is considering in the short-term while he is still calling, but potentially later in his life.

“You never say never,” he said.

“I really enjoy the calling side of it but obviously you won’t be able to do that forever.

“When I do stop calling, that could be five years down the track or maybe a bit longer, but I would like to have a couple in work and muck around with them.

“That would be an idea when I do retire from calling.”

Looking ahead to Saturday's big races, Power believes Jamie McConachy's Sunnycoast is the one to beat in the CS.

While in the CCC, Pat Webster’s Skyforger is searching for back-to-back wins in the event and the caller thinks the Toowoomba galloper can do so.

Power has his eyes on Joshua Manzelmann's Odegaard as an interesting runner in the CCC and described him as the ‘new kid on the block’ compared to a few runners who have been around these series in recent years.

Power called Odegaard qualifying for the big race by winning the Emerald 100 in dominant fashion in early October.