Brett Davis experienced a baptism of fire, arriving in Hong Kong to take up his role as the new English-language race caller at the start of international week. But the 33-year-old was more than happy to take on the man-sized assignment first-up.
Davis came from Singapore, where he had been in the employ of the Singapore Turf Club for 20 months, but is originally from Adelaide, South Australia.
'I'm actually a qualified plumber,' the affable Aussie revealed last night. 'I did my course and apprenticeship straight out of school, then worked in my brother's plumbing business. I had always had a passion to be a race caller so when he sold the business, I decided to pursue my passion.'
As anyone who has ever pursued a passion will readily understand, that usually means a few lean years initially, and Davis was no different.
'I worked part time for the TAB's radio station in Adelaide for 71/2 years, mainly monitoring and getting cups of coffee,' he laughed, 'but eventually got some producing and on-air work.'
His first call was at the Gawler greyhounds in 1997 and the following year he made his thoroughbred debut on Caulfield Cup day - not at Caulfield, mind you, where the super horse Might And Power romped away with the Caulfield Cup, but at Mildura in the far north-west corner of Victoria, some 550km away.
