COLOURFUL race caller Ric McIntosh refers to the iconic Warrnambool May Racing Carnival as his Melbourne Cup and grand final.
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It's his time to shine.
The Bendigo-based racing identity's calls have become synonymous with the three-day carnival, which has this year been condensed into two days.
Catchcries such as: "How bloody good is the Bool?" and "Go hard or go home!" have become the stuff of legend, endearing him to legions of racing fans and casual and one-off racegoers alike.
No other race caller in Australia has proven himself as accomplished at feeding off the crowd than McIntosh.
Which will make his annual pilgrimage to 'The Bool' this week, where the carnival will be run behind closed doors, a unique and strange one, with an added degree of difficulty.
But if you're looking for a sure thing, over the two days, count on another epic performance from McIntosh, in much the same vein as Zed Em's colossal effort in lumping a record-setting 70kg to victory in last year's Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m).
"It's going to be different," McIntosh said in reference to the absence of crowds.
"It will be interesting to see how it goes, Warrnambool without the crowds is hard to imagine.
"I've still got an audience, I will be doing my best to try and bring people there, that goes without saying.
"It's no doubt going to be difficult, the people drive it (the calls). Even my highs and low with the (Grand Annual) the people come with me.
"If there's something going on in the race that I don't see, the crowd will soon let you know because it's an almighty roar if something's happened.
"I won't have that. There's a lot about the carnival that will be different."
McIntosh's passion and enthusiasm for jumps racing and the Warrnambool carnival are unbridled.
He has made the calls of the Grand Annual Steeplechase and the Brierly Steeplechase on the opening day of the carnival very much his own.
"It's my Melbourne Cup, my grand final, the week that is the highlight of my year," he said.
"The jumps people have just been amazing the way they have continued on and adjusted to the changes."
