| If you view horse racing as a wonderful spectacle and | | | | horse in front must have been at least 20 lengths in |
| sporting event, then you probably have a favorite | | | | front as he turned into the home stretch. The caller |
| announcer or two. A good "race caller" can add | | | | said, "Send out a search party for the rest of the field." |
| excitement to an already exciting event and also aid | | | | That struck me as very funny, but then again, it was |
| those who can't actually see the event. | | | | my horse that was in front. |
| A bad announcer can also detract from the fun and | | | | When I called races in another state, the state |
| thrills, but fortunately, there are few of them. A good | | | | stewards sometimes objected to my style. One day, |
| sense of humor and perfect diction help to make an | | | | while calling the race in the fog, I lost sight of the |
| announcer easy to listen to and a welcome addition. | | | | runners as they raced up the backstretch. I quipped, |
| One of my favorite announcers was Marshall Cassidy, | | | | "And now it's anybody's guess." |
| who called the races on the New York circuit until | | | | The stewards were indignant and told me not to be so |
| stepping down and working at other duties in racing. | | | | flippant. But I think the patrons enjoyed it, and that is the |
| Tom Durkin, the man who replaced him, has a great | | | | point. It is the race goers who pay the bills and |
| sense of humor and does a good job of calling the | | | | deserve the best show and day the management can |
| races. He is accurate and insightful and knows how to | | | | give them. Accurate race calls with a touch of humor |
| use a colorful phrase. But good announcers are not | | | | can enhance the experience. I never received any |
| limited to the big time and major tracks. You'll also find | | | | complaints from the crowd or my boss, only the |
| them at other sporting events and lesser horse racing | | | | stewards. |
| venues. | | | | Are there any funny lines you've heard a race track |
| I once heard a very funny line from an announcer at a | | | | announcer use or do you have a memorable |
| fairground in Maine. I don't know if it was his own | | | | experience of an announcer? It is all just part of the |
| original line, or borrowed, but it made the race even | | | | panoply of horse racing, in my humble opinion, one of |
| more enjoyable (it was my horse that won it, too). The | | | | the greatest shows on earth. |