Larry Collmus Oops Wood Call

[RunForTheRoses]

Had Adventist in P4 and was like wtf that ain't Adventist. Bad call but at least he corrected after the wire.

California horse (the 3)*really* outran his numbers.

[Grits]

This was really, really bad for a million dollar race call. And Todd says, "your Triple Crown announcer, leading in.

Not at anytime did Larry call the 3 coming up the rail, he called the 2 Adventist up the rail. He's obviously upset after the race. I feel for him. Bless his heart, he so sounds terribly flustered. :(

[dilanesp]

That was like Chic Anderson's 1975 Derby. Brutal.

[Tom]

Master Derby?

[infrontby1]

Should cost him his pay for the week.

[dilanesp]

Master Derby?

Prince Thou Aren't

[cj]

Tough conditions, I was cringing for him the whole time since I was watching the 2 and knew that wasn't the horse on the rail. He'll recover, can't call as many big races as Larry has and not blow one eventually.

[Tom]

Adventist got third, so it was not that far off.

[burnsy]

Where's Adventist? I got em baby!!!!!!! Ohhhhhhh :(

[Kash$]

Where's Adventist? I got em baby!!!!!!! Ohhhhhhh :(
OTB old days no picture...Yikes....

[Stillriledup]

Nobody feels worse than Larry at this moment. Love him as a caller, he's a good guy, gets a pass from me.

[Grits]

Should cost him his pay for the week.

No. It shouldn't. For the owners of the 2, it doesn't change the amount of their check--not one dime.

I had Adventist, too, in my exacta.

I hate mud, it messes with everything about horses. :lol:

[Stillriledup]

Should cost him his pay for the week.

And when he calls great they double his salary? :D

[mannyberrios]

I give him a pass

[woodbinepmi]

Everybody screws up, it was bad though. You felt for him as soon as you heard it in his voice when he realized that he had made the mistake. Almost as bad as figuring out near the wire that Mine That Bird had drawn away at the 1/8 poll in the Derby.

[v j stauffer]

Worst feeling in the world. I know it was the times I did it. Happens to every announcer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOdAbjebs-g.

Larry is a world class announcer. He bounced back nicely with an excellent call in the Carter.

[horses4courses]

I watched the Ashland at Keeneland and figured Kurt Becker blew that call, too.

The 3 market leaders were clear coming into the stretch in a 5 filly field.
Cathryn Sophia was edging clear approaching the 1/8th pole, only to give it up late to the horse on her inside.
However, before these 3 leaders came inside the final furlong, you could see one of the two long shots
at least 4 lengths back of the leaders (maybe 6) starting to hit overdrive.

It wasn't long before :1: Weep No More was inhaling the leading pack.
When did she get her first call in the stretch from Becker?
As she hit the line in front.

I don't like criticizing race callers.
Seldom do it, because it's hard job that I doubt I could do well at.
At the same time, I often tune them out during a race.
I enjoy watching the race as it unfolds, and love finishes like this race had.

Didn't need anyone to tell me that a bomb was closing like gangbusters.
Whatever it's name was..... ;)

[Cholly]

Adventist got third, so it was not that far off.

Tom, you ARE a funny man!

[SuperPickle]

Look crappy conditions and the horse was a billion to one.

It was almost the exact same conditions as when Durkin missed Mine That Bird. Almost the exact same thing.

You have to give Larry credit for this...

You could tell by his voice he was absolutely embarrassed and apologetic by his voice. We all make mistakes. I back the ones you recognize it and are apologetic.

He also was big enough to correct himself. We've all seen announcer do the same thing and never correct themselves.

[dilanesp]

Tom, you ARE a funny man!

That's how Collmus discovered it.

You could almost hear him saying "Adventist was third?!? Then... then... who was that on the rail?"

[eddieb]

Larry is a terrific announcer and I know feels horrible for what happened. I confused silks in the 2014 Great Lady M at Los Al and called the wrong horse in front for the final 3/16 until I caught my mistake at the wire. I felt horrible. We announcers are our worst critics. We can have 99 great calls but will always remember the mistake. I have been announcing since 1981 and still get hard on myself when I make a mistake. I pride myself on accuracy and have many supporters like Larry does. He is a great announcer and great person. He admitted his frustration of Twitter moments after the Wood just as I did soon after the Great Lady M.

[no breathalyzer]

i agree people seem quick to bash him over this.. gets a pass from me too.. some people need to get a life..btw i'm a huge fan of your calls too.. you should post more often

[Grits]

i agree people seem quick to bash him over this.. gets a pass from me too.. some people need to get a life..btw i'm a huge fan of your calls too.. you should post more often

Don't know about Twitter, and don't know who needs a life but everyone here that's posted, including myself, immediately realized how upset Larry was. It was more than obvious in his voice, the nervousness after they crossed the wire, the frustration he felt. I don't believe anyone has purposefully bashed him, I'm sorry you feel this.

[HorsemenHeist]

I feel for Larry but it does need to be said that it was a terrible mistake. No need to bash any further than that. He's a good announcer that will redeem himself soon I'm sure.

Hell, I think Trevor called the wrong horse home in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic one year the whole stretch. It happens, it didn't cost anyone anything, and move on.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

People makes mistakes in any profession, this was simply magnified due to the importance of the race, even if it the new york preps seem to have become an after thought in the derby landscape in recent years ;). Larry is a great announcer, and I look forward to hearing the soothing sounds of Collmus for years to come. I cringed hearing the his surprise when he realized it was the wrong horse, I can only imagine how he feels. Keep calm and call on!

[EMD4ME]

Feel bad for him. That second where he looks back to see who ran third must've been a looooooong second. We all make mistakes. Crap happens.

Someone else said it here. Most other announcers would've ignored the error. He was kind enough to admit it immediately. Props for that.

[EMD4ME]

Plus...the 2 and the 3 had extremely similar silks....yes 1 had blinkers and the other didn't but the silks were all that he could see from up there as the 3's face was buried behind the 8's body.

Dont think binoculars have trakus just yet :lol:

He should be given a pass.

[burnsy]

Don't know about Twitter, and don't know who needs a life but everyone here that's posted, including myself, immediately realized how upset Larry was. It was more than obvious in his voice, the nervousness after they crossed the wire, the frustration he felt. I don't believe anyone has purposefully bashed him, I'm sorry you feel this.

Words of reason, Grits. Whose bashing? A couple of us made a joke out of it but I really didn't read any bashing. It happens, here's the thing with horse players. I've said this before, its a fast moving game, a game of inches, a game with multiple entities, and mistakes will be made. Horseplayers get bent so quickly about things that CAN'T be predicted. If one thinks the only time they cash is when things go according to some kind of script they foresee in their heads.......that is a grade "A" genius. Its horses, and people, going as fast as they can and jockeying for positions. One of the great things about it is anything can happen. You gotta feel badly for him if you are any kind of "track fan", it happened on the biggest race of the meet. I don't even know how they do it without missing more of them (calls). Anyone that follows this game knows that it is the ultimate in "shit happens"......that's one of the things that sucks you in..........The fact that it is unpredictable adds to the adrenaline.

The :2: was one of my exacta horses, I knew damn well he was outside......but I really didn't know who was on the rail either. Most of his calls are great, I can't hear well and he is very understandable. The people around this game are mostly good people, good at what they do, its the way its run that I bash the most. There is really no excuse for poor management. But if someone bashes a guy for something like that? When is the last time I or anyone else didn't screw something up? It happens even more as I age and these folks, race callers, and jockeys are thinking in split seconds. It takes a lot of "you know what's" just to put yourself out there in the spot light doing that job. I really think people take that for granted. Somehow everything people say is "bashing " now? I thought this was a tame thread. Chance of showers today better wear my helmet...... :)

[Grits]

Burnsy, if you notice, you'll see I quoted, Nobreathalyzer, who commented that he felt Collmus was being bashed. I don't feel we were bashing him, not here at PA. ... Sorry, gentlemen, you all carry on. I'm out.

[davew]

A shipper maiden almost wins the Wood -- I hope they go on to the Derby...
with a perfect rail trip.


I would be shocked as well to call Adventist in 2nd and look to see that the horse in 3rd was also Adventist.

Part of the problem is the saddlecloths all look the same for stakes races and then some were covered with mud.

[cj]

Burnsy, if you notice, you'll see I quoted, Nobreathalyzer, who commented that he felt Collmus was being bashed. I don't feel we were bashing him, not here at PA. ... Sorry, gentlemen, you all carry on. I'm out.

He wasn't other than the guy that made the lose his paycheck comment. I'm biased, Larry is a good friend. I felt sick for him the whole last eighth of a mile. It wasn't because he made a mistake. It was because I knew how hard he would be on himself and you could hear that in his voice after the finish.

Larry is a pro. He'll move on to many more great calls.

[EMD4ME]

A shipper maiden almost wins the Wood -- I hope they go on to the Derby...
with a perfect rail trip.


I would be shocked as well to call Adventist in 2nd and look to see that the horse in 3rd was also Adventist.

Part of the problem is the saddlecloths all look the same for stakes races and then some were covered with mud.

How does :2: and :3: look the same? They weren't in "old fashioned" saddlecloths for the Wood.

Nevertheless, he deserves a Mulligan.

[cj]

How does :2: and :3: look the same? They weren't in "old fashioned" saddlecloths for the Wood.

Nevertheless, he deserves a Mulligan.

I'm sure you know, but maybe others don't. Announcers aren't looking at saddle cloths.

[Cratos]

How does :2: and :3: look the same? They weren't in "old fashioned" saddlecloths for the Wood.

Nevertheless, he deserves a Mulligan.
Larry Collmus made a mistake in a big race and it becomes a thread starter on an Internet horseracing forum.

Give me break! NFL crews make mistakes with their calls and many other officials in other sport activities does the same at one or another.

These people make mistakes because they are human and not perfect.

NYRA will probably run about 2,000 races with approximately 12,000 horses this year and Collmus will probably call the majority; and he will probably make another mistake, so what?

Again, he is not perfect; it time to move on.

[EMD4ME]

Larry Collmus made a mistake in a big race and it becomes a thread starter on an Internet horseracing forum.

Give me break! NFL crews make mistakes with their calls and many other officials in other sport activities does the same at one or another.

These people make mistakes because they are human and not perfect.

NYRA will probably run about 2,000 races with approximately 12,000 horses this year and Collmus will probably call the majority; and he will probably make another mistake, so what?

Again, he is not perfect; it time to move on.

You may be a genius in some other ways but not in reading comprehension.

I DEFENDED LARRY.

My comment was to another poster about Stakes Saddlecloths.

I didn't start this thread. I came in to defend LARRY.

[EMD4ME]

I'm sure you know, but maybe others don't. Announcers aren't looking at saddle cloths.

Thank you CJ. I do know, was just replying to the other poster.

[PowerUpPaynter]

he should be fired immediately... maybe hung.




just kidding.. iv f'd up at my job too. hes pretty good, no big deal. we'll all live blokes... give the guy a break

[dilanesp]

Here's the thing. Collmus is very good. One of the best ever. And I certainly agree that his work, in toto, far, far, far outweighs what have been very rare mistakes.

Having said that, this WAS a very bad mistake. Collmus has two of the biggest jobs in the profession-NBC and NYRA, and a third pretty big one, Gulfstream's winter meet. He is probably very well compensated. And this was a big race on national television.

If you take that job, you sign up for scrutiny and criticism. If Joe Buck misidentified the player who scored a key touchdown in a playoff game, if Jim Nantz had misidentified the player who scored a key basket in the Final Four, etc., they would be criticized for it.

Nothing wrong with being critical of Collmus here.

[Cratos]

You may be a genius in some other ways but not in reading comprehension.

I DEFENDED LARRY.

My comment was to another poster about Stakes Saddlecloths.

I didn't start this thread. I came in to defend LARRY.
I apologize, but I made a general comment. I didn't use personal pronouns to indict any one poster.

Although I did error in attaching it your post; my comment still stand.

[Cratos]

Here's the thing. Collmus is very good. One of the best ever. And I certainly agree that his work, in toto, far, far, far outweighs what have been very rare mistakes.

Having said that, this WAS a very bad mistake. Collmus has two of the biggest jobs in the profession-NBC and NYRA, and a third pretty big one, Gulfstream's winter meet. He is probably very well compensated. And this was a big race on national television.

If you take that job, you sign up for scrutiny and criticism. If Joe Buck misidentified the player who scored a key touchdown in a playoff game, if Jim Nantz had misidentified the player who scored a key basket in the Final Four, etc., they would be criticized for it.

Nothing wrong with being critical of Collmus here.
Why should it be a "right or wrong?"

Shouldn't it just be an illogical expectation of perfection?

[v j stauffer]

You may be a genius in some other ways but not in reading comprehension.

I DEFENDED LARRY.

My comment was to another poster about Stakes Saddlecloths.

I didn't start this thread. I came in to defend LARRY.

You just can't help yourself.

Pathetic.

[RunForTheRoses]

You may be a genius in some other ways but not in reading comprehension.

I DEFENDED LARRY.

My comment was to another poster about Stakes Saddlecloths.

I didn't start this thread. I came in to defend LARRY.

I started the thread and I did not bash him, it was noteworthy for an afternoon playing the horses (plus it was a Grade 1 Race). Lets not get too crazy defending the poor guy ( I don't mean you EMD) he is a pro and is well compensated. imho it was worthwhile to comment on.

[dilanesp]

Why should it be a "right or wrong?"

Shouldn't it just be an illogical expectation of perfection?

When you are paid a lot of money to do something you are expected to do it right. Comes with the territory.

[EMD4ME]

[QUOTE=v j stauffer]You just can't help yourself.

Pathetic.[/QUOTE

Uhhhhh....I know you're on meds but please refrain from posting while you're on them please.

You're making no sense

[EMD4ME]

I apologize, but I made a general comment. I didn't use personal pronouns to indict any one poster.

Although I did error in attaching it your post; my comment still stand.

No harm no foul. Understood :) Be well Cratos.

[Stillriledup]

[QUOTE=v j stauffer]You just can't help yourself.

Pathetic.[/QUOTE

Uhhhhh....I know you're on meds but please refrain from posting while you're on them please.

You're making no sense

It's amazing how he has to come in and ruin every thread. He should put threads about announcers, stewards and jockey agents on 'ignore' and not participate in them as he's irrational and biased.

[Wickel]

And when he calls great they double his salary? :D

Which is 99.9 percent of the time! Great announcer, great guy.

[PaceAdvantage]

Here's the thing. Collmus is very good. One of the best ever. And I certainly agree that his work, in toto, far, far, far outweighs what have been very rare mistakes.

Having said that, this WAS a very bad mistake. Collmus has two of the biggest jobs in the profession-NBC and NYRA, and a third pretty big one, Gulfstream's winter meet. He is probably very well compensated. And this was a big race on national television.

If you take that job, you sign up for scrutiny and criticism. If Joe Buck misidentified the player who scored a key touchdown in a playoff game, if Jim Nantz had misidentified the player who scored a key basket in the Final Four, etc., they would be criticized for it.

Nothing wrong with being critical of Collmus here.Except you've constantly posted that announcers don't really matter. I find it laughable that you're even chiming in here.

[dilanesp]

Except you've constantly posted that announcers don't really matter. I find it laughable that you're even chiming in here.

"Don't criticize what you can't understand"- Bob Dylan.

"Announcers are unimportant" doesn't mean "there's no such thing as a good or a bad race call" or "you should never criticize an announcer for screwing up".

I come from a profession where people are paid a lot of money to not screw up. People who are paid a lot of money, in general, are subject to criticism when they do.

[PaceAdvantage]

OK, so announcers don't matter (according to you), except when they screw up.

[ultracapper]

Larry is a terrific announcer and I know feels horrible for what happened. I confused silks in the 2014 Great Lady M at Los Al and called the wrong horse in front for the final 3/16 until I caught my mistake at the wire. I felt horrible. We announcers are our worst critics. We can have 99 great calls but will always remember the mistake. I have been announcing since 1981 and still get hard on myself when I make a mistake. I pride myself on accuracy and have many supporters like Larry does. He is a great announcer and great person. He admitted his frustration of Twitter moments after the Wood just as I did soon after the Great Lady M.

I remember this call. You got the #1 and #7 crossed. It was twilight and the glare coming out of that far turn at Los Al is brutal. I noticed you did a "fix" for the replays.

**it happens.

[dilanesp]

OK, here's an obscure one.

The original and grand-daddy of the big race screw-ups. Clem McCarthy in the 1947 Preakness! It starts at the 11 minute mark. And his tone is almost EXACTLY like Collmus' when he realizes the error.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2SaQro5SCQ