View Full Version : Funniest race calls
TrackManSam
04-15-2005, 06:32 PM
Here is just a few I remember...
Larry Lederman (harness announcer from Freehold) was calling a race in a total blanket of fog, and just started goving out scores from the day in major league baseball. If you have never heard Larry Lederman, you must.
Harness Announcer from Hazel Park the other day after a spill exclaimed "we have a loose driver on the track, a loose driver"...I think the very next race was a field of five and he literally yawned at the half because no one was moving. This guy really makes a race entertaining and fun to listen too.
Michael Wrona's "staying like a mother in law" and "moving like a daughter with daddys credit card" are hilarious.
Larry Colmuss Said one day as they were coming down the stretch "and the chalk players are on their feet" as the favorite was drawing away. I would be interested to hear some others.
We had a horse named Mr. Frog at Finger Lakes, and one day Ross Morton clled the finish.."and that's Mr. Frog hopping into the place spot."g
Observer
04-15-2005, 11:22 PM
Don't know if this qualifies as funny .. but it was amazing!
A few years back, on the turf at Belmont .. Tom Durkin had a tongue twister when a stretch battle to the wire developed between Kyunbokong & Congo Mombo .. and it was a masterful, mind-blowing call.
Dan Montilion
04-16-2005, 12:11 AM
Michael Wrona came with this while calling a very "green" runner at Bay Meadows... Stach Sr. has lost her compass and a bit later, Stach Sr. continues to run about she looks like a loose shopping cart.
In the last 20 years the suit and ties in no. Cal made one good decision and that was hiring Wrona. However, the clowns called managment riverted to form and gave Wrona the boot.
Dan Montilion
Where is Wrona now ?
ZAFONIC
BillW
04-16-2005, 12:21 AM
Where is Wrona now ?
ZAFONIC
TUP (Unless Mirahmadi is back :eek: )
Speaking of Larry Lederman...who has made so many hilarious, gut-busting racecalls that I can't remember all of them...one that does stand out occured during the last year at Garden State Park. The horse's name was in Italian and Lederman twisted it, turned it, and called it differently every time...the last call he shouted, "Oh, the heck with it!" I had tears in my eyes 'cause I was laughing so hard.
Each week Larry interjects a comment about the current American Idol situation...on Thursday, he yelled out during the stretch drive of the second race at Freehold, "And how much longer can Scott survive on American Idol?"
Also, there was a pacer named Sargent Carter running at Freehold and as he crossed the finish line in front, Lederman hollered, "Gol-leeee, it's Sar-gent Carter!" in the way Gomer Pyle used to say it. That was also hilarious.
:lol:
Doc
TrackManSam
04-16-2005, 02:44 PM
Larry Lederman is one of a handful announcers that I can just listen too without even having a bet on the race. I think thats one of the may problems with horse racing today, these announcers are just so card board. No personality, no sense of humor, phony excitement. Hell, half of them don't even show any excitement. Two in particuler (Peter Galassi and Mike Battaglia) make it sound burdensome that there up there calling the races sometimes. We need some new faces, new names, new excitement. I have always been in favor of having an amatuer night at the races. Or, have an announcers elimination tournament with all the announcers in the country doing battle, or something.
PaceAdvantage
04-16-2005, 03:45 PM
Yeah, it sucks that what makes Lederman so enjoyable, is precisely the same thing that makes him "unmarketable."
And why not experiment with a woman announcer? I'd rather have a broad in the booth than the guy at Tampa Bay...or Battaglia.
racingrev
04-16-2005, 08:02 PM
Here is just a few I remember...
Larry Lederman (harness announcer from Freehold) was calling a race in a total blanket of fog, and just started goving out scores from the day in major league baseball. If you have never heard Larry Lederman, you must.
Harness Announcer from Hazel Park the other day after a spill exclaimed "we have a loose driver on the track, a loose driver"...I think the very next race was a field of five and he literally yawned at the half because no one was moving. This guy really makes a race entertaining and fun to listen too.
Michael Wrona's "staying like a mother in law" and "moving like a daughter with daddys credit card" are hilarious.
Larry Colmuss Said one day as they were coming down the stretch "and the chalk players are on their feet" as the favorite was drawing away. I would be interested to hear some others.
Their going slower than last weeks episodes of Days of Our Lives...
He's hanging like a cheap suit...
Showing more toe than a Roman sandle.
He spat out the dummy..
Tom Durkin once said his toughest call was a horse named 'Slick City Shoes"
Freddy
On the Harness Side, Jack E. Lee had a good sense of humor when he called races at Roosevelt Raceway.
ZAFONIC
Zman179
04-16-2005, 08:55 PM
Larry Lederman is the best. I can listen to him call races all day even when I'm not betting. I remember when he would say at Atlantic City: "Ooooooh baby, what a race. The fans are going berzerk, they're tearing out the chairs and hanging off the roof." I could actually imagine the fans doing that while he was calling! Lol.
The most clever line that I've heard was by Tom Durkin. One day around 1995 at Belmont Park, the starting gate malfunctioned just as the horses were about to load. So, they took the gate away by tractor and brought a second gate while the horses and jockeys waited at the starting point. As the gate was being brought up to the starting point, Tom said "And ladies and gentlemen, the starting gate...has reached the horses!" That was a good one.
Lasix1
04-16-2005, 09:10 PM
The most clever line that I've heard was by Tom Durkin. One day around 1995 at Belmont Park, the starting gate malfunctioned just as the horses were about to load. So, they took the gate away by tractor and brought a second gate while the horses and jockeys waited at the starting point. As the gate was being brought up to the starting point, Tom said "And ladies and gentlemen, the starting gate...has reached the horses!" That was a good one.
Zman,that IS hilarious!
I remember that one.....:D
Marshall Cassidy at NYRA...he had a somewhat sloooow cadence to his calls, and one day, a horse named Tora Tora Tora and another one with three words the same, but I foget what, they hooked up out of the gate and ran one two around the track and Marshall was calling "Tor-a, Tor-a, Tor-a, x,x,x...by the time he got it all out, they were back in the barn!
One year, at Saratoga, we were with the Sartin group in the festivle tent that sets right at the paddock and the grandstand cross0ver, and they have this little booth in the paddock where they shoot the TV show and I was surprised to see that they had a statue of MC inside of it! When the first race horses came to the paddock, the "statue" started talking! It was the real MC, and he sat in there motionless for over an hour waiting-totally motioinless!
The first thing he said was,"Welcome to another exciting day of racing action!"
CryingForTheHorses
04-17-2005, 07:32 PM
I remember that one.....:D
Marshall Cassidy at NYRA...he had a somewhat sloooow cadence to his calls, and one day, a horse named Tora Tora Tora and another one with three words the same, but I foget what, they hooked up out of the gate and ran one two around the track and Marshall was calling "Tor-a, Tor-a, Tor-a, x,x,x...by the time he got it all out, they were back in the barn!
One year, at Saratoga, we were with the Sartin group in the festivle tent that sets right at the paddock and the grandstand cross0ver, and they have this little booth in the paddock where they shoot the TV show and I was surprised to see that they had a statue of MC inside of it! When the first race horses came to the paddock, the "statue" started talking! It was the real MC, and he sat in there motionless for over an hour waiting-totally motioinless!
The first thing he said was,"Welcome to another exciting day of racing action!"
Tom would that other name be Toga Toga Toga?..I use to gallop her for J Hartigan owner in NY.
JPinMaryland
04-18-2005, 12:40 AM
Who is the guy at Sunland? I see the replays on wire to wire and I assume that is the track announcer we are hearing. Very nice call.
racingrev
04-18-2005, 12:52 AM
Who is the guy at Sunland? I see the replays on wire to wire and I assume that is the track announcer we are hearing. Very nice call.
Rob Geller...
He's an Aussie that calls at Emerald Downs as well.
Previously called in Hong Kong before heading to the States..
Figman
05-02-2005, 12:26 PM
On the Wednesday, May 4th card at Belmont Park, Marshall Cassidy will be calling a race.
OTM Al
05-02-2005, 12:37 PM
Durkin was in classic form Saturday as the fog once again rolled into Aqueduct, I think in the 5th. He could see pretty well as they wend down the backstretch, but as the neared the turn, it just got a bit too thick. His cadence just slowed down til he finally just gave up and flat out said "I don't know.......". Got to love it.
Valuist
05-02-2005, 12:48 PM
OTM-
I heard him the other day. It was pretty funny. I'm amazed he was able to call as much of the race as he did.
I always thought Cassidy had some bizarre calls. They sounded a bit on the effiminate side. If Felix Unger would've been a race caller, I think he would've sounded like Cassidy.
Lasix1
05-02-2005, 12:52 PM
Durkin was in classic form Saturday as the fog once again rolled into Aqueduct, I think in the 5th. He could see pretty well as they wend down the backstretch, but as the neared the turn, it just got a bit too thick. His cadence just slowed down til he finally just gave up and flat out said "I don't know.......". Got to love it.
Yes, and in the 9th race, with the fog now even thicker, Durkin is still trying to do the impossible. He says drolly "I think that's the favorite 'Zim and Torre' in the lead and coming up second is, uh, uh,----ladies and gentlemen, this is a work of fiction."
One of the many reasons Tom will always be my favorite track announcer.
OTM Al
05-02-2005, 12:52 PM
Yeah, he probably was still right on as he gave it up. It just kills me those days when the fog is so bad, they just start the shot coming into the turn and all you can see is the big wall of grey. You can hear the gate open, but it takes about 30 seconds before the horses appear from the mist. "And they're off.....I think...." Can listen to the calls again at racereplays.com which you can register for for free through the NYRA sites.
Lasix1
05-02-2005, 12:58 PM
Yeah, he probably was still right on as he gave it up. It just kills me those days when the fog is so bad, they just start the shot coming into the turn and all you can see is the big wall of grey. You can hear the gate open, but it takes about 30 seconds before the horses appear from the mist. "And they're off.....I think...."
It's even worse when you consider that the fog-cutting capabilities of the video equipment makes the track feed as good as it gets. Imagine the poor track announcer with nothing but a pair of binoculars....
dilanesp
08-03-2018, 07:19 PM
Wrona is extremely clever. He sneaks things in.
They just ran the 5th at Santa Rosa, and Imalocamotive made a big wide rally to win it.
"Here comes Imalocamotive, building a head of steam."
He thinks of this stuff on the spot.
garyscpa
08-04-2018, 09:27 PM
Wrona is extremely clever. He sneaks things in.
They just ran the 5th at Santa Rosa, and Imalocamotive made a big wide rally to win it.
"Here comes Imalocamotive, building a head of steam."
He thinks of this stuff on the spot.
Please post within existing threads.
dilanesp
08-04-2018, 10:40 PM
Please post within existing threads.
I did!
garyscpa
08-04-2018, 10:53 PM
I did!
I know!
MadVindication
08-05-2018, 01:50 AM
I know!
I was so confused reading posts in this thread and was going to respond to them but noticed they were from 2005 and figure I arrived too late. Shut out.
Anyway
"and it's 1 with a narrow lead, followed by 2, 3, the 4 on the outside and...5, 6, 7...that's unusual" IIRC it was Woodbine and the horses were running in order for a good bit :D
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