Luke Kruytbosch

[sandpit]

There is word out of Ellis Park today that track announcer Luke Kruytbosch has passed away this morning. Have not heard any details yet, but he was found at his apartment. This is very, very sad news :(.

[cj]

Wow, that sucks. I always thought he was one of the good ones.

[bigmack]

Just spoke with the racing office and the news is correct.

What a real shame.

http://a324.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/73/s_33b68f5c66af8c6350b59bc13114c0eb.jpg
Luke K

[boomman]

Very very sad news..All of us that just found out in Arizona are in shock! A respected friend and colleague for many years who will be greatly missed by the entire horse racing industry. Michele and I's thoughts and prayers go out to Luke's many friends and family.

RIP Luke..........

Boomer

[Tom]

That is sad news....Luke was very good.
Prayers to his family, on and off track.

[Bruddah]

as presented by the Arizona Race track program.

May the Angels rejoice in your prescense. Your friends, family and admirers will miss you.

Bruddah

http://utopianvision.co.uk/bollywood/videos/?v=6CJtkJMZj5k

[richrosa]

DRF has it. 45 is too young for anyone to leave us.

http://drf.com/news/article/96342.html

[Greyfox]

A great guy who wasn't afraid to mingle with the general betting crowd. Nothing snooty about Luke at all. I loved his calls.

[Premier Turf Club]

Just awful news. He was a great race caller and a young man.

[Marshall Bennett]

What a blow !! One of my favorites . God bless his family and friends . Churchill will never seem the same . A real loss .

[Southieboy]

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jul/14/ellis-park-announcer-luke-kruytbosch-dies/

[trying2win]

I'm shocked to hear of this sad news. I always liked the way Luke called the races. I was listening to his race calls on the weekend via the live video from Ellis Park. If I remember correctly, Luke even called the races here at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for a short time a few years ago. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

T2W

[KyRacer]

Very sad news. I really enjoyed his calls. Occasionally had a couple of beers with him after the races at Churchill. Will miss him. :(

[rastajenk]

I went to school with him at Arizona (some of the spouse unit's favorite memories from that era include or involve Lukie). He stayed with us in Columbus for a while when he was in between gigs, and I hooked up with him again when he subbed a few days for Battaglia at Turfway. Was always proud of his accomplishments and that once upon a time I knew him well. A racing guy if ever there was one. What a blow.

[toetoe]

WHAT ?!? :eek:

WAY too young, and I understand very popular. :(

[Southieboy]

http://www.legacy.com/KENTUCKY/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=113395138

[jognlope]

"off and running in derby 139.." I loved his husky voice. Too young, so sad.

[jognlope]

129 I meant, Funny Cide's.

[PaceAdvantage]

Oh wow, unbelievable! Only 47 years old. This is quite a shock.

He was one of my favorite announcers. Easily in my top two or three active race callers. What a sad day....you will be greatly missed...

UTg5h_zMYaw

[jognlope]

Oh that's sad.

[46zilzal]

Good solid caller....Too bad

[onefast99]

A very good race caller, he will be missed by all.

[Vinman]

I was fortunate to cash, on a group wager of $5,936, the first ever $1,000,000 guaranteed Pick 6 at Hollywood on June 14, 1998. Luke was at the mike as usual that day to chronicle our "score" of $53,357.60 plus 28 "conso's of $544 each. I had my SoCal friend Lisa buy me the VHS tape of the day's races from the Hollywood Park gift shop. Each race is shown from at least 4 different angles. Every once & awhile I pop it in.

I will forever associate Luke's booming voice with winning that Pick 6, with a $55 first time starter named Bimbo's Kiss overhauling the 3-1 fave Christmas In Dixie in the final strides of the finale.

God bless you Luke.

Vinman

[point given]

Read one report that said he died of natural causes. How natural is passing at 47 ? My dad passed earlier than that and was a heartattack. Now over 50 years later and folks are still passing early, I guess we haven't progressed as much as we'd like to think. I was reading a mag article just today in a Dr's office on Tim Russerts' passing and about a heart scan test which id's plaque in arteries and is inexpensive to do, but we don't do it . So many folks passing much to early now adays.

Luke was a pleasure to listen to, absolutley no artifice in his race calls, he sounded like he loved what he was doing with that deep raspy voice of his. I just listened to the link someone posted of the 2008 Derby to remember him. There was excitement in his voice and a joy without getting in the way of the race he was calling. Its one of the reasons i love horse racing . Thanks Luke.

[foregoforever]

Very sad. Luke had a very distinctive style. I often wondered where he was from, as some of his pronunciations seemed odd to me. Turns out he was from my state, Virginia. Go figure.

I always enjoyed it when the horses "wheeled" onto the backstretch. In fact, I've been hearing his phrases in my head all evening.

I've always wondered why the Racing Hall of Fame doesn't have some sort of recognition for track announcers. They are, literally, the voice of the game for us ... much debated, much admired, much appreciated. In a sport that has more than its share of prickly personalities, the track announcers are almost always the good guys. Luke was one of the best.

[JustRalph]

Read one report that said he died of natural causes. How natural is passing at 47 ? My dad passed earlier than that and was a heartattack. Now over 50 years later and folks are still passing early, I guess we haven't progressed as much as we'd like to think. I was reading a mag article just today in a Dr's office on Tim Russerts' passing and about a heart scan test which id's plaque in arteries and is inexpensive to do, but we don't do it . So many folks passing much to early now adays.

Luke was a pleasure to listen to, absolutley no artifice in his race calls, he sounded like he loved what he was doing with that deep raspy voice of his. I just listened to the link someone posted of the 2008 Derby to remember him. There was excitement in his voice and a joy without getting in the way of the race he was calling. Its one of the reasons i love horse racing . Thanks Luke.

My last physical I asked my Doc about getting one done. He said they find "something" on over 75% of those scanned and it causes much stress and problems for many people. He said anybody approaching 50 would probably not have a clear scan of ateries around the heart. It is the size of the "something" that really matters.............he didn't recommend it because many people get stressed about it and he believed that the stress level would outweigh any improvements you might make in diet and excercise etc. just because you had the "bad scan" he told me what he always tells me, lose more weight and eat better. Save the scan until you need it and there really is something to worry about was his opine.

[thespaah]

I'm speechless. God speed Luke.

[lamboguy]

i had a nickle claimer that won @ churhill about 6 weeks ago. churhill sent me a dvd of my race with a program. i listened to it tonight, over and over again.

the tears are pouring out for the loss of this great man. churchill and racing will never be the same without luke. my friend in kentucky was very friendly with him, and i had the honor of shaking that mans hand, a true legend.

we all lost a great friend, my condolences to his family and thanks for cheering us up and making us feel at home when you called your races.

[whipsaw]

nine or ten years ago on an impromptu tour of churchill I was invited into the announcers booth. Luke took an enthusiastic interest in my necktie which was a silkscreen of norman rockwell's painting of a jock weighing in. making a short story long i gave him the tie.

two or three years later at turf paradise ms saw says why don't we call luke and see if we can get up. customer service calls and i tell him i'm the guy with the tie and before i can even ask he says why don't you come up and watch a couple races from up here.

he also called the first race from rillito, where he started out, opening day every year. not anybody could hear him with the pa system. and that being the only thing he had to do he was generally...uh...sloshed.

great guy and, for my money, possibly the best caller in the country.

[Nets]

Was at Ellis Park yesterday and I simply cannot believe I will not hear that wonderful voice calling a race again. In my opinion, no one was better.

[sandpit]

There have been a great many here that have stated their feelings more eloquently than I could ever hope to. I was privileged to be Luke's friend for the past 10 years. We both spent time working in racing offices, never at the same meet, but it was a common bond that instilled our respect for those who care for the horses. And though he was not always the biggest fan of the corporate world that has become such a big part of racing, he always gave his respect to all, most importantly his job. He was certainly the most welcoming racecaller when it came to visitors in the booth; I was lucky enough to visit him with my children at Churchill Downs the day Ipi Tombe ran there; he gave us his trademark Crayola colored program as a present. I only wish he was here now so I could thank him again. Everyone please remember to raise a glass in honor soon; I think that's what he would do.

[WJ47]

It makes me so sad to hear this. He was such an asset to the sport and a very nice guy. It just freaks me out to think that someone can be happy, alive and calling races at Ellis Park yesterday and gone the next morning. He was way too young. :(

[Tom Barrister]

Condolences to his family and many friends.

[speldedo]

I saw the headline in DRF and couldn't believe it. I've lived in AZ for twenty years and always looked forward to TUP opening day just to hear that familiar voice. I didn't know Luke, but from what I've seen and read he was even a better person than he was a racecaller. Luke you will be missed.

[cnollfan]

Terrible news. Luke was excellent -- he knew that the horses were the show, and his job was to bring that show clearly and accurately to the fan. I met him one Derby eve at a bar near Churchill Downs -- he was friendly and gracious.

[Wickel]

An absolute shock. I became good friends with him early in his career at The Downs at Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I last saw him at the 2004 Breeders Cup at Lone Star Park. Great talent, great friend. RIP Luke.

[JustRalph]

After reading things all day online about Luke, I can honestly say that I have never seen more "nice things" said about anyone in the sport. Amazing all the people this guy called "friend" Those of us who didn't know him, apparently missed out on a delightful person. For those of you that did know him, condolences.


If you didn't catch Rich Perloff on TVG today, announcing this sad story, I believe for the first time? You missed a very real and one on one type of broadcasting that adds a touch of class to TVG. The way he did it was very nice. You felt like your best friend was breaking the news to you.

[Forego]

Luke was a real good guy, and a terrific racecaller. Very, very sad news. Just incomprehensible.

I had the misfortune to learn of this tragedy yesterday afternoon when I happened upon Totally Vulgar and Gross (TVG) while channel-surfing. They reached new lows, even for TVG, which is saying quite a bit.

The "host," Nancy Someoneorother, essentially said that racecallers are a bunch of cut-throats, and that she's certain they're all polishing their resumes, preparing to send them to Twin Spires Country. She then opined that TVG's own Frank Mirahmadi would be a fine choice to replace Luke. This, perhaps two or three hours after the first word of Luke's passing.

Classy, indeed...

[thespaah]

Luke was a real good guy, and a terrific racecaller. Very, very sad news. Just incomprehensible.

I had the misfortune to learn of this tragedy yesterday afternoon when I happened upon Totally Vulgar and Gross (TVG) while channel-surfing. They reached new lows, even for TVG, which is saying quite a bit.

The "host," Nancy Someoneorother, essentially said that racecallers are a bunch of cut-throats, and that she's certain they're all polishing their resumes, preparing to send them to Twin Spires Country. She then opined that TVG's own Frank Mirahmadi would be a fine choice to replace Luke. This, perhaps two or three hours after the first word of Luke's passing.

Classy, indeed...Gee no grey matter there, huh? Tell us what ya really think.

[Forego]

OK, fine. Whatever...

Not sure there's a whole lot of room for interpretation. At the same time she told people of a tragedy, TVG's host also saw fit to besmirch all track announcers as "cut-throats who are all busy polishing their resumes right now." This was followed by her pushing one of her occasional co-workers (I guess Frank Mirahmadi is the one track announcer she doesn't view as a "cut-throat") as Luke's replacement.

Color that however you like, couch it in whatever terms you like. I think it was disgraceful.

[Marshall Bennett]

Thought Rich did a good job in his breaking of the news , this was perhaps 2 or 3 hours after learning of it here . Didn't catch Nancy's comments but never have thought much of her work there anyway , no shock to me .

[JustRalph]

Lexington Herald Leader

"Vanderburgh County coroner Don Erk ruled out foul play in the death and attributed Mr. Kruytbosch's death to cardiac problems. He had a history of heart trouble.

Mr. Kruytbosch had just started a prescription medication for the problems the previous day, and he complained of chest pain the day of his death, Erk said. "

[jwcomposer]

If we (racecallers) are cut-throats, we must all be back-stabbers, then. In all reality, and I'm sure my brother (and elder) racecallers will agree that we're a pretty tight-knit community, all 80 or so of us in the country. Some of my best friends are racecallers, and they've helped me deal with a lot of obstacles in life concerning things other than learning how to commentate a horse race. That said, we all can agree that this is a time to celebrate Luke's life.

[Living Flame]

Luke used to call the races at Hollywood Park, I remember him well. He seemed like a really nice guy. I'm very sorry I never got to meet him and talk racing with him. :( This is awful, so very sad.


Yeah, and shameful what TVG did!:ThmbDown:

[Tom Barrister]

A late 40's male with a family history of heart problems who doesn't take care of his health (i.e. overweight, wrong diet, doesn't exercise), is a walking time bomb. Luke was very obese, and while I'm terribly saddened to hear of his death, it's not a major shock. Still, to lose one of the top four or five announcers in the country at the age he was taken from us is a sad thing, indeed.

[rokitman]

Rest in peace, Luke. (http://www.civilwarartillery.com/sounds/taps.wav)

[larman]

AMEN.

[jognlope]

..."Funny Cide looking to split horses".... I will miss him and especially his exciting delivery of races.

[Tom]

I always thought his voice was kind of relaxing, complimenting the action in the background, while making it easy to follow the race he was calling.

[Marshall Bennett]

One of his best calls was when the umbrella got loose on the track as the field headed down the stretch . :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[bigmack]

Guestbook for Mr. Kruytbosch (http://www.legacy.com/KENTUCKY/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=113395138)

This comes as a terrible shock. As a race caller I can't say enough good things about Luke. He had it all. Accuracy, enthusiasm, "feel" for a race, passion ....and that voice! He was also unique. And that is what made him great. He had a style that was all his. Part clear, uncluttered modernism. And part a drama of delivery that harkened back to days of racing on radio in the 40's 50's. It came naturally and came across magnificently. What a sad day for the sport.
But racing aside ,he was just a great guy. I mean, a really great guy. Never said a bad word about anybody. And cheerful!! He just lit up a room with positive energy. A person you just loved to be around.
I admired him on many levels. you were a great guy, Luke
Tom Durkin, Floral Park, NY

[Hajck Hillstrom]

This is very sad news. I will keep a jar of crayons displayed in his honor.

Everyone please remember to raise a glass in honor soon .....and tonight, I will repeat the toast I once made with him, to lying, stealing, cheating, and drinking; When you lie, you lie to save a friend, when you steal, you steal someone's heart, when you cheat, you cheat death, and when you drink, you drink to Luke.

[WJ47]

After reading things all day online about Luke, I can honestly say that I have never seen more "nice things" said about anyone in the sport. Amazing all the people this guy called "friend" Those of us who didn't know him, apparently missed out on a delightful person. For those of you that did know him, condolences.


If you didn't catch Rich Perloff on TVG today, announcing this sad story, I believe for the first time? You missed a very real and one on one type of broadcasting that adds a touch of class to TVG. The way he did it was very nice. You felt like your best friend was breaking the news to you.

Rich Perloff was the announcer on TVG when the news of Barbaro's passing was announced. I remember how he delivered the news so eloquently and with such sadness. He is one class act. I had to work today and missed watching TVG.

It's been amazing reading all the wonderful posts about Luke on these boards. It's such a shame he had to pass away so soon.

[joelouis]

DRF has it. 45 is too young for anyone to leave us.

http://drf.com/news/article/96342.html

You never known when your time has come.