Interesting Race / Best Announcers

[Zenyatta To Crush]

If Arrrrr ever ran against Doremifasolatido?

Would Durkin be able to make it through the call or would his head explode due to too much excitement before they reach the wire? My bet is a head-less Durkin.

I still rank Durkin up there as my favorite announcer. Here's my short list:

1. Tom Durkin (His voice may crack and his deep breathing into the mic makes me nervous about his health, but he is still probably the best)

2. Vic Stauffer (His love for the sport is unmatched and I love how into the races he gets. I loved his calls on Lava Man and Zenyatta)

3. Dave Rodman (Year after year, he always gives a great call of the Preakness. Ever since Funny Cide's runaway victory in the Preakness, something interesting/unusual has happened every year and he's done a great job at calling them)

4. Larry Collmus (He's the Gulfstream and Monmouth announcer...gotta love his calls for Big Brown)

5. Trevor Denman (That's right, he's at the bottom of my list. Many people would have him number one, but it's hard for me to get excited for a race with someone who has his kind of accent. He's still good, but I just wish they would've given Stauffer a chance to call the Breeder's Cup races. Each of his calls would probably make the top ten list on Sportscenter)

[hbeck]

Collmus, Peter Berry, Durkin.

[Nacumi]

Dave Rodman, Larry Lederman, Larry Collmus, Keith Jones, in that order. :)

[joanied]

1-Durkin
2-Durkin
3-Durkin
:) :) :)

[Irish Boy]

Three D's- Denman, Durkin, and Dooley, in that order.

[hbeck]

I am also a big Lederman fan. So him, Berry, Collmus and Durkin.

[peakpros]

collmus and trevor are my favorites


I may be the minority but I think durkins the worst.

[cj]

Dave Rodman, Larry Lederman, Larry Collmus, Keith Jones, in that order. :)

Same top 4 as myself, though maybe not in that order.

[BombsAway Bob]

Luke :( :jump: , Fred Caposella :jump: , Harry Henson :jump: , & Babe Rubenstein:jump:

[toetoe]

Zenya,

I won't pick nits with your faves, but Lederman HAS to be up there, no ?

Also, Greg Young (almost certainly retired :( ) and Shane Bacon top my list, along with rarely mentioned Michael Wrona Botha-Schorr ( :jump: Alleluia.)

Chicago/New Orleans John's nomination is hereby Dooley noted, and politely declined. In my race, he barely makes it to the FINAL FURLONG. :faint:

[thespaah]

Wonder why John Dooley gets little recognition on these threds. I think he's an excellent announcer.

[Premier Turf Club]

Boomer is right there on any list I make. Wish he had a big track to call.

I like Vic, Michael Chamberlin and miss Luke's calls a lot. :(

[fmhealth]

John G. Dooley is in a class by himself. His calls are creative, crisp, accurate and he paints a wonderful picture of what's happening. His vocabulary & diction are second to none! Boomer & Vic follow closely while Durkin rises to the occasion on big days & Trevor has that flair that's hard to duplicate.

Just one man's opinion after almost 50 years listening to an array of callers from around the country.

[Zman179]

Oh man, yet another best/worst announcer thread. :rolleyes:

With that being said, Durkin's health concerns me and I miss Luke.

[v j stauffer]

Wonder why John Dooley gets little recognition on these threds. I think he's an excellent announcer.

Me too. I miss Luke too. Was on hold the other day calling a friend at Churchill. There was Luke calling Barbaro's Derby. I'm sure there will be a time when I enjoy something like that. Not yet. Too soon. Hurt too much.

[Imriledup]

My favorite announcers are VJS, Wrona, Eddie B, Battaglia and Tony Bentley.
Announcers i loved from the past are Marshall Cassidy and Phil Georgeff.

Two announcers who are no longer with us i also had a fondness for....Luke K was a sensational announcer, extremely talented not to mention a super human and Ross Morton the old voice of Gulfstream and Hialeah, loved listening to his calls also.

[cj]

My favorite announcers are VJS, Wrona, Eddie B, Battaglia and Tony Bentley.
Announcers i loved from the past are Marshall Cassidy and Phil Georgeff.

Two announcers who are no longer with us i also had a fondness for....Luke K was a sensational announcer, extremely talented not to mention a super human and Ross Morton the old voice of Gulfstream and Hialeah, loved listening to his calls also.

I want to congratulate you on being the first to ever include Mike Battaglia in a best announcers thread.

[MickJ26]

1-Tom Durkin (NYRA)
2-Vic Stauffer (Hollywood)
3-Kurt Becker (Keeneland)
4-Ed Burghart (Los Alamitos)
5-Dave Rodman (Maryland)

Honourable mentions to Ken Warkentin (Meadowlands), Tony Calo (Finger Lakes), the Yonkers guy (don't remember his name), Scott Erlich (Cal Expo) and Des Hamill (The Curragh/Leopardstown).


They do the best job of painting a picture combined with unbridled enthusiasm.
The last part is for any fellow Seinfeld fans.

[Imriledup]

I want to congratulate you on being the first to ever include Mike Battaglia in a best announcers thread.

Thank's im honored! :jump:

The one and only reason i included Battaglia in my post is not because i think he's a good announcer, but because i like him a bit. Whether he's technically good or not is up for debate, but the reason i like him is that i find myself imitating him on occasion. I love doing the 'for the lead......on the OUTSIDE.." and the "gaining grouuuuuuuuuuund" call too. I feel that if i'm imitating him, well, you know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form and all that jazz.

If i'm imitating his calls i must like him on SOME sort of level, so i tossed him a cookie and included him where no one dare tread.

[Irish Boy]

I think Mike Battaglia is the only announcer I really, really dislike. I went back and heard some old calls of his from the 80s and I noticed that his stretching of words and weird annunciations have gotten much more pronounced over the years.

There's a harness track announcer I dislike as well but I don't know his name. He sounds like a monster truck rally type of guy.

I know Denman takes a lot of flak on this board, but if I were a man of immodest means, I would seriously employ Denman for a handsome sum to walk around and narrate my day.

[bettheoverlay]

I handicapped Arlington every day for the first time this year and I think Dooley has become my favorite announcer of all time. I love Becker too.

[cj]

I handicapped Arlington every day for the first time this year and I think Dooley has become my favorite announcer of all time. I love Becker too.

I can't hear him over the fake hooves and fake crowd noise.

[mannyberrios]

Thank's im honored! :jump:

The one and only reason i included Battaglia in my post is not because i think he's a good announcer, but because i like him a bit. Whether he's technically good or not is up for debate, but the reason i like him is that i find myself imitating him on occasion. I love doing the 'for the lead......on the OUTSIDE.." and the "gaining grouuuuuuuuuuund" call too. I feel that if i'm imitating him, well, you know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form and all that jazz.

If i'm imitating his calls i must like him on SOME sort of level, so i tossed him a cookie and included him where no one dare tread.
:ThmbUp: :ThmbUp: Great post :1: