Announcing

[DigitalDownsJoe]

I have been working on my race calls which I am going to be doing live here on the internet for a digital horse racing site, and I am really wanting some good input on announcing. I find myself going through the field a little too much. Do you all think its more important for an announcer focusing on the contenders and maybe ones from the back who are making moves. Or do you like to hear every horse mentioned during the race. I noticed if I sorta handicap the races before hand and get an idea of who the contenders are going to be I also had an easier time with the race, although it doesn't always go according to plan. I try and throw in some clever catch phrases as well. I find announcing as a really challenging thing to do, and deserves a lot of my respect to those who do it well. I have been listening to a lot of calls and paying attention to detail, and everyone seems to have their own style.

I just wanted to see if you all had some favorite announcers, phrases, styles, and anything else you could add to help me out..thanks :)

[tbwinner]

One thing I like announcers do is when they promptly announce the fractions, like right after the number comes up as they pass the quarter pole. Sometimes I hear Durkin call the first 1/4 right as the 1/2 comes up and I don't like it, that's just me.

[DigitalDownsJoe]

When I see the fractions pop up, I finish what I am commenting on, and immediately say the fractions. Are there different ways of saying the fractions as well? Also if anyone has some good race call clips please post for me..thanks

[craigbraddick]

Hi Joe:

I think every race caller has their own style and a lot of us are constantly trying to improve and hone our skills further. One of its joys is you can always do it a little better.

Presumably you are able to memorize the silks ok...

I try to get all of the horses a call in the opening quarter mile as well as who broke well or slowly from the gate.

From that point, I get into the "meat" of the race. While I do not think you can go through the field too many times, try to concentrate on horses making a move and WHY they are making that move. Add it into the race call and it will really make a positive difference.

Once they turn for home, I concnetrate on the leaders but always keep an eye out for that way late closer!

In many ways, a good race call is like a three act play.

I mark my program with a "+" or "-" for early pace and late closer horses and find that helpful too.

An idea I stole from Travis Stone who got it from Tom Durkin is to make a folder full of phrases. I keep them in alphabetical order. Also, I have a thesaurus in the booth and EVERY day I look in it for a new word. You can never have too much of a vocabulary as a race caller.

You really should develop your own style. There is no point in being a poor mans version of a better known caller. By all means borrow stuff along the way, I do all the time, but finding your own niche will give you confidence down the road.

As far as fractions go, I think it is far better to just describe the pace as part of the race call. Never have been one to call the fractions and no one has ever commented on it! Describing the pace is an essential part of a race call.

The other thing I would say is go to the track and practice through binoculars whenever you can. Send DVDs to race callers or put them online and email them and get some feedback.

If I can be of any help, please email me: britishracecaller@gmail.com

Craig Braddick.

[Phantombridgejumpe]

do the fractions at all, and this I don't care for.

I think the announcers I like best are the ones that treat it like a fan and report on what they see. Every horse should be mentioned at least once, but from my point of view if, after that, a horse does nothing newsworthy I don't need to here that name again.

[PhantomOnTour]

I have been working on my race calls which I am going to be doing live here on the internet for a digital horse racing site, and I am really wanting some good input on announcing. I find myself going through the field a little too much. Do you all think its more important for an announcer focusing on the contenders and maybe ones from the back who are making moves. Or do you like to hear every horse mentioned during the race. I noticed if I sorta handicap the races before hand and get an idea of who the contenders are going to be I also had an easier time with the race, although it doesn't always go according to plan. I try and throw in some clever catch phrases as well. I find announcing as a really challenging thing to do, and deserves a lot of my respect to those who do it well. I have been listening to a lot of calls and paying attention to detail, and everyone seems to have their own style.

I just wanted to see if you all had some favorite announcers, phrases, styles, and anything else you could add to help me out..thanks :)

I presume the online site is Digital Downs???
I tried to sign up about a month ago and haven't heard a thing in return.
:ThmbDown:

[DigitalDownsJoe]

Craig, thanks so much for the reply and you will likely get some audio of some test runs from me here real soon. I will be covering virtual horse racing on Digitaldowns.us. I dont think I will have to cover things like swithing hands with the whip and what not but I just wanted to get a feel for what some people really like to hear. I have some ideas for the break from the gate that I thought were very interesting. I have been having a lot of fun practicing, and noticing my "errors" are getting less and less, and when I make a small error or pause, I just drive on without letting it ruin the whole call. How do you handle a difficult name to pronounce, and do you do anything different in a sprint when you have less time to commentate. I think your announcing has to be alittle more fast and furious with the speedsters right? We start at 4 furlongs and go up to a mile and a half.

[DigitalDownsJoe]

Hey Phantom, I can only assume maybe the reply went to your junk folder. If you private message me your email and username I will make sure you get another email in return with your 2 free horses. The site is really a lot of fun, and there are some pieces in place to make it even more fun. The 3d viewer is top notch, and like I said we will be adding race calls here soon along with a Saturday night show, previewing the big stakes races via podcast. The game is from the ownership/training side of the game, with no betting, but we do run alot of contests for prizes including free horses and credits.

[craigbraddick]

Craig, thanks so much for the reply and you will likely get some audio of some test runs from me here real soon. I will be covering virtual horse racing on Digitaldowns.us. I dont think I will have to cover things like swithing hands with the whip and what not but I just wanted to get a feel for what some people really like to hear. I have some ideas for the break from the gate that I thought were very interesting. I have been having a lot of fun practicing, and noticing my "errors" are getting less and less, and when I make a small error or pause, I just drive on without letting it ruin the whole call. How do you handle a difficult name to pronounce, and do you do anything different in a sprint when you have less time to commentate. I think your announcing has to be alittle more fast and furious with the speedsters right? We start at 4 furlongs and go up to a mile and a half.

Speaking from experience, I find just one or two sayings to start the race off gets me into the comfort zone. If you try and be too fancy at the start, it can throw you off on the rest of the call!

I know its difficult but when you are unsure still try and speak with conviction and sound as if you know what you are talking about. Chances are you will be right anyway and if not just carry on. Everyone has to do that from time to time.

As someone who calls hundreds of QH races per year as well as TB racing, I always make it a point in a QH race or a sprint if anything to try and start slower than I normally do. In those races where a lot is happening, timing your breathing to get in the details is uppermost. As is a concise choice of words.

Here is a trick....breathe out fully and relax...from your diaphragm breathe in with your mouth open (if you do not know how to breathe from your diaphragm, just push your belly out as your breathe in) for a count of ten reaching the top of your breath when you hit ten, then hold it for a count of ten, then release the breath during a ten count, reaching the final bit of air as you hit ten.

The first two are very easy, the third part is very tough but nothing will teach you the importance of pace and breathing better.

Craig

[Bullet Plane]

Good question:


I like to hear a description of the horse during the stretch call. Some will call out the name of the horse, but with certain camera angles you cannot see what horse they are talking about.

Something like....in the blue shadowroll.... with the black blinkers...in the red cap...blue silks...something to tell me where the horses are.

I know what colors the horse I bet on are wearing, but if another horse gets to the lead in the stretch...in most cases, since I am not a track announcer,
I don't know who it is..or the price of the horse... the gray horse coming fast on the outside ...20-1. That is a very helpful call.

a jockey name and description of tactics, or perceived tactics, is also good. Whether the horse has a lot left on the lead or is all out...the camera angle may not make this obvious either....

Anything to fill in what the camera can't help you with....knowledge of the jocks, colors, tactics, moves of horses...

At least you care enough to ask, so you're on the right track.

[thespaah]

I have been working on my race calls which I am going to be doing live here on the internet for a digital horse racing site, and I am really wanting some good input on announcing. I find myself going through the field a little too much. Do you all think its more important for an announcer focusing on the contenders and maybe ones from the back who are making moves. Or do you like to hear every horse mentioned during the race. I noticed if I sorta handicap the races before hand and get an idea of who the contenders are going to be I also had an easier time with the race, although it doesn't always go according to plan. I try and throw in some clever catch phrases as well. I find announcing as a really challenging thing to do, and deserves a lot of my respect to those who do it well. I have been listening to a lot of calls and paying attention to detail, and everyone seems to have their own style.

I just wanted to see if you all had some favorite announcers, phrases, styles, and anything else you could add to help me out..thanks :)
I will preface by stating I would never pretend to have expertise on the level which employed race callers posses.
Now, these are my opinions.
Out of the gate, first call should be the entire field. God bless you if it's more than 10 horses. .
Next, the top 5 or so. Let the listeners know where the favorite is if he or she isn't among the ones among the leaders. Some callers forget the better horses if they are closers. In that case the announcers some times do not notice them until they have caught the front runners.
I do not think it necessary to call every horse more than once in a sprint. More than twice in a route.
Split times. I prefer to hear the announcer call these. Some announcers do not.
Catch phrases are cool, but only if not over used. Never use the same one more than once in a race.
Announcers that go through the entire field after the race has finished make me want to drive an ice pick into my temple. Don't do it. The first four is enough.
Lastly. Calling each horse ( name) is in (position) by ( number) of lengths is boring. Add something to it.
As far as I am concerned race announcing is like telling a short story. The announcer is supposed to be describing the action. "Painting a word picture".
Oh....one more thing HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[Cardus]

Yet... another... announcer thread.

[turninforhome10]

Yet... another... announcer thread.
Guy is trying to better himself. Give him something positive

Old Timey race calls- Dr. Fager's Historic World Record Mile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wVBNbmcaAE
Craig Ingram
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR1WOX2xAgk&feature=related
Marshall Cassidy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XT0RF-FEdM&feature=related

Best call when you don't know how to pronounce a name- (look how young Durkin looks) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=hwhcS1VPccA&feature=related

My favorite race caller the late great Luke Kruytbosch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBrtlaRKpjc&feature=related

Best Call of everyone- Mirahamdi does it best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FAFwdIdTac&feature=related

Best of all the calls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QflXzgEj1g&feature=related

Hope this helps. I don't know very many of the old ones, but Luke Kruytbosch was my favorite. Loosing Luke was too soon for all of us.

[Cardus]

I'm thrilled that you started... another... announcer thread.

[thespaah]

Yet... another... announcer thread.
Then don't read it...Jeez!
You are not the only person on here. This is not a monolithic forum.
'Nuff said to you. No response required.

[GameTheory]

I like to hear the fractions if they are especially fast or slow. I like the philosophy of calling "expectations vs reality" -- expectations are apparent by the tote board and also the running styles. So I want to know what the favorite is doing even if he is losing. If a supposed front-runner is not in front, I want a comment about that, etc. In other words don't call the race in a vacuum, but call it with "the way it was supposed to go" in mind...

[eastie]

i like when announcers have plenty of schtick. lots of cool sayings and alike. also when they use the hosses name in a punny or funny way. Catch phrases are awesome. i can yell. "now they're all in" at any track around if I need to talk to someone from Boston. This makes the memorable calls. Usually they're in the Big races, but sometimes other calls can stay with you. Red dOg and red neck, red neck and red dog, reed dog and red neck, red neck and red dog, and it's Red Neck !

or And its achenar and padonia, padonia and achenar, etc...

[devilsbag]

I would recommend you work on your accents. Try Australian. Everyone says "and they're off." It's very 1990s. Try yelling "Racing" at the start of the race.

Then it gets a little tricky, because the horses are actually moving. Shift into a bit of a southern drawl and say "for the lead," preferably a bit drawn out. Milk this for at least an eighth of a mile.

If it's a race that starts in front of the stands, mention that the field is "passing beneath the twin spires for the first time." Not every track has twin spires, so check the media guide.

If it's a sprint, tell them "there's a scramble on early." If it's a walkover, this becomes optional.

In the second furlong, fans are going to expect to hear names of horses, and this is where you start to earn your paycheck. Give them names, preferably of horses actually in the race and in their current positional order.

If that seems daunting at first, find the leader. If you can't tell through your binoculars, check the television! Mention facts like the name of the jockey and what colors he is wearing. For example, "Con Errico has Zippy Chippy, in the orange jumpsuit with the prison identification number, on an easy lead."

If you're comfortable with a South African accent, add "out here" whenever you feel like it, either before or after a sentence. This will not work with the southern drawl.

You may want to offer the opening fraction, which should be the first quarter of a mile. At some facilities, this is a crapshoot, but if it does get posted, by all means relay that information. If your track posts time in hundredths of a second, you must convert to fifths. An introductory math course at a local community college is a worthwhile investment to assist with this.

If you ever call harness races, you may feel obligated to actually break down the fractions by quarters. For example, if the first quarter was :28 2/5, and the half mile was :57 3/5, you would have to subtract :28 2/5 from :57 3/5. Only Rainman could actually do this, so just yell out that the second quarter went in anything from 27 to 29 seconds. It sounds better if you add x/5ths to it.

Another way to impress people is to calculate the distance from the last horse to the first horse. For example, "Forego is racing eighth" sounds a bit blah. Tell them that "Forego is eighth, 19 3/4 lengths off the lead." If you are pretty sure the horse is off the camera, don't waste time guessing accurately. Realistically, they aren't paying you enough to do that.

The stretch run is your bread and butter. Rhyming is fun. Try something like "there's a quarter to go at Pimlico," but it's more effective if you insert the name of the track you're actually at. That information is usually located on the front of the program.

Other stretch run catch phrases you might try are things like "and down the stretch they come" or "here they come into the short stretch of the mile run." Don't be shy...combine them! Feel free to use, "Down the short stretch of the mile run they come!" You'll sound like a seasoned professional in no time.

Be original. If a horse has a big lead, say he's moving like a tremendous machine. Why not pretend there's an earthquake in the middle of a call? This can really spice up a blah Wednesday afternoon. Keep people guessing. At the half mile pole of a dirt sprint, throw in something like "they're at the fifth of 12 fences." It keeps the fans on their toes, and makes thing more interesting for you.

I can offer you more advice, but some things you need to learn via experience. Hopefully this gives you a good start. All the best with your career!

[Peter Berry]

Brilliant stuff!!!!!

[bigmack]

Other stretch run catch phrases you might try are things like "and down the stretch they come" or "here they come into the short stretch of the mile run." Don't be shy...combine them! Feel free to use, "Down the short stretch of the mile run they come!" You'll sound like a seasoned professional in no time.
Nice piece. :ThmbUp:

Throw in "let's see..."

[DigitalDownsJoe]

Excellent ideas and comments. Thank you to all of you who were kind enough to offer a helping hand. I am going to study tapes and try and work on my flow and vocabulary..All of your ideas were great, and I think alittle bit of professionalism and some fun thrown in the mix will do just fine for me :)

[Cardus]

Then don't read it...Jeez!
You are not the only person on here. This is not a monolithic forum.
'Nuff said to you. No response required.

Humor.

Get some.

[PaceAdvantage]

Humor.

Get some.Wait...you were trying to be funny?

[Cardus]

Wait...you were trying to be funny?

Crazy, ain't it?

[mountainman]

call it "the way it was supposed to go"

Trevor, is that you?

[usedtolovetvg]

Don't get excited unless there is something to get excited about. The call loses its impact when the announcer is screaming as soon as the gate opens. I think a lot of the callers overseas start slow and pick up the pace and really get the adrenalin flowing when they come down the stretch. Of course, if there isn't a close finish, there's no sense carrying on like there is. Each race will have its only tale worth telling. The way you tell the story will keep us interested, be it the race, the horse, the jockey, trainer or owner. The good ones keep us involved and entertained even when our horse is up the track.

[Robert Fischer]

a lot of entertainers, public speakers, comedians, radio men etc...

look to their idols within the field or the masters and they imitate them for practice.

not to copy a style, but some of these guys are good

and then you build your own style

[eastie]

they should really require the announcers to bet heavily with their own money, and then call the race paying careful attention to whom they bet. Then give a big enthusiastic call if they bet on the winner.....And you can put a ring around Settoncourse....

[v j stauffer]

they should really require the announcers to bet heavily with their own money, and then call the race paying careful attention to whom they bet. Then give a big enthusiastic call if they bet on the winner.....And you can put a ring around Settoncourse....

I did all of that. Except the "bet on the winner" part.

[toetoe]

Guy is trying to better himself. Give him something positive

Old Timey race calls- Dr. Fager's Historic World Record Mile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wVBNbmcaAE
Craig Ingram
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR1WOX2xAgk&feature=related
Marshall Cassidy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XT0RF-FEdM&feature=related

Best call when you don't know how to pronounce a name- (look how young Durkin looks) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=hwhcS1VPccA&feature=related

My favorite race caller the late great Luke Kruytbosch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBrtlaRKpjc&feature=related

Best Call of everyone- Mirahamdi does it best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FAFwdIdTac&feature=related

Best of all the calls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QflXzgEj1g&feature=related

Hope this helps. I don't know very many of the old ones, but Luke Kruytbosch was my favorite. Loosing Luke was too soon for all of us.




You did not just serve up Craig Ingram as an exemplary racecaller ... didja ?

If he's gonna take announcing lessons, he ...


better get busy !!!



Hakuna matata. It means "no offers."

[toetoe]

Nice piece. :ThmbUp:

Throw in "let's see..."



:lol:





"What have we here ?"

"Say, Charlie ... get that guy's number, huh ?"

"Bow down to your new leader."

[thespaah]

I did all of that. Except the "bet on the winner" part.
Imagine this......An announcer makes a wager. His wager is about to be successful when all the sudden HIS horse is caught nearing the wire. The announcer then goes into a tapestry of obscenities that only could be imaginable if coming from a drunken longshoreman..Or a cast member of Jersey Shore. Take your pick!
If I heard this, I might split a seam or two laughing so hard!

[thespaah]

Guy is trying to better himself. Give him something positive

Old Timey race calls- Dr. Fager's Historic World Record Mile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wVBNbmcaAE
Craig Ingram
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR1WOX2xAgk&feature=related
Marshall Cassidy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XT0RF-FEdM&feature=related

Best call when you don't know how to pronounce a name- (look how young Durkin looks) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=hwhcS1VPccA&feature=related

My favorite race caller the late great Luke Kruytbosch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBrtlaRKpjc&feature=related

Best Call of everyone- Mirahamdi does it best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FAFwdIdTac&feature=related

Best of all the calls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QflXzgEj1g&feature=related

Hope this helps. I don't know very many of the old ones, but Luke Kruytbosch was my favorite. Loosing Luke was too soon for all of us.

One of my favs.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apBIGFWMFr0

[v j stauffer]

Imagine this......An announcer makes a wager. His wager is about to be successful when all the sudden HIS horse is caught nearing the wire. The announcer then goes into a tapestry of obscenities that only could be imaginable if coming from a drunken longshoreman..Or a cast member of Jersey Shore. Take your pick!
If I heard this, I might split a seam or two laughing so hard!

I've done that lots of times. Fortunately I've also had just enough self control to turn off the mic.