I won't name all of them but just my 3 fave: Mnr, Woo, DeD.

Thank you so much, Luis. I just hope I haven’t lost a length or two during this extended break. Time will tell.

Oh No Peter.....Please don't not even imply "The cue is in tha rack" for you!

Yeah. What's wrong with Jason?

I especially liked your "not impartial due to their betting habits" criteria for elimination.

I'd be very interested in how you quantify that. Examples would be fun to review.

One of the strongest 6th posts I've ever seen on PA.

You must have a vast horse racing skill set.

Good to have you on board.

Hey Vic, hope you are well. I feel very sorry for the local business there in Hot Springs. Rockys, the Ohio Club, etc. must be getting killed

We are well. Thanks for asking. Everyone, everywhere is getting crushed. Horrible time for ALL of us in our lives. Stay safe.

Well said. It sucks everywhere.

Just a story about announcers and betting habits, related to me by my parents.

In the 1930's, Seabiscuit, among other things, made Joe Hernandez, the announcer at the California tracks as well as Caliente, a big star, with his dramatic descriptions of Seabiscuit's big races.

But in the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap, which Seabiscuit lost to Rosemont by a nose, in the stretch, Hernandez suddenly shouts "Here comes Time Supply!" when Time Supply is making a mild, ineffectual move behind the leaders.

It became an open secret among race fans and sportswriters in California that Hernandez had a large bet on Time Supply. He was rooting over the p.a. system.

Did anyone ever ask Joe if that was true?

Supposedly, he admitted it to his friends at the track. But it doesn't appear in anything on the record, so who knows.

Well announcers do bet.

If you want to compare and contrast a big hit winning call and a big hit losing call pull up ShaShaShakemeup and Alkhatam.

I too used to think that you needed a "passion" for the game in order to become a pro horseplayer...but I changed my thinking on this when a saw our ex-member Raybo admit here that he got to be a pro-level player even though he found horse-betting to be a "tiresome bore". So... I no longer consider "passion" to be a prerequisite for horse-betting "success".

As far as race-calling is concerned...I am not turned off by the "monotony" of a 'boring' race call. It's when the race-caller takes it upon himself to infuse added "enthusiasm" into the race by screaming at the top of his lungs as the horses near the wire, that I start rolling my eyes as I reach for the volume knob. Give me an accurate even cadence and I am happy, even without the race-caller's hysterics. The horses supply enough drama, IMO.

If you're doing it right, it actually should be pretty boring...lol

See? When you are right...even I can't disagree with you. :ThmbUp:

You need real fire and passion to GET to that "pro" level....Once there, you have to "work", and apply "smarter" methodologies to STAY at that level and ahead of the curve..Then the routine and boredom sets in.