...Is that dave johnson on the mic at charles town?

[toussaud]

am i hearing things?

[picojim]

it was Dave Johnson

[affirmedny]

He calls the WV Classic every year I think.

[Tom]

That was a lot of purse money up last night!

[onefast99]

.......and down the stretch they come...yep that was DJ.

[Stillriledup]

Sorry for the old bump, but does anyone know if Dave Johnson is still calling races? Haven't heard him in a while.

[Pensacola Pete]

He might do guest appearances, but he stays mostly with his Sirius show "Down the Stretch." He's about 70 now (graduated from Southern Illinois in 1966), so I'd guess he's semi-retired.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Pensacola Pete

He might do guest appearances, but he stays mostly with his Sirius show "Down the Stretch." He's about 70 now (graduated from Southern Illinois in 1966), so I'd guess he's semi-retired.

Correct.

He really had the dream career for a race announcer. Consider some of the races he called:

As NYRA track announcer:
Secretariat's Belmont
Just about everything Forego ever did
Just about everything Ruffian ever did
The first few Marlboro Cups
Seattle Slew's Champagne

As Santa Anita track announcer:
Vigors
Affirmed
Spectacular Bid
John Henry

As Meadowlands track announcer:
Spectacular Bid
Alysheba

As ABC's and ESPN's lead horse racing announcer:
Triple Crown attempts by Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and Charismatic
Affirmed's Derby
Spectacular Bid's Derby and Preakness
The Sunday Silence-Easy Goer Preakness
The Real Quiet-Victory Gallop Belmont
Bet Twice and Alysheba in the Haskell and the Pimlico Special
Forty Niner and Seeking the Gold in the Travers
Holy Bull and Concern in the Travers
The Grindstone-Cavonnier Derby

And countless others.

He deserves his retirement.

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Correct.

He really had the dream career for a race announcer. Consider some of the races he called:

As NYRA track announcer:
Secretariat's Belmont
Just about everything Forego ever did
Just about everything Ruffian ever did
The first few Marlboro Cups
Seattle Slew's Champagne

As Santa Anita track announcer:
Vigors
Affirmed
Spectacular Bid
John Henry

As Meadowlands track announcer:
Spectacular Bid
Alysheba

As ABC's and ESPN's lead horse racing announcer:
Triple Crown attempts by Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and Charismatic
Affirmed's Derby
Spectacular Bid's Derby and Preakness
The Sunday Silence-Easy Goer Preakness
The Real Quiet-Victory Gallop Belmont
Bet Twice and Alysheba in the Haskell and the Pimlico Special
Forty Niner and Seeking the Gold in the Travers
Holy Bull and Concern in the Travers
The Grindstone-Cavonnier Derby

And countless others.

He deserves his retirement.

I had a nice conversation with Dave many moons ago, he was leaving the track and i just happened to be leaving at the same time and i saw him and said hello and started talking to him, he couldn't have been more friendly.

[VeryOldMan]

Hold on folks - Charles David (Chic) Anderson was the "tremendous machine" Secretariat caller; I'm still not sure who gave the great "freight train" call on an immense Forego victory, but it might have been him.

Chic Anderson died in 1979.

[VeryOldMan]

My apologies dilanesp - track announcer versus TV coverage tripped me up.

[Redbullsnation]

Dave Johnson does come around it seems. Just saw a YT vid on Meadowlands channel with Spencer Ross talking about the former Roosevelt Raceway

[devilsbag]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Correct.

He really had the dream career for a race announcer. Consider some of the races he called:

As NYRA track announcer:
Secretariat's Belmont

This call seems to be more impossible to catch than Secretariat.

Even in the Secretariat record (not track record, the audio record) that Johnson produced, he used Ray Haight's radio call of the Belmont. Johnson called the race on track, and I've seen it referenced in a print interview he did, but the audio itself is nowhere to be found.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by devilsbag

This call seems to be more impossible to catch than Secretariat.

Even in the Secretariat record (not track record, the audio record) that Johnson produced, he used Ray Haight's radio call of the Belmont. Johnson called the race on track, and I've seen it referenced in a print interview he did, but the audio itself is nowhere to be found.

Johnson definitely has a copy of the call himself. He's played it for people at his house.

And NYRA has it, as they have the closed circuit TV recordings of all of Secretariat's New York races (kinescopes from 1972 and videotapes, which they started using in 1973).

I suspect it would probably disappoint people. Anderson went crazy on TV, but you weren't allowed to do that at the track in those days, so Johnson's call is probably incredibly restrained, just calling the horses and the increasing number of lengths he is in front.

[devilsbag]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Johnson definitely has a copy of the call himself. He's played it for people at his house.

And NYRA has it, as they have the closed circuit TV recordings of all of Secretariat's New York races (kinescopes from 1972 and videotapes, which they started using in 1973).

I suspect it would probably disappoint people. Anderson went crazy on TV, but you weren't allowed to do that at the track in those days, so Johnson's call is probably incredibly restrained, just calling the horses and the increasing number of lengths he is in front.

I couldn't even get invited to a Richard Grunder barbecue, so I don't expect Dave Johnson having me over anytime soon to hear the call.

However, thanks for the confirmation, and I would hope NYRA has it. However, I have never seen them show that version, only the CBS footage with the call by Chic Anderson.

Considering it's arguably the most famous horse race in American history, the video (Secretariat running out of the picture so we can focus on the place photo) and the call (however non-theatrical) would certainly be worth 2:24 of my viewing time.