Favorite Track Announcer

Polls don't seem to be working for me today.

List your favorite track announcer, along with reasons, if any.

Mine is Robert Geller at Emerald Downs. He has a smooth delivery and manages to call down all the horses intelligently without being annoying about it.

[Lefty]

Michael Wrona, most inventive and he always knows where every horse is and can call them all in order at the finish. Some tracks won't let him do this, but I love it, cause you never have to say after the race, "where's my 4, was he a late scratch?"
Michael is hard to keep track of thoughj, and i don't know where he's calling at the moment.

[oddswizard]

Treavor is the best and then there is the rest. I think Larry Colmus is underated.

[Doc]

Here's a vote for Keith Jones at Philly Park. He has a style reminiscent of the old-time racecallers, i.e. Bob Weems, Capposella, etc. And I love it when he shouts "hello!" when one of those improbable Philly bombs skates home first.


Doc

[cj]

Posted this in the other thread, so I'll add it here:

Larry Collmus, but I'm biased. So, excluding Larry, I'd go with:

Keith Jones
Dave Rodman
Tom Durkin

It is a shame the first two are stuck in bad tracks, though Pha may be looking up soon.

[Dan Montilion]

That guy at Keeneland in the 70's.

Dan Montilion

[Zaf]

The former guy at MNR

ZAFONIC

[falconridge]

It would be hard to gainsay those who favor Trevor Denman. I heard his first call in North America, a "guest shot" in the middle of a weekday card at Bay Meadows. That must have been more than 20 years ago. I couldn't have known then that he'd soon become a fixture in the announcer's turrets of America's premier tracks; but I did know that, if any racing association would hire him, he'd reward their good judgment and initiative with the kind of sustained excellence that has made him the benchmark of his profession.

Of all the races Denman has called over the past two decades, his most memorable, in my opinion, was the 1987 Strub Stakes. In that epic battle, Snow Chief, per his custom, took the early lead, with Ferdinand attending the pace much more closely than had been his wont. At about the 7/16 pole, the late Bill Shoemaker asked Ferdinand to go after Snow Chief, and within a few strides the big chestnut was lapped on the diminutive black colt. From that point to the wire, neither colt held more than half a head's advantage over the other. Between the 1/4 and 3/16 pole, just about the time Trevor roared "Heads are turned for home in the 1987 Strub Stakes, and what a thriller it is!," Broad Brush loomed up on the outside and looked for several strides like he might spoil the picture. Then, just as Broad Brush reached the dueling leaders' flanks, Snow Chief and Ferdinand, as if to say "This is our argument; get lost!," drew away, and left Broad Brush in their churning wake. All of which cleared the stage for the most desperate stretch battle I'd seen since Affirmed bested Alydar in the 1978 Belmont Stakes.

Granted, Trevor was given A-one material to work with, but just as surely he made the most of his opportunity. Oh, yeah; the result: Snow Chief, with the benefit of the ultimate head-bob, by a nose.

Sticking to race callers still plying their trade: I also admire Michael Wrona for his accuracy and sense of humor; Robert Geller for the same reasons I like Wrona; and Vic Stauffer for his daffiness and his genuine, infectious enthusiasm for the sport and the profession.

Moving like a sinner,

Falconridge

[toetoe]

We've done this a hundred times. Joe Alto.

[falconridge]

Originally Posted by Dan Montilion

That guy at Keeneland in the 70's.

Dan Montilion

Would that be the same guy who held that post at Keeneland in the '50s and '60s? For those not in on Dan's joke, Keeneland only fairly recently broke with its more than century-long tradition of running its races without benefit--or detriment--of a PA (that's Public Address, not PaceAdvantage) announcer.

The great Audax Minor, whose "The Race Track" column appeared in The New Yorker for more than fifty years, once (at least) opined that races should be seen but not heard. That was in the late '30s or early '40s, I believe, apropos of New York racing commissioners toying with the idea of installing loudspeakers at Jamaica or Empire City--I forget which. Later, however, he seemed to warm to the idea, and occasionally singled out one of his favorites: Jack Drees, who called at the Chicago tracks for a while--I'd say, circa 1965-70; maybe longer)--and who preceded Chick Anderson on the networks' coverage of the Triple Crown races. (I faintly remember hearing Drees describe the infamous Dancer's Image/Forward Pass Derby of 1968--the year I caught my fever for racing. In what turned out to be a most unhappy coincidence, Minor had titled the column that appeared in the issue that hit the newsstands the week before that first Saturday in May, "Derby Dope.")

Spinning out of (the) turn,

(Phil) Falconridge (Georgeff)

[Kitan]

Originally Posted by Lefty

Michael Wrona, most inventive and he always knows where every horse is and can call them all in order at the finish. Some tracks won't let him do this, but I love it, cause you never have to say after the race, "where's my 4, was he a late scratch?"
Michael is hard to keep track of thoughj, and i don't know where he's calling at the moment.

He's calling at SunRay Park, last I checked.

[Princequillo]

Originally Posted by cj

Posted this in the other thread, so I'll add it here:

In the quote, you mentioned Dave Rodman. His call of this year's Preakness was superb, and a classic.

Once Afleet Alex righted himself and surged to the front, he said in breathless low tones, "Is he the best or what?" as if he was talking to himself. And as Alex crossed the line, we heard an excited, "Awwwwwesommmmmmmmmme," and while out of breath, he ran down the order of finish.

Durkin's call, which I believe was for the network telecast, was not one of his best. I think the near fall startled him into a pause of silence from which he never recovered.

[Bruddah]

I cannot stand the nasal British/Austrailian/Afrikaner twangs of either Denman or Wrona! For years, I have had to ask myself "What'd they say" when listening to their calls. My heritage is English so I don't think I have national prejudice. I just can't seem to get in stride with their nasal twangs. (JMHO)

[plainolebill]

Originally Posted by Bruddah

I cannot stand the nasal British/Austrailian/Afrikaner twangs of either Denman or Wrona! For years, I have had to ask myself "What'd they say" when listening to their calls. My heritage is English so I don't think I have national prejudice. I just can't seem to get in stride with their nasal twangs. (JMHO)

Roger that, I'll take Vic.

[frankfig]

stormin lobell has the lead at the head of the stretch , coming down to the wire , " AND, THERE THEY ARE '