Your Favorite Announcers and Analysts?
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 12:40 PM EDT
in General Horse Racing
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PrintWith the introduction of a new race caller for the Triple Crown races in 2011, I thought it's be nice to take a look at some of the favorite race callers and track analysts that each of us have.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Track Announcers
- John G. Dooley (Fair Grounds/Arlington Park): Good cadence, lots of enthusiasm without being over-the-top, very tight race calls with little to no mistakes or "dead air". His Arlington Million calls are usually pure gold and he's got the added bonus of being on Twitter (@JohnGDooley).
- Kurt Becker (Keeneland): A very underrated race caller, in my opinion, and one that fits in perfectly with Keeneland. Since for years Keeneland didn't even have a track announcer, it makes perfect sense that the one they have now is an even-keel, technically strong race caller. Becker is probably not a guy that would call big national races, since TV likes to go for a little bit of flair, but I can listen to him call a race all day long.
- Robert Geller (Emerald Downs/Sunland Park): Your home track announcer always rates high since you know who it is the second you hear it, and that's the way it is with Robert Geller, track announcer at Emerald (and Sunland Park in the winter). Geller, like the others on my list, usually has a very nice, clean call that flows well throughout the race. He's very in-tune with the local jocks and trainers and seems to anticipate the race quite well as he can spot a horse making a winning move very early.
Honorable mention: Larry Collmus (I was glad to see him get the Triple Crown gig as I always liked his calls at Gulfstream); Tom Durkin (His calls elevated some of the great Breeders' Cup performances in history); Luke Kruytbosch (The former Churchill Downs announcer that passed away a few years ago; I really liked his race calling style, voice tone, and cadence).
Track Analysts:
I'm mainly listing the TV analysts (ESPN, VS., NBC, TVG, or HRTV), but feel free to toss in any local people that you like to listen when you are at the track.
- Brad Free: SoCal DRF correspondent and analyst for HRTV. An excellent handicapper with some fabulous insights on bet and ticket construction. It's really too bad that HRTV isn't in more homes because the world needs to be exposed to Brad Free.
- Randy Moss: I think Moss does a fantastic job of talking the technical side of handicapping and horse racing and putting it into terms that general public can understand, which is really important if you are doing analysis for national TV.
- Bob "Mr. B." Baedeker: I was disappointed when I heard that TVG let Mr. B. go a while back because I thought he was one of the better handicappers they had. Truth be told, Mr. B. isn't going to light the place on fire with over-top yelling, predictions, or flair...which was fine by me. Instead, he was simply a guy that knew how to play the horses.
- Joe Withee: Track handicapper from my local track of Emerald Downs. Like many local track analysts and handicappers, Joe is extremely knowledgeable about all the jockeys and trainers at Emerald and his pre-race analysis from the paddock is always top-notch.
- Jill Byrne: She knows her stuff, bar none. Plus, she has some great insights into maiden races.
Who are some of your favorites?
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My favorite
is still at Santa Anita (Trevor Denman) , although I think Vic does a nice job at Hollywood as well.
Looking at the analysts, Andy Serling on the NY telecasts is about the worst handicapper in the history of racing. The guy is almost never right, but I do enjoy watching whatever he decides to throw out usually win by 6 or 7 lengths. Just horrible.
I’m not a big fan of Ken Rudolph at TVG – the guy adds zero to a telecast. He has no knowledge of racing and isn’t even remotely entertaining. Too bad they got rid of Mr B and Kris Kotulak and kept him.
The guys at The Quarters put on an entertaining show.
Of course my opinions of Mike Batagglia race calling are well known. Awful.
Not sure of the guys name, but the stakes race at Oaklawn where The Factor tanked had the worst race call in the history of sports.
The best telecast for information for handicappers is on the Woodbine telecast. These guys give details that you just don’t hear from other sites. Plus, they have 5 or 6 people dedicated to the racing there so you get a good variety of information and opinions.
Who are the guys you particularlylike at Woodbine?
I’ve been thinking of starting to play Woodbine regularly (haven’t never done so in the past but I love the big fields and the wide turf course).
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Jim Bannon
is an excellent source of knowlege. Renee Kierens also does a good job as well.
Key to Woodbine on the poly is to usually throw out the deep closers and anyone on the rail that can’t clear to the front.
Pick 3’s and pick4’s usually have decent returns – usually because of field size.
Dating Back To "Let It Ride"
I have been a fan of Denman, and Kurt Becker is probably my fave, but that might just be because I love Keeneland so much. I like Colmus and I don’t think Mark Johnson is all that bad at Churchill.
Battaglia’s calls from Turfway are consistently terrible….
As far as analysts go, I was a big fan of Mr. B and I was unaware he had been let go. That is a huge mistake. I also like Carothers and the guy that does the show from the “handicapsule,” whose name escapes me right now. Those three know what they are doing and don’t seem to take chalk in every single race, the way Nick Hines does. TVG should have let go of Schrupp if they were going to can someone….
Agree totally with the Duck on Rudulph whose very delivery irritates me.
Can’t comment on the HRTV people because I don’t get it on DirecTV….but I think Brad Free is a good handicapper and his book would be the one I would recommend to any newbie.
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
Schrupp probably annoys me more than Rudulph...
but when they are both on set together I feel like veins are popping out of my neck.
Brad Free is great…a non-sense style, get’s right into his analysis and he’s always got a nice angle on a price play.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
My favorite caller
is probably the guy doing the Derby now. I’m bad with all their names, I do like his voice.
Analyst wise, my favorite is Matt Carruthers. I’ve won a fair amount of money by looking at some of the horses he picks out. I saw him hit a pick four at Hollywood a couple years back with a 12-1 singled and his hit an 8-1 and 5-1 in the same ticket. It was not a deep ticket either. He’s kind of goofy on the shows but the dude picks some nice $$$ horses. If he picks chalk, it’s probably going to win.
I really like Jill Byrne as well. She is very good. I also like Katie Mikolay who used to be at Presque Isle and does stuff at Hawthorne. The Beulah Twins used to be pretty good too. They would hit some nice long shots.
I almost completely forgot about the Beulah Twins...
Are they still around?
A follow-up question: what do you like your analysts to provide? Picks/selections, or information (trainer, works, etc.)?
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Not sure if they are still
Around or not, but I liked the Beulah Twins and Katie Milokay for picks at those tracks. They were not great tracks and I always had a hard time handicapping them. I started watching their picks at those tracks and they would hit on some nice prices. Matt Carruthers I like because he’ll shed some light on why he likes or doesn’t like certain horses, that I would never think of when looking at the book. I don’t hit bet ticket on TVG.com for Matt’s picks, but I’ve found that using some of his insights helps pick winners. Same for Jill Byrne, I like listenning to hear picks because the insights she gives. So I guess my answer would be depends on the track lol. Rarely do I take Battagglia’s picks that seriously at Turfway. He’ll pick the 3 most logical, but he never goes out on a limb(probably because he’s betting the limb lol) I can look at the book and understand why 3 horses would be chalk. So, I always look to beat Battagglia’s picks.
From watching Presque Isle though
I started following Katie at Hawthorne and it seems like she knows her stuff pretty well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her at a larger track one day. Let’s face it, she’s cute, seems nice on the camera, and is pretty good at picking the ponies.
I would echo most of what is said here.
I enjoy Tom Durkin and I feel bad for him that his focus is more on one blown race call for the 2009 Derby rather than all his other brilliant calls. It’s hard to imagine someone more dedicated to his craft. Larry Collmus did a great job with the Derby, maybe next year we can hear him.
Randy Moss is brilliant and versatile. He has humility that other analysts don’t have. He is willing to admit when he’s wrong, and he rarely disparages a horse but will discuss when he thinks a horse has limitations.
One person I’d like to recognize is not an analyst per se, but Bill Nack is a great historian and writing talent of horse racing. They way he describes horses on shows like SportsCentury is dynamic and unique. He knows how to put the big events into perspective.
by RockyMountainThunder on May 11, 2011 2:55 PM EDT reply actions
Bill Nack is such a fantastic writer...
I’d love to sit down and talk sports with him.
Have you read his book My Turf: Horses, Boxers, Blood Money and the Sporting Life? It’s a great collection of pieces from his career.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I haven’t read this book but it looks fascinating. Thanks for the tip!
by RockyMountainThunder on May 11, 2011 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree 100%
Agree with your thought on Durkin/Moss/Nack.
I really enjoy listening to Durkin’s calls at the Spa, especially the MSW races for some reason.
I just picked up the Nack collection Matt, you’re right it’s a great read.
Yeah, definitely one of my favorite on my bookshelf.
Nack is truly an “old school” writer.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 11, 2011 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Trevor Denman sets the standard for me nowadays
Luke Kruytbosch was a legend.
Am a big fan of Peter Berry at Mountaineer (“They’re off and racing!”). He is great!
Was also a big fan of Tom Harris who called Sam Houston and Retama in Texas, but I don’t believe he does either anymore. I know he no longer calls at SHRP.
I like Ed Burghart at Los Al a lot.
For announcers, I think Jill Byrne and Christine Olivares both know their stuff. Dave Weaver and Mike Joyce are very entertaining. And Randy Moss is the man!
They’d have to sprout wings to get to him-Classic!.
by RockyMountainThunder on May 11, 2011 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Trevor Denman is terrific. And I like Jill Byrne a lot.
Interesting that I didn’t see Jessica Pacheco mentioned – good or bad.
Andy Sterling is entertaining and I do enjoy the rotation of other people he has on his online show “Talking Horses” – particularly during the Saratoga meet, I watch it a lot.
Old Timer Here
If you’ve ever heard Joe Hernandez call a race, you know what truly great is.
My current/recent favorite track announcers are Battaglia, Colmus, Becker, and Durkin. Phil Saltzman was terrific at Calder. Not too keen on Denman and Stauffer. Terry Wallace at Oaklawn is/was horrible as is Tony Calo at Finger Lakes, in my opinion.
TV personalities/analysts I like a lot are Carothers, Caton Bredar, Jill Byrne and Rich Perloff. Les Onaka is great analyzing the quarter horses.
by Pizzaman's Faves on May 11, 2011 11:13 PM EDT reply actions
Onaka is great, as is the whole Quarters show (as others have mentioned)...
I don’t follow quarter horses at all but I’ll watch that show – good discussions and always good entertainment.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
Dont know his name but
Ils sont partiiiiiiiiiiis… Evangiline Downs dude.
Never trust a man who doesn't drink.
by Noir Jim Tressel on May 12, 2011 1:55 PM EDT reply actions
Scott Bierne
Yeah, you instantly identify the track when you hear that start.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 12, 2011 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Really
I can’t stand that. By the time he finishes saying that the race is half over. It’s hilarious to hear him do that in the quarter horses races.
The race call goes like this in a quarter horse race at Evangeline
" Ils sont parrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttttttttttttttttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssss… and there they are"
Brutal!
But you know where the race is from...
is what I was saying. I could be in the kitchen, and if I heard that I’d know it’s EvDowns. And it’s not like I play EvDowns so I’m usually not paying much attention anyway.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 12, 2011 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
FAVORITE TRACK ANNOUNCER
While there are many competent announcers in the game there are only a few who enhance the action of every race they call. An announcer who calls in a monotone voice, never raising the excitement level of the race has little or no chance of drawing new people into the game. That is what the sport needs more than anything else, new customers or its demise will become a reality. Every announcer has their catch phrases that distinguish them from others, but only a very few use colorful vocabulary in their call. Michael Wrona is hands down the best announcer in North America IMO. His race calls always raise the level of excitement whether it’s a 6,250 claiming or a stakes race and his immpeccable use of vocabulary only serve to further enhance the race. Also, NO OTHER announcer calls the finishing position of EVERY horse in the race after they cross the wire. His call of the race Pincay broke the all time wins record is classic. It is a shame that he has not been hired by a big time track @ Golden Gate his exposure is limited to say the least.
Tony Calo
‘AND THERE THEY GO!’.
Not my fave, but it’s something you never forget.
"To win the game is great. To play the game is greater. But to love the game is greatest of all."
He also adds that extra "umph" at the end when he'll say..
and so-and-so “rounds out the super-FECTA!”
Be careful not to have the sub-woofer turned up to loud with Calo.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on May 14, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
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