Kudos to Breeders’ announcer
There is no shortage of opinions on the best performers in last Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park. They include Curlin in the Classic, Midnight Lute in the Sprint, English Channel in the Turf, jockey Garrett Gomez winning the Sprint, Juvenile Fillies and four stakes overall.
My vote goes to a person who didn’t get a speck of mud on him all day long. A person who, if he does his job well, sometimes gets overlooked.
My best performer was Trevor Denman, who called the Breeders’ Cup races at Monmouth and for ESPN.
Choosing Denman might be construed as a reach. But consider the history and why his flawless work was such a shining performance.
When the Breeders’ Cup first was run in 1984 at Hollywood Park, the overwhelming favorite to call the races at the track and for NBC Sports was Denman. The popular South African was the voice of Southern California racing and at the top of his profession.
The coveted role went to Tom Durkin, the harness caller at the Meadowlands. This was before the New York Racing Association even hired Durkin. For 22 years, Durkin did a masterful job calling the Breeders’ Cup. Enough to merit Racing’s Hall of Fame if they would wake up and start inducting track announcers.
In 2006, ESPN won the rights to the Breeders’ Cup, replacing NBC Sports. Contractually, Durkin had to give up the Breeders’ Cup gig. After 22 years, the job finally was Denman’s.
Track announcers seldom get noticed, unless they make mistakes. And because they’re human, they all do at one time or another. At the 2006 Breeders’ Cup, Denman had one of his worst days. He committed numerous gaffes, including not seeing the winning rally of Street Sense in the Juvenile until a few strides before the wire.
It had to be disappointing for Denman because, on racing’s biggest stage, he had stumbled badly. All that changed Saturday.
Calling a horse race has to be the most difficult announcing job in sports. One must remember the names of up to 14 horses in a race and the corresponding colored jockey silks. Then describe the action in an accurate, fluid and colorful manner. Once one race is over, you must deprogram your brain and do it all over again for the next race.
On Saturday, Denman was at his best. His calls were strong, decisive storytelling to the point that you could close your eyes and know exactly what was going on. He enhanced our enjoyment, which is the highest compliment you can pay to any track announcer.
• PENNY INTERVIEW — Kudos to TVG for an interview hustling Simon Bray did with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny. Penny, an avid horse owner, was interviewed at Santa Anita.
Part of Penny’s taped comments, about the managerial situations concerning Joe Torre and Grady Little, were rerun on ESPN’s "SportsCenter."
Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.