Bloodhorse.com reporting Durkin is retiring. He was my personal favorite track announcer. I think it\'s probably because his voice brings back great memories of the Breeders Cup. Lots of great races called by Durkin. My two favorites are \'88 Distaff and \'96 Mile. No doubt he\'s lost his edge of late but still one of the best ever!
Coach
1988 distaff the greatest race I have ever seen and the call was great also.
\"here comes personal Ensign unleashing a furious run\"
For you younger crew out there here it is. You have to see the pps to really appreciate what Personal Ensign did in that race running down a loose on the lead Ky Derby winner on a sloppy track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjQhB2y3TLQ
One of the best. It\'s been sad having to watch his decline the past few years.
Anyone hear any news?? It looked pretty bad.
Wonder if they will consider Vic Stauffer as a replacement...
sekrah Wrote:
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> One of the best. It\'s been sad having to watch
> his decline the past few years.
A \"declining\" Durkin is far more entertaining than
most out there today. Effortless delivery even now.
Hey, it\'s going to happen to all of us. Try to
remember not to fuss too much when they pry the
car keys out of your fist, and then strap the
dribble cup under your chin.
Sadly the horse did not make it.....Bejerano taken to the hospital for treatment, is all we know so far. Ugly spill indeed
NYRA in a cost saving measure may decide to let the newly added Luis Grandison,
a Panamanian hired to call NYRA races en Espanol, become the primary
racecaller.
There would be English subtitles available at the bottom of all monitors showing
the NYRA races...
They are also trying to hire Jackie Mason to call the races in Yiddish in an attempt to lure the real old timers back into the game.
He was the Voice of a new and different era! The Breeders Cup and The Triple Crown as a Brand. His NYRA precessor Marshall Cassidy was aweful if you ever stood in a OTB with no TV visual. Other Derby, Triple Crown callers like Dave Johnson and Chick Lang were good and left a solid mark.
NYRA needs some slack. This will be an important choice and its not gonna be an easy one. New York and Calif wagering are still the Bell Cows of the Sport. As someone who is Fan of the game I hope they get it right....
Most of the \'new\' callers out there bore me to tears.
Durkin on his worst day, 10 lengths better than most.
It\'s NYRA. No matter who they choose to replace Durkin, you\'ll get the usual suspects with their \"clueless clowns\" posts. There really is no one NYRA can pick who won\'t get ripped.
Since Martin Panza, ex Hollywood Park, joined NYRA guess Vic Stauffer a good guess.
Quite a few good race callers out there but Durkin was the best.
Beautiful piece of writing:
http://around2turns.com/
Rich Curtis Wrote:
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> Beautiful piece of writing:
>
There is so little of that in sports journalism, today. Rarely would you find a piece that holds a candle to this.
jma11473 Wrote:
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> It\'s NYRA. No matter who they choose to replace
> Durkin, you\'ll get the usual suspects with their
> \"clueless clowns\" posts. There really is no one
> NYRA can pick who won\'t get ripped.
There\'s no way NYRA looks good, because ANYONE available is at least one SIGNIFICANT step down . . . no one EVER got it like Durkin gets it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JK2K8h-qd4
This is my favorite Durkin race call. Deputy Commander won the Travers by inches a few days after Chris McCarron\'s mother died. Owners thought Chris would not be able to ride. Chris tearfully gave his mom credit for giving him a little push at the wire. Durkin said he felt foolish after the race for emphatically calling Deputy Commander the winner since it was so close. He really did have an amazing talent.
Very nice. And about ----ing time Bob started writing again. You (and Bob) should feel free to post links to that site any time.
By complete coincidence, three of Durkin\'s greatest and most famous calls involved horses bought on my recommendation-- \"They say a picture\'s worth a thousand words...\", \"Da Hoss comes back...\", \"Rachel Alexandra the Great\"...
He\'s also a really nice guy, gave me a ride from the airport in Louisville when he didn\'t even know me.
Thanks, JB! I appreciate it.
Bob
Magic:
Outstanding. Is the course in the picture Maison Lafitte?
Thanks, Richie. Deauville. From last summer.
Great Stuff. The video of the Travers with Holy Bull and Concern totally resonated with my emotions.
Probably not one of the most historic Breeders Cups but one that has always left an indelible image in my much younger mind. The 1994 Classic with a stretch duel of Tabasco Cat and Concern. We were in the Grandstand with nothing but a head on of the Stretch. Another words you had NO perspective of what you were looking at and your eyes and feel for the race were working totally through Durkins race call.
With an ALL IN on Tabasco Cat to salvage an otherwise disastrous day all I remember hearing was Durkin calling out \"and Concern is kicking in, he is picking off horses one by one\". \"Concern continues to gather momentum\" \"Concern continues to fly on the outside\". I was both speechless, in order to listen and helpless.....
Later watching Pay Day on Tabasco Cat look back over his right shoulder turning for home, as Jerry Bailey six lengths back on Concern confidently twirled his stick. Day again a 16th mile later over his right shoulder and finally a 3rd time at the 1/8th pole before desperately pulling his own whip once Concern came to him makes me yearn for yesterday. Tomorrow is my Birthday and I can believe this was 20 years ago. I can still to this day clearly hear that echo ringing in my mind!! And Concern is picking off horses one by one......If you really love the game even your toughest beats can be some of the best memories.
1994 Breeders Cup Classic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTt7dl261UE)
TGJB Wrote:
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> Very nice. And about ----ing time Bob started
> writing again. You (and Bob) should feel free to
> post links to that site any time.
>
> By complete coincidence, three of Durkin\'s
> greatest and most famous calls involved horses
> bought on my recommendation-- \"They say a
> picture\'s worth a thousand words...\", \"Da Hoss
> comes back...\", \"Rachel Alexandra the Great\"...
>
> He\'s also a really nice guy, gave me a ride from
> the airport in Louisville when he didn\'t even know
> me.
Weird world -- only spent appreciable time with him once, 4-5 years ago in Sperry\'s backyard after a weekday card. Absolute master at putting people at ease. He\'ll be missed -- like oxygen.