Trevor Denman

[Uncle Buck]

I started the post because Trevor:
1. Blew the call on the Juvey and blew it bad
2. Called Miesque\'s Approval \"Mystique\'s Approval\"
3. He completely missed Pine Island falling. Unforgiveable! What about the poor bettors (and there were thousands) that plunged on her?

Trevor wasn\'t the only one who had a miserable day. Julien Leparoux stunk it up bad. Asi Siempre was much the best in the Distaff and never once got a chance to run and damn near killed Baletto down the stretch.

Leparoux needs to log a few more years, I mean nights, at Turfway before he shows up at the BC again...He sucks

[Bally Ache]

C\'mon fellas, Luke Kruytbosch was born to be a racecaller. He puts all of the rest of them in the corner. The fact that they would import someone when the best was already at hand only shows that they don\'t know what they\'re doing.

[NoCarolinaTony]

UB-

I think she  ASI SIEMPRE \"might\" have had a chance if she got through the first time, but not the second time.

However, the kid doesn\'t suck. He may have blown the move in that race, but I\'d take that kid over JJ Castelano any day.

NC Tony

[imallin]

Trevor\'s problem is that he looks at the tote board and calls the race according to who the public is betting. If Street Sense was 3-5, there\'s no way he misses him come up the rail. You know he was focusing on Circular Quay because his first few words were \'circular quay takes a bump\' so you know his eyes were trained on the public\'s choice.

I think another problem with assigning Trevor to do this day was that they didn\'t go thru the original process of selecting the announcer like they originally did. When Durkin was selected, someone who was head of the BC listened to every announcer call anonymously on tape and durkin won hands down. Trevor Denman was selected on reputation, and not what he\'s done for horseracing lately.

The powers that be haven\'t been listening to his daily racecalls because he\'s been brutally bad at Del Mar this summer and even at Fairplex. Too many mistakes, calling wrong horses names and just being very slow to identify runners who were moving best of all. ESPN or whoever elected him to be the announcer, didn\'t listen to his recent calls...they just knew he was Trevor Denman, the legendary announcer from Southern California.

As far as people being jealous, stop it now..no one is jealous of his income or status.....people are simply being critical of amateur mistakes made by a veteran announcer who should be able to do better.

[MO]

I disagree. As a professional observer and a professional musician, part of my territory is accepting the fact that there is an \"a hole\" in every crowd who is just so miserable (because he did not follow directions properly as a child and thus does not have the \"dream job\" they always wanted) that they will rant and rave about someone else\'s imperfection. And so he/she vents. But the bottom line is this: point 1 finger at someone else and there are 3 more pointing right back at you. If you can do better, then audition for the job. Most of you don\'t give a crap if there was an announcer or a bugler. What matters most to you is the posting of the numbers and the payoffs. So just Shut the F up, will ya?

[NoCarolinaTony]

MO

When you suck playing music, does the crowd boo or just not clap in appreciation?  Well we all should have Booed his race calls on Saturday. As A paying customer it\'s my right to boo. He sucked Saturday. Lets call it like we see it. Lets be real. I think Imallin is perfectly within his rights to voice his opionion, as are you. Sorry the rest of the majority in this case isn\'t seeing it your way this time.

Does it mean Trevor always sucks? No. he just stunk up the place on racings biggest exposure day. We wanted the best from all concerned including the Horses, Jockey\'s, trainers, Gate Handlers, and race announcers, Sorry to expect too much from the best of the best. I should also add we should expect the bet from the track super too....

I\'m not jealous of Trevor or his money. God Bless his.

NC Tony

[P-Dub]

You are all over reacting.  He didn\'t suck all day.  He missed Street Sense coming up the rail,  and he called Miesque \"mystique\".  The non-call of the breakdown has been explained already.  What else did he \"suck\" at other than those 2 instances??  

All you Denman bashers can get back to washing Durkin\'s car.  Get over it already.

[MO]

NoCarolinaTony Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MO
>
> When you suck playing music, does the crowd boo or
> just not clap in appreciation? YOU ARE ASSUMING TOO MUCH> WE NAIL ALL OUR PERFORMANCES.RACING CROWDS\' APPLAUSE OR LACK OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR PERFORMANCES MEANS LITTLE TO US. IF I HAVE A BAD DAY AS A SOLO BUGLER, I DON\'T GET BOOED. (WELL I DID ONCE - AT AQUEDUCT in 1987) Well we all should
> have Booed his race calls on Saturday. As A paying
> customer it\'s my right to boo. He sucked Saturday.
> Lets call it like we see it. Lets be real. I think
> Imallin is perfectly within his rights to voice
> his opionion, as are you.AGREED Sorry the rest of the
> majority in this case isn\'t seeing it your way
> this time.
>
> Does it mean Trevor always sucks? No. he just
> stunk up the place on racings biggest exposure
> day.HE\'LL REGROUP AND NAIL IT NEXT YEAR. We wanted the best from all concerned
> including the Horses, Jockey\'s, trainers, Gate
> Handlers, and race announcers,HOW ABOUT THE BUGLERS? WE NAILED OURS! Sorry to expect too
> much from the best of the best. I should also add
> we should expect the bet from the track super
> too....
>
> I\'m not jealous of Trevor or his money. God Bless
> his. GOD BLESS YOU.
>
> NC Tony
>
>
>
>

[MO]

Here\'s a related news flash:

Vic Stauffer out.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/80335.html

[MJ02X]

Trevor is one of the all time greats! Even the great ones have a bad day now and then. Listen to some of his calls on big races run at Santa Anita and you\'ll see what I mean.

[P-Dub]

Notified by e-mail??  A typicaly classy Magna move.

Too bad because I think Vic does an outstanding job.

[Uncle Buck]

What happened to the guy that called Calder at Calder a few years ago. He was always good at his race calls and had a pleasant voice. He was the announcer before the current announcer.

He might be good for Gulfstream.

I agree about Vic. Vic does a good job and he is a devout TG sheet reader. His guest appearences on TVG are great. He always gives out live runners from his TG analysis...

I think John Dooley would be a good choice for next year\'s Breeder\'s Cup

[MO]

That was Phil Saltzman, who recently retired. He still does Ocala. His schtick was \"Stump the announcer\", where the bugler would play a song and Phil would try to guess the name of the song.

Phil\'s replacement was Bobby Neuman. I have worked with both: Bobby at the Downs at Albuquerque and at Thistledown. Phil at Ocala. Both good guys and good race callers.

Odds on though that Durkin already has the Gulfstream gig lined up. (Worked with Tom for many years at NYRA at BC)

[Bull]

I think some of you guys are missing a key point. It wasn\'t that Denman made a ton of mistakes. Granted the few errors he made were so big and at such crucial points in the race, that he does deserve criticism. However, I think Denman\'s style is not the right fit for the big races (Breeders Cup, KY Derby, etc.). He has very little range, and his voice and tone just do not have enough punch and excitement which give rise to the great big race calls. Denman is very astute at seeing the \"whole\" race, and does have some creative phrases that make him unique, but its not what you say sometimes, it\'s how you say it. And Denman\'s \"How\" is just very bland in my opinion. Listen to the call of the Sprint again. His voice never changed tone at one point in the race. At the top of the stretch with Thor\'s Echo taking the lead in the biggest sprint race of the year, his voice sounded exactly the same as when the gates opened. A blind man listening to that call would never know that the horses were only a few hundred yards from home by listening to Denman.

I love listening to race calls. I tape so many races and enjoy hearing those great calls down the lane of the big races. As I said, Denman is a very observant and intelligent race caller on the SoCal circuit. He is very smooth and steady. All that is great for day to day racing, but for the friggin\' Breeders Cup, that just doesn\'t cut it. If it\'s an exciting, goose-bump enducing race call that you want, he is not the guy. Denman has been around a while. There is a reason that Durkin was doing the big races for years and not Denman. It\'s not Trevor\'s fault that ESPN couldn\'t have Durkin do the Cup.

The style that people critcize Durkin for day to day in New York, is the exact same thing that makes him great on the big days.

What I wouldn\'t give to have heard Durkin\'s Classic call.... \"They hit the top of the stretch and with a Championship on the line, Bernardini trying to gut it out for another furlong......\"



-Bull

[MO]

This is a facinating discussion for a guy like me, who takes great pride in performing on a world stage. (See Late Night with David Letterman, August 2003)

It is hard to argue (actually pointless) about a certain announcers (trumpet player\'s?) style. Many of the points made here I agree with. Day to day race calling vs. \"The Big Day\" points are well taken.

However, what most of you don\'t get is that performing on a stage, a world stage no less, is often a terrifying experience to even the most seasoned professional. And for exactly the criticism you put forth here. The performer is under an enormous amount of pressure to be PERFECT!!!! And yet, there is not a perfect man or woman to be found anywhere on earth.

As a public speaker myself, I would never consider taking on the enormous responsibility of \"track announcer\". (I have been asked to audition.) It is not an easy gig.

Dollar for dollar, bugling is a much more desireable gig for me.

In closing I will reiterate what a great trumpet player/teacher told me recently after I asked if \"so and so\" was really the greatest trumpet player ever:

\"What flavor of ice cream do you like?\"