No Durkin for BC races
 

per the AP wires:


Announcer Durkin won't call Breeders Cup races

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) -- Tom Durkin, the best-known track
announcer in the U-S, today said he will no longer call the
Breeders Cup Championship races, which he has covered since the
event began in 1984.
Because of contractual commitments with N-B-C, Durkin is not
available to any other network.
E-S-P-N takes over coverage of the Breeders Cup this year.
Durkin said he will continue to work as an announcer for all of
N-B-C's racing programming, including the Kentucky Derby and
Preakness.

uh oh....please not 'and down the stretch they come'........oh lord, i can't stand hearing Dave once, let alone EIGHT TIMES!!

maybe trevor denman....

You read my mind. :)

Trevor..... the best there is.

I am a nonfan of his, so I am quite pleased. His lowpoint was his Bernardini comment after the brilliant horse crossed the wire in the Preakness. I would like to hear Luke Krytbosch, Trevor Denman, or Vic Stauffer at the microphone. Larry Collmus would be fine, too. I can think of others that I rate high, too.

Danzig come on!!!! im sorry but i love dave johnson i know i know its get old after a while but i think the main reason i like him is the 1st horse race ever really bet on was apindy in belmont and i remember today hearing him call out the old "and down the stretch they come" he just gets into it soo much i lvoe it sorry i know most on here dont but what yougonna do.

Trevor definitely the best. Someone write espn.

i've seen him completely ignore a big move, quit calling in mid race just to throw in that stupid line. sorry, once or twice maybe....but every time he calls it?
i mean, they always come down the stretch, don't they???

Durkin has a certain gravitas that the others lack. He is not the best day to day anymore but for BC day he is probably the best, imo.

Denman, Krytbosch, Stauffer, or Collmus, would all be able replacements.

However if they go with Dave Johnson, I will personally lead the assualt on ESPN headquarters. What an embarrassment.

only mike battaglia would be worse.....

I'm not so sure anymore. Did you catch that Mountaineer race that Johnson did a few weeks back? Whew, was he lost, at no point did he have a firm grasp of which horses were racing.

Oh yeah, but think about Battaglia doing the BC day! what a hoot
"Gaining ground!!"

All I can say is THANK THE LORD. I cant stand Durkin. He was calling Kongs Revenge as KINGS Revenge. He needs to go away.

he sounded like his three martini lunch turned into about 12...i didn't even realize it was him til later! sounded like a rank amateur.

Please no Dave Johnson. I'd rather have Stevie Wonder call the races and for those that don't know, Stevie can't see.

I'd vote to let Luke call them and let him have some TV exposure. He'll already be calling them ontrack and he does a good job.

this is a damn outrage. In any case I hope John G DOOLEY gets the mount for the BC announcing

That seems to be the case ... or at least ...

... I don't ever recall hearing Little Davy scream out ... "And into the parking lot they go!"

The Breeder's Cup races need a new announcer ... but they don't need a tired old johnson.

john dooley gets my vote, he has the energy and drama in his voice to make it the most exciting

Hey ... we don't need a track announcer to give us energy and drama ...

... we just need him to give an accurate call.

Our devotion and wagers ... provide all the energy and drama we need.

If Dave Johnson is calling it, you'll get a better bearing on what is going on if you mute the TV and call the race yourself. I've never heard a worse stakes call than that guys West Virginia Derby.

well i want energy and drama in my call and hes the man !!!!!! and his race calling accuracy is not bad like you make it out to be

if not denman, than i hope luke gets it....but i doubt they care what we degenerate gamblers think about it.

FOOOOOOOOR THE LEEEEADDDDDDDD.....

In complete agreement, but I think the call has gone out to Denman, also a very deserving choice.

Denman is also with NBC if im not mistaken, which could open the door with Dooley or Vic Stauffer

forget about Dooley for BC races, he is so annoying to me.
i don't know why people always name him like he's one of the best.
he's corny, nasally, and uses odd word groupings.

ZZZZZZzzzzz....huh, wha??

Maybe if Denman gets it he could do us all teh pleasure of breaking his rule and actually tell the crowd what the fractions are. Its the reason he has so much time to interject superlatives and adjectives as often as he does.
Dooley gets my vote. He hams it up in some of those races at Arlington but as bad as some of the fields are that he calls, I think I can understand why he does it. I think he would temper his sometimes too enthusiastic calls to complete profesionalism if given the nod at the Cup.

dooley is one of the best. its called energy in your voice instead of putting us to sleep

Excerpt from BH...:cool:

A source close to the Breeders' Cup said that Trevor Denman, the voice of Santa Anita Park and Del Mar in Southern California, was ESPN's first choice to replace Durkin. Denman, a native of South Africa, has served as an analyst on NBC's previous Breeders' Cup telecasts.

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35149

you guys can have him, it's not that he doesn't have energy, it's what he says, its just weird.

Maybe you should tune in to Oprah.

And please point out where I said that Mr. Dooly's calls were inaccurate. There'll be a Remedial Reading Comprehension forum on this site pretty soon ... please give serious consideration to enrolling in it.

I'm happy with Denman as the choice, he loves the game and the passion in his voice is unmistakable.

I'm totally looking forward to Trevor calling the BC. I hope he gets the contract!!!

yeah and that can be taken as a cut. wake up and read it yourself. since i was refering to him in my post

Yes ... it can be taken as a "cut" ... if you don't understand what you read.

But to those who can understand ... it's clearly a generic commentary on the proper function of a race caller.