A Racecalling Legend Passes
 

http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/p...34/1007/SPORTS

Ross Morton, the only racecaller in the 46 year history of Finger Lakes and the caller of Gulfstream for 25 years, passed away Wednesday evening.

Rip :(

RIP

RIP

It wasn't until the dawn of simulcasting that I even found out Ross Morton called the races at Finger Lakes. I always just knew him as the Gulfstream announcer. The first time I watched a Finger Lakes race on the computer, it was a surprise to hear the voice I recongnized as winter racing, calling the races.

A darn shame...

coming from downtown Canandaigua!

What a kind and gentle man Ross was. My tennis partner for the 7 years I was at Gulfstream. 23 years the voice of Gulfstream and for over 40 at Finger Lakes.

Always carried himself with class and dignity.

I heard the news on the way home from Bay Meadows and have thought of him since.

I'm so very sorry to lose this friend.

RIP Ross.

When I was a young kid I thought he called ALL the races from everywhere, since FL & GP were the two tracks I attended most frequently (along with Saratoga)! He had that distinct deep, clear voice...

A very distinctive voice. I am sorry to hear it has been stilled. rip and tx for all the calls.

I don't know too much about this guy. All I know is that he called Funny Cide's last race.

here it is; a great call
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ-EJU5vf-Q

Great race call. Ross Morton will be missed!

thank you for that. a distinctive and powerful voice, and i gave him credit that at age 74 he was still going strong. whenever i heard him first at GP as a youngster and later at FL it made me feel great because that voice is associated with good times at the track, he will be missed

"And they're racing....." the call he always used for the last race of the day at Finger Lakes.
He will be missed greatly. RIP.

Playing a conversation with Vic Stauffer about Morton on ATR right now.. It ends with his call of Holy Bull's Florida Derby.. Morton was a throwback voice. Have enjoyed getting to know his familiar sound these last 9 years living in Upstate NY.. And greatly appreciated Vic giving us his recollections about his relationship with Ross Morton..

Sounds good.....nice to hear about the ""good guys "" !

Great piece with VJS on ATR. RIP Ross.

Ross was quite a chsaracter. Here's a funny Ross story. At FL this year there was a first time starter by the name of Bob's Dylan. She was on her way to victory and Ross shouted " they're not gonna catch the " Boss" today. After the race a couple of us guys stopped by the booth and told him Springstien was the " boss" not Dylan. He just looked at as funny and said isn't Dylan the guy who sang Born in the . Man we were cracking up, and so was he...RIP

He was the first voice I remember the most when I first started following racing in the mid 80's. Back in the days when you could only get the audio calls at OTB, Ross' voice stood out. He was as legendary to race calling like the "Scooter" Phil Rizzuto was to doing Yankee play-by-play. It's not gonna be the same when the "Flakes" open this spring without his great voice. RIP the "Voice" has been silenced.

My own memories of Ross Morton start earlier - even earlier than Vic's.

I grew up in Syracuse, NY. In the late fifties and early sixties, Ross, who sometimes went on-air as "Mad Man Morton", was one of the lead disc jockeys on WNDR, Syracuse's biggest Top 40 station. His patter was engaging and energetic -- although I never heard him call a race until many, many years later, you can hear his early radio style reflected in his racecalls.

He also did record hops, sock hops, and the like -- the appearance of a WNDR DJ at such an event guaranteed a huge attendance. I remember one in particular where he was dancing -- a graceful ballroom sort of step in the middle of a bunch of flailing adolescents.

RIP