[TouchOfGrey]

Durkin to Receive Eclipse Award of Merit

Capping an extraordinary career as one of North America's premier race track announcers and one of the most popular personalities in Thoroughbred racing, Tom Durkin—longtime voice of the New York Racing Association tracks, the Breeders' Cup, and the Triple Crown—will be honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the Thoroughbred industry.

Durkin, 64, who retired Aug. 30 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., after a 43-year-career, will be presented the Award of Merit at The 44th Annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

"This is quite an honor and quite a surprise," Durkin remarked. "The award has never been given to a track announcer before, and to be singled out when you consider all of the great announcers who preceded me like Fred Capossela, Joe Hernandez, Chic Anderson and Dave Johnson, this is quite a distinction.

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