Tom Durkin's call.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Yeah - imagine the embarassment of calling that horse en route to a runaway win when it turns out it was some remotely logical horse that wasn't out of contact with the rest of the field early on.

The candance of his call wasn't Durkin-esque smooth when that huge inside move was made to the lead ... I think he saw it - but either couldn't believe what he was seeing enough to say MTB's name or perhaps he simply didn't know which horse it was making the move.

covered in mud as they were, he probably had to refer to his notes-by then, the move was made.

[Suffolk Shippers]

I'm not gonna give him a hard time for this call. Who the fu*k expected Mine That Bird to come storming up the rail? It was equal to the day Denman missed Street Sense in the BC Juvy. I was only miffed at Trev that day because I bet SS with two hands and I have trouble picking the saddle towel numbers when they are all purple.

Tom was probably utterly stunned, as was I, sitting on my couch. I didn't have words either.

[CSC]

LOL I had to laugh, another thread about lousy announcers.

[copying]

I had to listen to the race on the radio. I had no idea what the hell was going on. The first time Durkin mentioned MTB, the field was entering the far turn - the next time was when he was 4 lengths in front nearing the wire. Please retire Durkin!

[onebadbeast]

Like Tom Landry, Durkin, The Game Has Passed You By. The Call Was Like The Call Of A Buffoon! I Couldnt Even Get The Race Here In Berlin Until 15 Min After.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

I'm not gonna give him a hard time for this call. Who the fu*k expected Mine That Bird to come storming up the rail? It was equal to the day Denman missed Street Sense in the BC Juvy. I was only miffed at Trev that day because I bet SS with two hands and I have trouble picking the saddle towel numbers when they are all purple.

Tom was probably utterly stunned, as was I, sitting on my couch. I didn't have words either.

In the 1986 Kentucky Derby call, Ferdinand is not mentioned the entire race until he and Shoemaker make the lead just before the finish.

Trust me on this. It's one of my fave Kentucky Derby tapes and I've watched it scores of times.

All of ABC's 90 minutes.

:-)

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by westcoastinvader

In the 1986 Kentucky Derby call, Ferdinand is not mentioned the entire race until he and Shoemaker make the lead just before the finish.

Trust me on this. It's one of my fave Kentucky Derby tapes and I've watched it scores of times.

All of ABC's 90 minutes.

:-)

Here is the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuMp9AjKqf0

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Here is the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuMp9AjKqf0

Thanks.

Now it's "scores," plus one!

[PatCummings]

Only the Godolphin pair had different hats for the same silks. Crazy the WinStar tri-entry didn't.

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by westcoastinvader

Thanks.

Now it's "scores," plus one!

I wish I could watch my racing tapes from the 1980s, but the tapes are in the Beta format and my Betamax broke when I finally sat down to begin the task of putting them all on DVDs.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

I wish I could watch my racing tapes from the 1980s, but the tapes are in the Beta format and my Betamax broke when I finally sat down to begin the task of putting them all on DVDs.

Fortunately my first recording device was VHS, circa 1985.

Until recently I thought I had the entire 90 minute telecast of every Kentucky Derby since 1986.

Ironically, the other night I went searching for the 1996 Grindstone derby after catching a recent feature video of him.....I think on bloodhorse.com

Turns out, I don't have the 1996. But thinking about it, I was between wives in that period.

I must have been busy with other things....

[PatCummings]

I'm convinced that catching that late move on the rail is one of the toughest things for an announcer - and almost every announcer is going to hesitate before calling the name of a rank outsider to take the lead inside the furlong marker of the Kentucky Derby - you literally want to make sure you are correct. Tough.

[westcoastinvader]

My miff on this year's telecast is more with NBC on the cameras.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they had a single shot in the telecast that showed the vast difference between Mine That Bird and the rest of the field in the early going.

I understand no isolated camera, but there should have always been a broad shot available to catch the entire field.

[basement bob]

i love tom durkin, but it's time he retired, he just dosen't have it anymore.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by basement bob

i love tom durkin, but it's time he retired, he just dosen't have it anymore.

Isn't that a bit extreme? We all have bad days, he just happened to have his during the biggest race of the year.

[Danzig]

19 mud covered horses, 2 minutes to call a race, multiple horses from some stables with the same silks. a horse squirts thru on the rail while you've got a three horse race down the center of the track, and those three finish noses apart. yeah, it's so easy, a monkey could do it.

[saratogabrit]

I haven't seen the Derby or the 2 calls yet but calling the Derby the Darby is a very rare error for Mark. He has presented American racing on the TV for the last 8 years or so and I can never once remember him calling any American Derby race as the DARBY

He does have a huge inbuilt advantage over Tom and every other American racecaller. And that's there is only one chance a year in the US to call a race of this field size.

There is one sure thing about Mark Johnson. This was week 1 of his new job. He's going to be even better by Stephen Foster day and better still by the end of the fall meet