In honor of Tom Durkin’s retirement from race calling on August 31, we are taking a look back at 40 of his most memorable calls–one for each day of the 2014 Saratoga meet.
Tom Durkin’s storied career is drawing closer to the wire. While we have some absolute classic races remaining in our 40 Days series, which we will cover over the weekend, today we look back at a not-so-classic race won by a great racehorse. But the point of today’s post is to highlight one of the things that made Tom Durkin so great.
Tom Durkin always realized that he was not the show, the story or the attraction for patrons attending the races. He was there to add to and describe the experience, which he did better than anyone ever has, but it was not about him. A shining example is found on a Belmont day when Commentator faced an overmatched group of foes, and ran them all off their feet. After a characteristically perfect Durkin call down to the sixteenth pole, Durkin left the rest to Commentator. “Just take a look at this horse move! No need to call it.”
