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.

As we draw nearer to this year’s edition of the Travers Stakes, the signature race day of the Saratoga meet, today’s 40 Days of Durkin focuses on a particularly exciting renewal of the Travers.  The 1997 race featured, among others, Deputy Commander, Behrens and Awesome Again.  The race really shifts into high gear down the stretch drive, as Tom Durkin describes Chris McCarron imploring Deputy Commander to hold on through the final furlong as Behrens, under Jerry Bailey, bears down to the wire.  It is an epic battle to the finish which Deputy Commander ends up winning — by a nostril.

The reason I decided to include this race in the 40 Days of Durkin series is because it highlights Durkin’s uncanny ability to call the winner of an impossibly close race in real time.  As Deputy Commander and Behrens fight stride for stride down to the wire, Durkin’s voice rising in intensity as the race reaches its climax, Durkin calls Deputy Commander as the winner as the horses cross the line.  Its a nose-bob finish but, as usual, Durkin nailed it.  The 1997 Travers is just one (particularly high profile) example – there are innumerable examples of Durkin calling such close races without the benefit of the replay or the finish photo.  This is both amazing and an example of Durkin’s talent as a race caller.  It also serves to make it all the more poignant when Durkin announces that a race is indeed so close that it is “too close to call!”

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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.

Tiznow is one of my favorite horses of all time.  While everyone, myself included, enjoys and appreciates sheer dominance like Secretariat’s win in the Belmont, its equally fun amazing to see a horse that simply refuses to lose and shows heart, grit and determination.  Tiznow is the epitome of heart.

Tiznow of course won two consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classics in 2000 and 2001.  Both featured star-studded fields and epic stretch drives that culminate in narrow victories by Tiznow over a European invader.  Most importantly for this series, both races are described in chill-inducing fashion by Tom Durkin as Tiznow puts away his rivals and battles his foes from across the Atlantic right down to the wire.

Personally, I do not think these two races can be separated.  Tiznow’s two Breeders’ Cup races are just inspiring performances made by a gritty horse who simply refuses to lose.   Undoubtedly, the races would not hold nearly as dear a place in my memory if it were not for Tom Durkin’s calls.  Even re-watching the stretch drive in 2000 leaves you breathless:  “Tiznow tough as nails.  Giants Causeway on the outside.  Giants Causeway and Tiznow battling head to head!  A heart pounding, pulsating stretch drive!  And Tiznow prevails!  The 2001 renewal, of course, is one of Durkin’s most famous calls.  As Tiznow repels one last challenge from Sahkee, the Arc winner, Durkin exclaims “Tiznow wins its for America!”  Its just fantastic.  So this Friday we have a bonus two race 40 Days of Durkin.  I encourage you to take 5 minutes and re-watch both races and both calls.   Tom Durkin is the best.

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This is the first in a two-part series aimed at evaluating the NYRA customer experience.  This has been a major thrust of the NYRA business plan, and you can hardly find an interview with NYRA President and CEO Christopher Kay in which he fails to mention improving customer experience.  Additionally, in May, NYRA hired Lynn LaRocca to join the senior management team as “Chief Experience Officer,” responsible for “all aspects of the relationship between NYRA and its guests, both current and future.”  (See May 27, 2014 NYRA press release, available at http://www.nyra.com/belmont/larocca-lambert-join-nyra-senior-management-team/).  Mr. Kay has made the guest experience a primary focus of his tenure as President, and Ms. LaRocca has now had several months on the job.  As (very) frequent guests of NYRA, both at the track and over the internet, the Thorobros have tried to critically examine the current guest experience and evaluate how the NYRA team is doing.

Continue reading Grading the NYRA Experience (Part 1 – Off-Track Customers) →

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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 has called plenty of upsets over the years.   Sarava at 70-1 in the 2002 Belmont and Arcangues in the 1993 Classic at 133-1, come to mind.  However, the most monumental of all upsets narrated by Durkin may have occurred at Gulfstream Park during the 1996 Fountain of Youth.  Classy Derby contenders Editor’s Note and Unbridled Song (the 1995 BC Juvenile winner) dominated pre-race headlines.  But a $40,000 yearling purchase, Built for Pleasure, who vanned to the track from Calder just hours before the race, rumbled home to a half a length victory at 143-1.  Trained by then 78 year old Texas based trainer Thomas Heard and ridden by Gary Boulanger, Built For Pleasure returned $288.20.

Durkin could see the potential tote board explosion at the sixteenth pole and was prepared as always (even for the imposible) when Built For Pleasure crossed the wire first.  “99-1 is impossible!” And our favorite: “The board says 99-1.  That’s the minimum price!”

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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.

One of this Thorobros favorite calls did not involve a blanket finish.  There was no epic stretch drive.  The most exciting part of this race occurred at the quarter pole as California’s star juvenile colt was challenged by the best of France. “The stage is set,”  Tom Durkin called.

In 1991 Allen Pauslon sent his $350,000 yearling purchase (bought from the owner of the Bills) to France.  Arazi won six of seven starts, all on grass, and was shipped to Churchill for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and a show down with Bertrando, a future Eclipse winner.

Arazi drew post 14 and spotted the field a dozen lengths.  It didn’t matter.  Pat Valenzuela weaved Arazi through traffic on the backstretch and as they came around the turn, Durkin prepared himself for a battle.  “The stage is set.”  But then the undersized Euro surprised everyone, Durkin included.

“And Arazi runs right by him.” “This…indeed…is…a superstar.”

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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.

In the summer of 1999, a major showdown loomed between two of the best older horses in the country.  Behrens was the winner of the Gulfstream Park Handicap, the Oaklawn Handicap, the Suburban and the MassCap (defeating Real Quiet).  Meanwhile, Victory Gallop had one an allowance race at Gulfstream Park, traveled to Dubai and placed third in the Dubai World Cup, then won the Stephen Foster Handicap by open lengths, posting a Beyer speed figure of 118 in the process.

That set the stage for an epic showdown between the four year old Victory Gallop and the five year old Behrens in the 1999 Whitney Handicap.  The showdown with Behrens promised to be just the opening salvo in what would become racing’s premier rivalry.   The showdown did not disappoint.  Behrens made a sustained move for the lead around the far turn, going five wide to get in front as the field hit the top of the lane.  Meanwhile, Victory Gallop was making his patented breathtaking surge from the back of the pack and by the sixteenth pole, he was at Behrens’ throat latch.  Victory Gallop put a nose in front, Behrens fought back, and they battled one another right to the wire in a thrilling renewal of the Whitney Stakes.  To this day, it remains this Thorobro’s favorite race.  Unfortunately, it would be Victory Gallop’s swan song, as he came out of the race with a torn suspensory and was retired.

The race wouldn’t have nearly the same place in my memory, however, were it not for Tom Durkin’s call.  As usual, the set up, the description and the culmination of the epic battle between two great thoroughbreds was perfectly stated, ending with Tom Durkin’s exclamation “What a thriller!”

Enjoy one of the great races in Saratoga history in today’s installment of “40 Days of Durkin” [also, it does not appear that there is a better version of the video of this race on YouTube -- there should be]:

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