They're in the Gate for the Last Time-Tom Durkin

It's the final weekend for NYRA racetrack announcer Tom Durkin. Sunday will be his final day calling races at Saratoga (and any other track) as he retires. His last race call will be the Spinaway Stakes (2 year old Fillies).

This summer at the Spa I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people I spoke to who were aware that Tom Durkin is retiring. The fact that so many fans know who Tom Durkin is and are aware he is retiring says something about Durkin. There are many adjectives you can use for Mr. Durkin and one of the best is memorable.

You know the sound of his voice, you know what he looks like, and you know his familiar phrases. Heck, I named this blog "They're in the Gate" after the phrase Mr. Durkin uses every time the last horse enters into the gate before a race. Listen this final weekend to how he says: "They're in the Gate"

The way he says it has the just the right mixture of enthusiasm and succinctness. I love it and it will long echo in my head.

And of course, there are the race calls himself.  We have the internet so Durkin's calls will not go away.

What I liked most about Durkin was his humor and sense of entertainment.  Have you ever watched other race calls on TVG, or your local OTB simulcast and been bored to tears by the calls. Of course you have. Durkin is smart enough to know that he is in the information business but also in the entertainment business. He could be very serious in his race calls, but when the moment called for a little fun, he knew it.

 He also knew when a big moment was here and called for a memorable call. A perfect example of this is Durkin's call of the Rachel Alexandra win in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga. He knew many of the fans came to the track that day with one goal in mind-to see Rachel win. And when she did Durkin was ready with the big call.  I will never forget that call as the horses came around the final turn and Durkin says" A Dramatic Stretch Drive Awaits", and when she won, proclaiming "Rachel raises the rafters here at the Spa".

Simply the Best, enjoy your next venture Tom. 

This beautiful looking horse, California Chrome has won the first 2 relatively easy. Will he now win this Saturday at Belmont to take the Triple Crown? Here is why I think he has a really good chance to win: 1. The horse makes good trips. He gets good trips because he is that good, its' not luck. He makes his luck 2. I just don't see the Jockey race riding that I used to see years ago against a favorite. I don't think I will see much this Saturday. 3. The horse has a nice stride and runs very true and straight. Watch the Kentucky Derby and Preakness replays in the stretch of all the horses. California Chrome is running dead straight while the other horses are wobbling and weaving. That's a ton of lost energy that makes the difference between 1st and 2nd. 4. California Chrome is beatable but do you see any world beaters out there in this group. Wicked Strong, Ride on Curlin, Samraat, General A-Rod all look like good horses, but are they great? Who knows, maybe he will get tired the final furlong and get caught, much like Birdstone caught Smarty Jones (the last time we had a real feel good story like this one) back in '04. Nothing would surprise me, but I think this is the year.

Derby 2014 Musings

The Big weekend is now upon us. With Hoppertunity scratched and Pablo Del Monte not going in as an AE you have 19 horses to play with.

If there is one race to tune out all the chatter from various touts it's this race. With 19 horses coming out of the gate, no one, even the experts can tell you before the race how the trip will be for each horse.

Too many horses, too much dirt flying, too much jockeying around early.

For this race, just envision how YOU think the trip will be for each horse and than make your picks. Forget the others, they don't know the trip any better than you do.

Do I know? Heck no, I can only view it my head and make picks accordingly. Clean trip I think California Chrome wins, but can I really expect a clean trip? Probably not, so with a little rough going I have to consider the others, especially closers coming late.

I will play with the following horses, watching the odds boards just before race time, and then the bets get sent in: California Chrome, Tapiture, Intense Holiday, Medal Count, Wicked Strong.

Good luck all!

Coulda Woulda Shouda

Love reading all the post crisis sanctimonious ramblings after the PETA undercover investigation was released. I heard about it first by reading  Joe Drape's NY Times article .

My first reaction was "oh wow that's not going to be good".

But then I watched it a second time, looking closely and listening for any "illegal activity". Didn't really see or hear anything definitive at least as far as illegal treatment of the horses in the video put out by PETA. Some chatter about buzzer use, but even that was very unclear and perhaps a story of a long time ago.
 
There was some talk of illegal hiring practices of backstretch workers.

But is that Racing's problem or say The NY Department of Labor (some of  the investigation by PETA  took place in Saratoga). Everytime my business adds even a part time worker to the payroll I get workers comp and NYS Disability notices up the wazhoo.

Where was the Workers Comp Board and Labor Dept on this? Shouldn't we be asking them when was the last workers comp audit they did?  How about the IRS or the various State Tax Departments. Any recent audits? notices? request for payroll records? How about the NYS Gaming Commission? Same goes for all the various Kentucky boards and departments?

If these various entities can't do their job, you think a Federal Governing body for racing will?

But no coulda woulda shoulda's from me. I view the game for what it is (or at least how I  see it) : a mostly on the level game filled with a ton of people who love to compete (owners, trainers, equine athletes, horseplayers) with a bunch of crazies mixed in with a sprinkling of miscreants.

The game is filled with colorful characters, and a ton drink, swear, eat and smoke too  much and many gamble the mortgage money away each month. Some of these characters will always push the envelope and will continue to do that in 2014 and 2024 and onward.  Don't see how that is ever gonna change. I'm OK with that, mostly because I already know that it is what  it is..