When Dave Johnson started out as a track broadcaster in the 1960s—or, as he liked to joke, “when the Earth was cooling down”—a call of a race ended with a portion left. sixteen miles. This happened in an era long before the broadcast of simulations, decades before cell phones were in regular use and when pay phones were switched off at the track during racing.
The announcement then evolved to end appropriately at the close, and Johnson’s calls, as well as subsequent calls from another now-retired legend, Tom Durkin, changed and raised the bar. Further career track broadcaster, with descriptions provided by the couple and with a theater section. (Johnson knows a lot about the stage, having served as a producer on the Tony Award-winning musical “The Producers.”)
It is no longer simply facts that have just been presented, but drama and tone have been added. Like a play, says Durkin, a race has a protagonist, a villain, and a plot. But unlike the theater, a race won’t repeat itself night after night, with each race being “a once-in-a-lifetime”, even one with the same participants different from the race. earlier, Johnson said.
Tom Durkin speaks at the Global Symposium on Racing
Two people announce, talk to the present Gulfstream Park announcer Pete Aiello, discussed their careers in a December 6 panel called “Game Storytellers—Legendary Announcers of Race” in the first of three panel discussions. afternoon during the University of Arizona Track Industry Program’s Global Symposium on Racing.
The cheerful “In-Game Storytellers” panel preceded two more intense discussions during the Tuesday afternoon portion of the multi-day conference at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz. They include “Life After the Race—Second Career and Retirement,” with a focus on aftercare, and “Integrating Horse Racing into the U.S. Sports Betting Environment.”
While both panels were highly appreciated by symposium attendees, neither proved to be as popular as the one featuring Durkin and Johnson. Attendees packed the conference room to watch the two greats, and many lingered afterward for a chance to say a few words in person to one of the announcers, who called the races etched. in their memory.
Some of those calls were broadcast as video clips during the group discussion, as well as video-recorded comments from current announcers, who credited Johnson and Durkin for paving the way for the achievements. theirs.
Durkin recalls attending a @BreedersCup party in his first year and was invited to meet former presidents Gerald Ford, Elizabeth Taylor and others there – and had to phone his mother to tell her about it. https://t.co/hxZQOoS73p
– King Byron (@BH_BKing) December 6, 2022
Among those to thank is Larry Collmus, who became a broadcaster for the New York Racing Association for a number of years after Durkin retired in 2014. Undertaking both track and television announcement duties. in 2015, he called American Pharoah of winning in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
“When the American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for the first time in 38 years, a lot of people praised the breeder, the trainer, (jockey) Victor Espinoza and the horse itself for winning the Triple Crown. ,” Durkin recalled. 72. “The real reason he was able to win the Triple Crown was because I didn’t call the race. Nine times I walked into that announcer’s booth on Belmont Day, thinking that at the end of the day I would call the Triple Crown. Crown winner. Nine times, 0 eats 9.”
It’s something that’s gone but still hurts.
Oddly enough, for a man respected for his memorable calls, Durkin admits that he sometimes struggles with performance anxiety, even turning to hypnotherapy as a cure. means of dealing with stress in his or her profession.
He recalls sitting down with a hypnotherapist who asked him to choose an image to trigger positive thoughts in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs. Durkin chose the historic Twin Spires.
“So I’m paraphrasing. He said, ‘Every time you can see the Twin Towers, you’ll calm down. Your vision will be amazing. You’ll be able to draw from your subconscious right away. when you see those Twin Towers above,'” Durkin said in a calm, soothing voice. “So it’s Breeders’ Cup Day, and I get out of bed — (and I’m like), ‘Let’s go, boy Tom! Get out of there.’ And I opened the curtains, and it was pouring rain.”
Knowing how difficult it would be to notice, with horses covered in mud and facing a long stretch of Churchill Downs, Durkin said he felt like, “I’m walking 13 steps up the gallows. “
But as he drove to Churchill Downs, the iconic scenery of the historic track put him in the right mindset.
“Back down Central Avenue, there’s Twin Spires,” Durkin said, clapping his hands to emphasize breaking out of the joke. ” ‘Get to work, Tommy boy!’ “
“It works. I’ve used it a lot,” he added of hypnosis. “But after a while, I felt stressed and I gave up the job.”
Even in retirement, the two announcers are still revered by fans, Durkin is known for his storytelling abilities and rich vocabulary — he keeps a long sheet of paper for synonyms to describe his actions. motion — and Johnson with his catchphrase, “And they’ll come!”
Johnson said Tuesday that he has trademarked that product line.
“I have to tell you it’s raised quite a bit of money for charity,” he noted. “I’ve never kept a dime for myself, but we’ve given all the money, penny by penny, to racetrack charities, including scholarships at the University of Arizona.”
Dave Johnson (left) speaking at the Global Symposium on Racing
When asked to name their favorite call during their long careers, neither of them mentioned which one, though Durkin said, seemingly jokingly, “last call.”
Johnson humbly credits Durkin’s Cigars call having won the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Belmont Park as his favorite when Durkin thundered, “And here he is: One-of-a-kind, unbeatable, unbeatable cigars!”
Aiello offered his appreciation of two longtime broadcasters in his closing remarks.
“There’s always a debate in anything, who’s the best of all time? What’s the Mount Rushmore of this? What’s the Mount Rushmore of that?” he say. “But I think we can all agree—-a round of applause if you agree with this—two of the members of Mount Rushmore were present.”
The symposium crowd did more than applaud. They roared.
