JC / Railbird

Track Notes Archive

The Collmus Interview

Patrick Patten interviews Suffolk Downs-Aqueduct-Monmouth announcer Larry Collmus. Among Collmus’ favorite lines from calls past: “My best lines were off the cuff. My favorite would be when Cigar made his move in the 1996 MassCap, I said ‘There goes the Legend.’ I don’t think anyone had called him that before. I liked it. He certainly was a legend.”

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Noticed this tossed-off phrase in a Jay Cronley ESPN column today: “Women can’t call races?” Which made me wonder — is there now, or has there ever been, a woman calling races at any thoroughbred track?

3/30 Update: I knew there had to be female track announcers somewhere. A correspondent wrote in today to say: “Yes, in Japan and Korea, some women call races. Yasuko Iguchi, the first woman announcer of horseracing in Japan, had called JRA races from 1971 to 1995 on live broadcast of Radio Nippon. Kayo Koeda also is woman announcer at Hokkaido tracks. Kim Su-Jin became the first woman announcer in Korea.”

Posted in Track Notes on March 29, 2006

Santa Anita Barn Notes

Trainer Bob Baffert’s Point of Impact was one of the many promising colts horseplayers have been eagerly looking forward to debuting this winter as a possible Kentucky Derby contender. On Wednesday, he appeared in an allowance at Santa Anita and seemed to ruin whatever Derby chances he had by acting rank, blowing the first turn and running to the outside rail. Point of Impact still managed to finish fourth, but it was hardly the performance of a colt you’d want to have a lot of money on come May 6. Jockey Victor Espinoza, though, has an excuse:

Perhaps. Point of Impact does have a couple of months to figure out this whole racing thing, but I don’t think I’ll put him in the Derby top 10 just yet.
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Wild Fit, the impressive California filly last seen finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies to Folklore, worked six furlongs in 1:12.4 at Santa Anita on Thursday. It’s expected the Patrick Biacone trainee will start next in the February 11 Las Virgenes Stakes.

Posted in Track Notes on January 27, 2006

Oaklawn Opens Friday

Oaklawn Park opens Friday, and “this year might be the track’s best yet,” with record purses, more wagering options, a “souped-up” three-year-old series, and full barns to draw on for races.
Trainer John Servis is at Oaklawn and planning on bringing back two of his best horses from layoffs during the meet. Out for much of 2005 with a severe foot injury sustained in the 2004 Remsen, Rockport Harbor could make his long anticipated return to racing in the Essex Handicap on February 11. The gash in Rockport’s hoof is completely healed, said Servis, who described the four-year-old colt as “much more aggressive in his gallops … He’s gotten to be, he’s like Smarty Jones now. The son of a b**** is tough as nails. That’s a good sign.” Acorn winner Round Pond, recovered from surgery last July for a bone chip in her knee, may also start next month. “She is coming along faster than I expected, so there’s a possibility she might run in February,” said Servis.
The opening day stakes at Oaklawn is the Dixieland for three-year-olds at five and half furlongs, and Servis will be represented in that race by Fidrych, who has won two of his last three starts at six furlongs going wire-to-wire. He won’t be the only speed in the race though — there are several fast colts among the 10 entered, including Steve Asmussen’s Catonight (winner of the Sugar Bowl at Louisiana Downs) and Cole Norman’s Corredor de Plata. Trainer Tim Ritchey has entered Urban Guy, his promising three-year-old sprinter.

Posted in Track Notes on January 19, 2006