I was privileged to listen to Larry Colmus' call of the races at Suffolk Downs in its swan song days when Cigar won the Massachusetts Handicap two years in a row. Mike Welsch was working at the track back then and now he's seen yearly giving his reports on the Derby's and Oak's workouts. Unfortunately like many other tracks, Suffolk Downs is now gone. It is interesting to learn about Larry's background and where he's been since way back then. I always marvel at how race callers can learn all those difficult names, associate them with the silks and blurt them out rapid fire. Then forget them all again before the next race. It could be worse. In Australia they say the names of all of the horses from first to last as they cross the finish line. Another difference is that they refer to the horses in gender neutral terms.
I was privileged to listen to Larry Colmus' call of the races at Suffolk Downs in its swan song days when Cigar won the Massachusetts Handicap two years in a row. Mike Welsch was working at the track back then and now he's seen yearly giving his reports on the Derby's and Oak's workouts.
Unfortunately like many other tracks, Suffolk Downs is now gone.
It is interesting to learn about Larry's background and where he's been since way back then.
I always marvel at how race callers can learn all those difficult names, associate them with the silks and blurt them out rapid fire. Then forget them all again before the next race.
It could be worse. In Australia they say the names of all of the horses from first to last as they cross the finish line. Another difference is that they refer to the horses in gender neutral terms.