Denman's officially on notice (with apologies to Brad and John). Don't mess up the Breeders Cup Denman!
Jose Santos makes the list for his awful ride on Caiman in Friday's first at Saratoga. Santos gets fanned out five wide on the turn (in a six-horse field!) and then can't extend Caiman enough to get by Seaside Salute and apprentice Jeffrey Sanchez (who was making his first-ever ride at Saratoga).
It looks like Tom Durkin's contract with NBC will prevent him from calling the Breeders Cup on ESPN this year. It will be the first Breeders Cup without Durkin. The day, of course, is about the racing but I don't think the BC will be quite the same. Durkin is one of the best announcers in all of sports and it's usually a joy to hear him call a day at the races.
Durkin does seem to get a bit bored for some of the lesser races (especially something along the lines of a late-November state-bred frightfest at my beloved Big A) but he is always on for big races. Durkin calls a race smartly without laying on the cliches or hyperbole. He's very good at calling or signalling moves before they become evident (especially if you're on track). And he is one of the few announcers that instinctively knows that more than a few race watchers also care about who finishes second and third in a race.
Some are suggesting that the ESPN job may go to Trevor Denman, the announcer at Santa Anita and Del Mar. I haven't heard Denman all that much but I haven't been that impressed. He seems to make mistakes. Any SoCal race followers or goers think differently or view this positively?
Blood-Horse: Durkin Out as TV Voice of Breeders' Cup
