Trevor Denmanwhose familiar voice has punctuated horse racing in southern California for more than four decades, announced his retirement on Thursday. He will be replaced in Del Mar by Larry collmuswhich is best known for its NBC calls for Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders' Cup.
Denman is considered one of the greatest racing calls for all time. His expressions of signature such as “and they go” at the start of each race to say occasionally “they should germinate wings” to catch a horse that was far ahead. He also referred to horses close to rail as “scraping painting”.
Denman, 72, has planned his retirement for a few years, reducing his workload to the summer meeting in Del in Del. He called each season except one, in Del Mar since 1984.
He came to southern California in 1983 and called part -time races before moving to the main place of the Santa Anita stand the following year. He held this position until he announced that he was leaving Santa Anita before the 2016 season. Denman also called races at Hollywood Park and even Fairplex during his mandate in South California.
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“I have been doing this for 44 years and I knew that the day would come,” Denman said to Times in 2016 About his departure from Santa Anita. “I knew I didn't want to do this the rest of my life. They say that you have about 32,000 days on this land and that I have already heard about 22,000, so I needed to count the last 10,000. »»
Denman also cited Highway 210 as another factor for leaving Santa Anita and simply calling to Del Mar.
“The killer is that there is no way to get around him,” said Denman, echoing the feelings of anyone who traveled on the 210 during rush hour. “I'm sitting there in traffic and I start to think:” What am I doing with my life? ” When you multiply it, you sit in your car a few weeks a year. Thirty years ago, this highway was a breeze. The last five years have been terrible. »»
Denman, who spends most of his time in his 500 -acres farm in Minnesota, then concentrated his remaining racing days at Del Mar. He gave up the Fall of Del Mar meeting five years ago and was replaced by Collmus, 58, who was previously the race appel in New York Racing.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever taken,” Denman told Denman in the media relations department. “But my soul tells me it's time.”
The absence of Denman by Santa Anita even led to a series of death threats against Michael Wrona, who initially replaced Denman in Santa Anita. Wrona has escorted the safety towards and since her car every day. Arcadia police found the person who made the threats but did not stop it, noting that he had a social development disorder. The person was also linked to threats against collmus, when he replaced Denman as the voice of the Breeders' Cup.
Denman's style, cadence and ability to spot changes in a race almost before they occur, have probably done so the best race call in recent decades. There are few current racing calls that say they have not been influenced by Denman.
“My career has been inspired by the brilliance of Trevor Denman,” said Frank Mirahmadi, considered one of the pre-eminent pre-appeals today when he announces both Santa Anita and Saratoga meetings. “My very first race call was in Hollywood Park, imitating his voice on the closing day of the 1992 season.
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“Trevor educated his audience not only thanks to his racing calls, but even his words between races on night rereading shows in the 80s and 90s and his fabulous work as an analyst on Breeders' Cup when Tom Durkin was the advertiser. He taught us to watch a race and his love for horses and sport made me a much bigger fan. »»
Denman began calling races in his native South Africa in 1971 before coming to the United States, where his distinctive accent paved the way for other racing appeals, who also brought an international flavor to the races.
“I grew up listening to Trevor and I liked his unforgettable calls for decades,” said Collmus to Del Maris Advertising. “It is an absolute honor to follow him to Del Mar. Calling the races there in the fall in the past five years has been a great experience and I am delighted to be the new full-time voice of Del Mar” “
When Mirahmadi entertains visitors to the advertiser's stand in Santa Anita, it is always a point to call it “Trevor's Booth”.
Mirahmadi even has a framed copy of Denman's favorite poem, If by Rudyard Kipling, in the stand.
“We knew that it would end up coming with Trevor, and now it's here,” said Joe Harper, Del Mar director, in a press release. “We were so lucky to have the best of the business of our stand during all these years, and now all we can do is wish him, he and his wife, the best of their path to come.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
