If you're calling Harness ,then you obviously know that your check is paid for by losers.Think about it.People who don't mind losing money when a horse goes on a break? If somebody doesn't have more respect for themselves than that,then they are losers.Only people with crappy self esteem would accept losing money just because a horse goes off stride.Talk about being somebody's bitch.Sure,some of us play that crap when we are weak,but only losers will play it for very long(cuz your money is fried whenever a horse breaks,and who puts up with that? losers do.)

...kasept..hmmmmmmm

ive seen many a greek restr. lost on the "mellaka hunch play"..then the thing breaks stride ...all you hear is" mellaka ,mellaka ..son of bietch..mellaka"....sooo comedy....

"greek diners, indian newsstands, korean delis..." lol. all have been lost on "easy money."

Rodney's horse in "Easy Money."

If I had a dollah for every Ron Wrenn 3/5 trotter that broke before the start at Maywood ....

What is the job worth?

It's just like the value of anything else. Like your house. It is worth exactly how much somebody is willing to pay for it at the time you want to sell it. No more. No less ("here lies Les Moore. No Les, No more?").

This is exactly why I said they are gifted. Making the call seem like it matters just adds to it. Vic sounds like he has bet on every winner.

Ill also take a stab at the fact that Vic get's excited not because he has a wager on any particular horse but because he has major passion for the sport that he announce's. When I was training to announce , A announcer whom was in the business for 40 years gave me the best advice . First he told me you could be the best announcer in the world but if your not getting paid to do it , it means nothing. Second he said your job is simple make people stand up , make the hair on the back of there neck stand up when the horses turn for the money . This is what vic tries to do every race, every day ,and thats his job thats what he gets paid to do. We could go round and round about good ,bad, or mediocre announcers its a style and only 40% are going to like you thats the facts. In any event things could be worse the top 2 announcers in the country could be JIM DOOLEY and ROSS MORTON . Id be happy with vic myself and luke . Oh well

Do you mean John Dooley?

Ah yes, from the '04 Preakness. Durkin was great in the entire Triple Crown that year.
"And Smarty Jones is ROUSED TO THE LEAD under journeyman jockey Stewart Elliot!"
"and Birdstone is going to make him it earn it today"

Durkin can be WAY over the top spmetimes (see "Invasor is AWESOME!!") but I'll take him over Vic any day. I guess it really just boils down to personal preference though.

I'd say the California guys are both overrated but also have it harder in some ways.

It's got to be far easier calling 5 and 6 horse fields than fields of 10-12. Stauffer's call was not good, but he was probably trying to come up with something to say in the short field. A better judge of talent, I think, is to compare announcers calling a 12 horse field race.

In any event, I really never listen to an announcer when I am on-track. At home, it is different, because I'm limited in what I can see. So, to me, the most important part of an announcers job, aside from quickly and accurately calling the start, is to let those watching on TV/Internet know what , if anythng, important is happening outside of camera range.

John dooley , Jim dooley , yeah ok if thats it , You know whom I speak of

Hey Tao: What are some of your favorite lines you have used while calling a race?

Wow favorite lines, I try not to script my call's but . Here are a few that I seem to utter sometime's



Clippity clop through the slop

Feel's the sting of the right handed wip

There coming home for the pay off

ONE FINAL SURGE

Closed shop early

I use upper and lower turn instead of clubhouse and final turn

Locked up and the key is gone

Farther outside than Danny Bonaducci of the partridge family

Thereeeeeeee COMING HOME NOW

For harness what's your opinion of Sam McKee at the Big M? I think he's pretty good.

Thanks for sharing. LOL!

But I am not getting this one...

Farther outside than Danny Bonaducci of the partridge family

Is this the red haired meatead from quite possibly the worst TV show of all time?

my favorite line that one of the harness guys used to use is so and so 'has the best view of them all' for whoever is last.

That was Jack Lee. He was awesome. The guy who called about 15 years ago at Yonkers or Roosevelt used to say " and here come the vultures!!!!" after a speed duel had obviously taken its toll on the leaders.
Of course that nut at the Meadows(roger huston?) has some good ones. GETTING UPPPPPPPP!!!!

Sam Mckee: My opinion is he is the best harness announcer of his time, He is consistent , He has a perfect voice , Accurate, A pleasure to listen to.


As far as Dannie Bonaducci yes you are correct he was the redheaded kid from the 70,s show the partridge family. He never fit into the family loop he was an outsider how he got picked to be on the show is beyond me but I think he was portrayed as adopted or something im not sure alls I know is he was outside the family very very far outside , so when a horse is wide in the turn and is losing ground thats what I use sometimes , instead of my old line which is he is heading for the hot dog stand.

that's right I think it was Yonkers that I'm thinking of--the boss had a horse that used to run there a lot