Durkin retiring Aug 31

[coachbowlin]

Bloodhorse.com reporting Durkin is retiring. He was my personal favorite track announcer. I think it\'s probably because his voice brings back great memories of the Breeders Cup. Lots of great races called by Durkin. My two favorites are \'88 Distaff and \'96 Mile. No doubt he\'s lost his edge of late but still one of the best ever!

Coach

[Lost Cause]

1988 distaff the greatest race I have ever seen and the call was great also.

\"here comes personal Ensign unleashing a furious run\"

For you younger crew out there here it is.  You have to see the pps to really appreciate what Personal Ensign did in that race running down a loose on the lead Ky Derby winner on a sloppy track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjQhB2y3TLQ

[sekrah]

One of the best.  It\'s been sad having to watch his decline the past few years.

[Edgorman]

Anyone hear any news??  It looked pretty bad.

[richiebee]

Wonder if they will consider Vic Stauffer as a replacement...

[Rick B.]

sekrah Wrote:
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> One of the best.  It\'s been sad having to watch
> his decline the past few years.

A \"declining\" Durkin is far more entertaining than
most out there today. Effortless delivery even now.

Hey, it\'s going to happen to all of us. Try to
remember not to fuss too much when they pry the
car keys out of your fist, and then strap the
dribble cup under your chin.

[TheBull]

Sadly the horse did not make it.....Bejerano taken to the hospital for treatment, is all we know so far. Ugly spill indeed

[richiebee]

NYRA in a cost saving measure may decide to let the newly added Luis Grandison,
a Panamanian hired to call NYRA races en Espanol, become the primary
racecaller.

There would be English subtitles available at the bottom of all monitors showing
the NYRA races...

[Edgorman]

They are also trying to hire Jackie Mason to call the races in Yiddish in an attempt to lure the real old timers back into the game.

[Silver Charm]

He was the Voice of a new and different era! The Breeders Cup and The Triple Crown as a Brand. His NYRA precessor Marshall Cassidy was aweful if you ever stood in a OTB with no TV visual. Other Derby, Triple Crown callers like Dave Johnson and Chick Lang were good and left a solid mark.

NYRA needs some slack. This will be an important choice and its not gonna be an easy one. New York and Calif wagering are still the Bell Cows of the Sport. As someone who is Fan of the game I hope they get it right....

[Boscar Obarra]

Most of the \'new\' callers out there bore me to tears.

 Durkin on his worst day, 10 lengths better than most.

[jma11473]

It\'s NYRA. No matter who they choose to replace Durkin, you\'ll get the usual suspects with their \"clueless clowns\" posts. There really is no one NYRA can pick who won\'t get ripped.

[miff]

Since Martin Panza, ex Hollywood Park, joined NYRA guess Vic Stauffer a good guess.

Quite a few good race callers out there but Durkin was the best.

[Rich Curtis]

Beautiful piece of writing:

http://around2turns.com/

[moosepalm]

Rich Curtis Wrote:
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> Beautiful piece of writing:
>


There is so little of that in sports journalism, today.  Rarely would you find a piece that holds a candle to this.