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Go easy on Barty, he’s accurate 99.9% of the time. I remember him calling in the fog at Wolves a few years back, the bloke did an excellent job.
I noticed a long time ago that Ian Bartlett does that essential and invaluable thing very often of mentioning the colours of the jockeys’ silks during the commentary so if for any reason you don’t know them you have a chance of following your horse…….very few commentators do this at all for the whole field and even fewer do it consistently.
Yes he made a mistake but he is a commentator – nobody died. If a doctor screws up a patient could die – lets get a sense of perspective.
Everybody makes mistakes at work at some time, luckily for most these do not happen in the public glare.
Yes, you are quite correct nobody died and everyone makes mistakes. I think most people already appreciate those points. However, there are levels of mistakes and it could easily be argued that this was one of, if not the most embarassing call in the history of the sport. You almost expect mistakes in a thirty runner sprint handicap, not in a mile and quarter Classic.
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If there was a prize for who screwed the goose more during the 2011 French Derby it would undoubtedly go to Christophe Lemaire in front of Ian Bartlett. That said I strongly agree with the poster who stated that these mistakes should not happen in a race like the French Derby. Most unprofessional. No excuse. Races like that should be the easiest to call with much of the field running in the very familiar colours of leading stables/owners.
Fortunately Mr Bartlett will live to call another French Derby. Baraan will never get another chance to take the title.
The only thing I can think of is that both Crackerjack King and Reliable Man were grey, I think the only two greys in the race.
Surely you didn’t miss the other grey settling twenty five lengths behind the second last horse?
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Surely you didn’t miss the other grey settling twenty five lengths behind the second last horse?
As you’ve mentioned the
real
le(night)maire of the race, I wonder whether the jockey’s culpability has been exaggerated? Baraan was relaxed enough in the stalls to enjoy a nice … defecation … and clearly went as thoroughly to sleep as any horse could have done. A relaxed horse is at least not using energy needlessly.
Then, given the lack of serious pace set by Casamiento (at least to my eyes) Lemaire in fact made up his ground pretty sensibly, completely without stressing the horse. I thought Bartlett was exaggerating the 25 lengths – was he on course, or only seeing the feed which we saw ourselves? If the latter, impossible to be too sure about the distance Baraan lost. RP report suggests 15 lengths is closer the mark.
What is certain, is that by the crucial part of the race just before entering the straight the horse was only about a length behind the eventual winner, and neither appeared to have used much energy.
Reliable Man showed a better turn of foot, despite coming wider, and won fairly easily. I’d be far from surprised – or even expect – to see the winner confirm the form with Baraan next time, strictly on merit.
He did it again in the 3.10 at Chantilly today, not the winner this time but kept calling the pacemaker one of the favs and vice versa throughout the race.
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I’m afraid he did. So the answer to the thread’s question is "Yes – it does!".
I’d love to know where Ian Bartlett actually is when he does these French commentaries. In France, or patched in from a London studio with the ambient racetrack noise mixed in?
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Another wrong call in the 4.30 at Sedgefield, called a wrong faller which though he corrected himself and it wasn’t as high profile, the people who got matched at 200s for the place were probably quite chuffed when it finished second.
Does it get more embarrassing? Yes indeed it does.
On ATR tonight, Barty calling them home & Jim McGrath live from the course.
Between them they might call the right horse at some point. I think the problem with Bartlett is that he doesn’t want to go ‘erm’ take a beat, have a look & then pick them up. He wants to be Mr Smooth.
Just curious, how does he get the plum posts when there are so many out there who are proving to be much better than him? Take Lee Makenzie and Darren Owen, hell, even Tommo!
I’d love to know where Ian Bartlett actually is when he does these French commentaries. In France, or patched in from a London studio with the ambient racetrack noise mixed in?
AFAIK the commentaries are done from the Equidia studio in Paris, off-tube.
Just curious, how does he get the plum posts when there are so many out there who are proving to be much better than him? Take Lee Makenzie and Darren Owen, hell, even Tommo!
I’d love to see Tommo commentating on the Arc. Even if to just show for fun.
I don’t get what people have against him to be honest.
Tracksuitdave,
I believe Dave Smith was recently dropped from the Racetech roster.
As for Dougie Fraser, I take it you didn’t hear about him being found dead in an apparant suicide approx a year ago. The 2010 Zetland Gold Cup day at Redcar was his last call.
They always re record the commentaries where errors are made.
Tony Ennis for instance called the second placed horse as a winner in a close finish at Notts the other day and therefore the commentary was altered for the replays.
Not quite in the heinous crime category I think you’ll agree.Human error means no-one will be 100 % perfect all the time,but when someone starts to make consistent errors of judgement then it may be time to consider their position.
I believe Dave Smith was recently dropped from the Racetech roster.
Final call was in December 2010, though I think I’m right in saying his very last programmed commentary stint fell foul of the weather.
Also think it’s likelier he was retired on age grounds rather than dropped – a subtle but definite difference. Certainly he was getting towards a retirement sort of age, having been employed as a commentator by Extel and its successors since 1976 (and for I know by other racing organs prior to that, even).
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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