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I could listen to Richard Hoiles for hours. He speaks with incredible clarity and is always professional.
Ian Barlett commentating at Doncaster today ususally Mark Johnson has he been dropped from the gig?
We’ll only find that out over time – remember that racecourses submit lists of preference regarding which commentators they would like, and a "best fit" is constructed based on those lists with the aim of keeping as many of the courses happy as far as possible.
With, as stated previously, even the best / most in-demand callers on the roster limited to 80-90 stints a season, not every course is going to get their way entirely. A big chunk of Mark Johnson’s ration could be gobbled up if he commentated on all of the meetings at his most regular stomping grounds of Doncaster and Market Rasen in a year… but then of course other tracks want a piece of him as well (to varying degrees).
Similarly nearly all of Ian Bartlett’s allocation could be frittered away just on Newbury, Newmarket and Sandown if those courses got their way entirely, but they cannot.
In short, Steve, we’ll need to give it a few more meetings before discovering whether Mr Johnson has in fact fallen out of favour at Town Moor for whatever reason. I personally would expect him to be a candidate for the St Leger meeting, but I’ve not seen the Racetech booking schedule for it to be able to say for certain.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Im sure Bartlett has done way more he’s everywhere all weather flat jumps, he was doncaster friday Newbury Saturday Wolverhampton all the time
My notes indicate he called 88 times last year – mostly at the places you mention, but also Haydock, Sandown, Redcar, and one fun week pelting around several Yorkshire tracks. Intended stints at abandoned meetings may have nudged the total up just a little.
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.
My notes indicate he called 88 times last year –
Jeremy, you must get out more….
seriously, I know Gareth Topham, he is a lovely lad from the same city as me, he is very eager, will go anywhere to call at the trots or p2p, he has made good contacts amongst race-callers such as Darren Owen and Simon Holt – in short, he is a name to remember.
Seconded, Nick. I listened to Gareth’s ICS calls on both Saturday (work) and Sunday (recreationally), and he didn’t miss a beat. Steve Powell, who was working with him on Saturday and can’t be too many years older, was also very, very decent indeed.
Puts my strangled, Dictaphone-in-front-of-the-telly efforts into perspective…
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.
I did a poll on this last December which brought an excellent response and was won by Simon Holt from John Hunt and Richard Hoiles followed by Mark Johnson and Lee McKenzie. I’m amazed you could have a commentators poll and not have a commentator of the calibre of John Hunt listed and have him with others instead
I had to remove some because it wouldnt let me put anymore on John Hunt and Lee McKenzie were the last ones I took off – anyway after yesterday when he did a bad commentary at Leicester hes gone slightly doen in my estimations
I’m a great John Hunt fan as well, absolutely first class, Lee Mac excellent too.
I agree Hoiles is very accurate, with a very clear voice.
How in the name of all that’s holy did Thommo get in a list of "best" anything bar annoyances???!!!!!
I agree that John Hunt is very good, closely followed by Richard Hoiles & Simon Holt. I’m ambivalent over Mark Johnson as he gets a bit over-excited for my liking at times (talking of which, if you come across him, ask him about the heifer he pulled [sorry, was that fitted up with? Ed.] at Beverley on an Arab racing jaunt after a lot of Jack Daniels c.12 years ago, hehehe!!!!)
I had to remove some because it wouldnt let me put anymore on John Hunt and Lee McKenzie were the last ones I took off – anyway after yesterday when he did a bad commentary at Leicester hes gone slightly doen in my estimations
One mishap out of however many hundreds of calls – a tad capricious, aren’t we?
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.
Mr Hunt is one of the best commentators and your right it was one of a very few mistakes he makes so I apologise.
My notes indicate he called 88 times last year – mostly at the places you mention, but also Haydock, Sandown, Redcar, and one fun week pelting around several Yorkshire tracks. Intended stints at abandoned meetings may have nudged the total up just a little.
gc
Jeremy, would you like to share what other subjects you keep notes on
Mike
Mike – like one other ex-Sportsman writer (not a member of TRF, alas), I’m a bit of an anorak for remembering defunct race distances at jumps tracks, before they were all standardised as full furlongs or half furlongs – 2m 74yds for Southwell chases, 4m 856yds for the Grand National, that sort of thing.
There are other things as well, but that’s emphatically as much as you’re getting!
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.
I managed to listen to the Welsh National this morning on WillHill and it was so refreshing to hear such a bloody good commentary. An excellent combination of excitement, emotion, composure and accuracy, all delivered with wonderful clarity.
I know it’s easy to criticize, but over all you have a good band of commentators, unlike the general ‘crock o’ shite’ that we have to put up with here.
Any time Gareth Topham wants to come over and commentate for us, he’s more than welcome.
I hope he goes far at the game.
I managed to listen to the Welsh National this morning on WillHill and it was so refreshing to hear such a bloody good commentary. An excellent combination of excitement, emotion, composure and accuracy, all delivered with wonderful clarity.
I know it’s easy to criticize, but over all you have a good band of commentators, unlike the general ‘crock o’ shite’ that we have to put up with here.
Any time Gareth Topham wants to come over and commentate for us, he’s more than welcome.
I hope he goes far at the game.
…in stark contrast, alas, to JA’s effort for the same race on the Beeb. Does anyone know if his monitors packed in (or similar) halfway through? There was a period of about 30 seconds coming down the hill in the back straight the second time where he seemed to lose his thread completely, and resorted to naming random horses in any order. Before and after that he wasn’t at the top of his game, either.
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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