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Sad news breaking on the The Pointing Forum in the past hour; former Racing Post Lambourn correspondent Rodney Masters confirming the death at 82 of John Hanmer.
A highly successful agent to (at various times) Mick Kinane and Steve Cauthen; a stalwart RTS roster commentator from 1958-75 and 1988-2000; and of course to countless dedicated and casual racing fans alike, the voice of so many Grand National cavalry charges.
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.
“as we rejoin John Hanmer” is in the soundtrack of my childhood along with the swish of spruce.
RIP.Used to love that when they used to handover to Hanmer, was it in the country they called it then with no buildings around?
This is very sad news despite him making it to the Octogenerian window. He was part of an age when most representing the sport in the media did so without the wish to magnify their own so called ‘personalities’- Hanmer clearly carried out his roles for the BBC, Raceform and in the role of a jockey’s agent to the highest standards.
When he compiled close ups for Raceform and their Note Book, in the same teams as the likes of John Sharratt, Patricia Stoute, Alan Amies ect, there was (apart from the small number of televised races) no help available from recordings until the late eighties – up to then their eyes and acumen had one chance only to get things right.
He did at least enjoy the sport in its heyday and will not be here to witness it go from struggling to farcical to crumbling.
Sad to learn this news. Like so many here, I fondly remember his voice from the good old days of the Grand National, broadcast on the BBC when it still had an interest in racing.
John’s iconic voice was a vital slice of Grand National history making his races all the more memorable. Sorry to hear this news of his death, and thank you Grays for imparting it.
RIP John Hanmer. For many racing fans, I suspect he was as much a part of the Grand National as Becher’s Brook or Red Rum. Although he has gone, his name and commentaries will continue to evoke the thrills and magic of racing at its very best.
Perfect sentiments from Marlingford. I think John took over from Tony O’Hehir on the country stretch around 1972 and carried on for a good 30 years.
Very sad news. As previous posters have said, he was part of the fabric of the Grand National. I always remember that John was the first of the BBC’s commentary team to make the point, on the first circuit of the 1993 debacle, that it had to be a void race.
Another part of my childhood gone. He may have been the most famous person not to have their own Wikipedia page.
Very sad indeed. Another gone from the great era of commentators along with Sir Peter. Such a distinct voice that didn’t intrude like a good commentator shouldn’t. As has been said too many commentators wanting to witty etc. It’s the horses that matter guys just let them do the talking.
RIP.Yes, didn’t he say something like “it’s John Hanmer territory” when they went past the post and into the country?
I can find no more fitting tribute to John Hanmer, a man who covered not one but two parts of the course and whose voice you possibly heard during the Grand National itself more than that of Peter O’Sullevan, and definitely more than Julian Wilson, than this: https://youtu.be/qnKX5oJWPgI
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