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Wish to express my admiration for Mark Johnston’s brilliant commentaries during the festival week. He was picking out mistakes from horses mid-division in huge fields with incredible accuracy and sharpness. A total professional. His building of top rank races is in a manner none other can get close to IMO.
In fact, not a back week all in all for the Racing UK team.
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He gets too excited too far out for my liking – he’s shouting, talking quickly and taking John Sergeant-esque breaths (very annoying) with, sometimes, twelve furlongs or more left.
That said, it’s nice to hear accurate, informative commentary which, by and large, Cheltenham provided this year.
He gets too excited too far out for my liking – he’s shouting, talking quickly and taking John Sergeant-esque breaths (very annoying) with, sometimes, twelve furlongs or more left.
That said, it’s nice to hear accurate, informative commentary which, by and large, Cheltenham provided this year.
I think his style suits the top fixtures as he does get excited a long way out. If you ever wanted the antithesis of Mark Johnson’s efforts then none better than Graham Goode’s dismal commentary in the two runner event at Wetherby yesterday. For those on a Cheltenham comedown, and looking for a boost, then Goode’s efforts yesterday were well short of the mark. The man had a winner at the festival for God’s sake – cheer up!!!!
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Graham Goode’s commentary dial is, unfortunately, very much stuck on ‘tedious drivel’ and quite how he maintains any sort of employment in such a role is completely beyond me. Even his efforts at Cheltenham in years gone by rate as perhaps the worst big-race commentaries I have ever heard. He makes the most intense situations seem wholly uneventful, and is about as accurate, insightful and aware as a blind bricklayer with one arm and no fingers.
I thought Simon Holt played a blinder, picking up on little dramas that you would expect only those who had backed the horse would have picked up on.As a punter you tend to watch your selection like a hawk and only look
for those that are travelling sweetly as dangers, you also tend to watch bunches of horses at each jump and generally look out for the overall
shape of the bunch as they jump, thats when i notice horses that are making mistakes because ther is a flaw in the shape! Respect to Commentators! I have tried to commentate from my armchair just to see how difficult it is and it is very difficult! thats why you never see Thommo
call a race with more than 3 runners!Good comentator but somehow managed to miss Mamlook almost coming to grief in the Martin Pipe race.
Had to resort to RTE radio to get a commentary for the later races. As you
will imagine with Tony O`Hehir it was difficult to tell if they were nearing the finish or just completing a circuit.He’s much the best.
If people think he is excitable, i’m not sure how people listen to Lee Mackenzie. Not the biggest fan of Lee Mackenzie i have to say.
Holt and Hoiles are in a different league to the rest. With Holt doing Channel4 they should just let Hoiles do the commentary on track for the week (why was he not on Wednesday at all?).
Like others said, Mark Johnston is accurate but Jesus he was shouting at the top of the hill as if they were just crossing the line in a head bobber. No commentator should need to shout to get the excitement going.
Meanwhile Cattermole played a stormer when he called "Mikael D’Haguenet finds nothing" after the second last hurdle…failing to point out (as Hoiles did on C4) that the horse was interfered with or at least put off by the jump of Diamond Harry at the second last hurdle. Cattermole and just finished the sentence when MDH cruised back up on the bridle.
Meanwhile Cattermole played a stormer when he called "Mikael D’Haguenet finds nothing" after the second last hurdle…failing to point out (as Hoiles did on C4) that the horse was interfered with or at least put off by the jump of Diamond Harry at the second last hurdle. Cattermole and just finished the sentence when MDH cruised back up on the bridle.
Noticed that myself when I watched the racing replay on RUK.
"Mikael D’Haguenet’s not found anything, on the outside there goes Knockara Beau, Mikael D’Haguenet’s now slipped through and engages overdrive."
Not the Catt’s finest moment!
I usually enjoy Johnson’s commentaries. I think he’s one of the best around in England but I would question his pronunciation of the Pipe horse Arteea on Thursday. It certainly wasn’t pronounced that way when it was running for Michael Hourigan. But then again maybe Mark’s pronunciation was correct and Dessie was wrong all along!
He’s much the best.
If people think he is excitable, i’m not sure how people listen to Lee Mackenzie. Not the biggest fan of Lee Mackenzie i have to say.
I agree with you Gaz.
I think Mark Johnson is an excellent commentator and certainly makes a race sound exciting which I think what is needed most of the time especially at the smaller meetings.I thought Richard Hoiles was great at Cheltenham the other week and I find his commentary’s very accurate and informative.
Overall I would imagine that been a racecourse commentator is a hard job and other than the odd Mono tone voices that come from Graham Goode and Doug Fraser we have some good commentators in this country!I think Mark Johnson and Richard Hoiles are far and away the best two commentators we have. I love the periodic excitable nature (the former more than the latter of course), which clearly illustrates they love their job – and they are consistently good whether calling the Grand National or a class 6 round Kempton.
I think Mark Johnson and Richard Hoiles are far and away the best two commentators we have. I love the periodic excitable nature (the former more than the latter of course), which clearly illustrates they love their job – and they are consistently good whether calling the Grand National or a class 6 round Kempton.
Agreed that Hoiles is awesome. I have to say that Derek Thompson style has its place in a motionless Monday afternoon at Southwell too! He, at least, takes advantage of the crowd sparse midweek events to move around the course to interview some more unlikely contenders such as stable lads/lassies, I think that is commendable, Simon Mapletoft stands in isolation at Wolverhampton in the driving wind giving the viewer bugger all insight other than the arse end of his umbrella IMO!
Hoiles is one of the better commentators but I don’t think Riverside Theatre’s race was one of his finest moments. Failed to pick up how hard the favourite was pulling, gave the impression the favourite came close to running out and then ‘Thommoesque’ attempted to make the finish sould more exciting than it actually was.
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