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Im sure you will appreciate seeing your mate John of course
Er, thanks, Dave (I think).
I’m going to have to have an extended lie down in a darkened room after seeing pictures of Matt Chapman, John Hunt and Clare Balding in close succession.
I can’t believe I’ve looked at John Hunt’s Twitter today (trendily titled @HuntyCaller, if you please) and seen yet another "great call" tweet. The latest one from an admirer says "Great calling tonight, John, as per".
John himself has surpassed the now legendary witty "pants and socks" comment he made to Matt Chapman on At The Races when he was asked about his ideal Christmas present.
He has tweeted this incisive and useful insight to his Twitter followers: "Huge puddle outside Nottingham racecourse; still raining. Boo. Grim weather day all round I guess." It was helpfully accompanied by a photo of, er, a puddle. You honestly couldn’t make it up.
I remember the press release about the top team at Ascot, which included Matt Chapman (see Dave’s link). I didn’t realise it at the time but Amanda Davies, who was part of the supposedly top team, is the daughter of ex-BBC sports reporter David Davies, who later went to the Football Association. Amanda’s the very skinny one with the straight hair curled up at the bottom who insists on standing up for BBC sports bulletins in very tight trousers and extremely high heels. Sally Nugent does the same now but she’s not as pretty as she thinks she is.
As for that Clare Balding picture in Dave’s link, I think she must be wearing the fake St Tropez tan that she has now officially admitted to wearing. The thought of her devoted Alice Arnold applying the tan to large expanses of Clare’s white wobbly bits doesn’t bear thinking about.On the Matt Chapman feature it says Racing UK Are showing Ascot. Why is this I thought Ascot was an At The Races track and is ATR’s major meeting of the year how come Racing UK have got joint broadcast rights?
Apologies for the ill-educated intrusion, but who on earth called the Prix du Jockey Club today on ATR?
The, and i mean THE, worst race call i’ve ever heard in my life, and a Classic too.
On the Matt Chapman feature it says Racing UK Are showing Ascot. Why is this I thought Ascot was an At The Races track and is ATR’s major meeting of the year how come Racing UK have got joint broadcast rights?
He’s wrong Steve At The Races are covering Royal Ascot, as you will guess nearer the time as they won’t talk about anything else for days
Im sure you will appreciate seeing your mate John of course
Er, thanks, Dave (I think).
I’m going to have to have an extended lie down in a darkened room after seeing pictures of Matt Chapman, John Hunt and Clare Balding in close succession.
I can’t believe I’ve looked at John Hunt’s Twitter today (trendily titled @HuntyCaller, if you please) and seen yet another "great call" tweet. The latest one from an admirer says "Great calling tonight, John, as per".
John himself has surpassed the now legendary witty "pants and socks" comment he made to Matt Chapman on At The Races when he was asked about his ideal Christmas present.
He has tweeted this incisive and useful insight to his Twitter followers: "Huge puddle outside Nottingham racecourse; still raining. Boo. Grim weather day all round I guess." It was helpfully accompanied by a photo of, er, a puddle. You honestly couldn’t make it up.
I remember the press release about the top team at Ascot, which included Matt Chapman (see Dave’s link). I didn’t realise it at the time but Amanda Davies, who was part of the supposedly top team, is the daughter of ex-BBC sports reporter David Davies, who later went to the Football Association. Amanda’s the very skinny one with the straight hair curled up at the bottom who insists on standing up for BBC sports bulletins in very tight trousers and extremely high heels. Sally Nugent does the same now but she’s not as pretty as she thinks she is.
As for that Clare Balding picture in Dave’s link, I think she must be wearing the fake St Tropez tan that she has now officially admitted to wearing. The thought of her devoted Alice Arnold applying the tan to large expanses of Clare’s white wobbly bits doesn’t bear thinking about.We all know u like to see Huntys "Boat Race" Crusty…
I notice Machin(I will call him Machin, because thats how he addresses anybody in sight, surname only, no doubt he was a staff sergeant before putting his test tapes into racetech) had a Jim moment this afternoon, calling the last winner "Howmmmm for all money", very much doubt Machin will be at risk of a red card in the near future, being part of the RUK team.
Apologies for the ill-educated intrusion, but who on earth called the Prix du Jockey Club today on ATR?
The, and i mean THE, worst race call i’ve ever heard in my life, and a Classic too.
Probably one of the ICS guys???
I notice Machin had a Jim moment this afternoon, calling the last winner "Howmmmm for all money"
One of Stewart Machin’s commentary colleagues once said that his commentaries are a mishmash of all the catchphrases and hackneyed cliches of other leading commentators and he was certainly right, based on this evidence.
I’m still having therapy to cope with the trauma caused by the sight of that comedy patterned 1970s shirt he wore on the Morning Line two weeks ago.I notice Machin had a Jim moment this afternoon, calling the last winner "Howmmmm for all money"
One of Stewart Machin’s commentary colleagues once said that his commentaries are a mishmash of all the catchphrases and hackneyed cliches of other leading commentators and he was certainly right, based on this evidence.
I’m still having therapy to cope with the trauma caused by the sight of that comedy patterned 1970s shirt he wore on the Morning Line two weeks ago.Thought you were an expert on commentators CrustyPatch? And you’ve never noticed Stewart Machin is the King of Puns?
Shame really because he is quite a good and accurate caller.Not quite sure what commentators think they achieve by using puns, are they meant to be funny or do they think it makes them sound clever? It achieves neither for me and I don’t recall O’Sullevan or Bromley doing many throughout their illustrious careers.
I must admit CrustyPatch I’m puzzled by your "victimisation" of John Hunt, did he feel your collar when he walked the beat?
Seems a thoroughly decent chap and commentator to me with a good sense of humour, even my missus likes him and says she can tell he’s good family man.Not quite sure what commentators think they achieve by using puns, are they meant to be funny or do they think it makes them sound clever? It achieves neither for me and I don’t recall O’Sullevan or Bromley doing many throughout their illustrious careers.
I think, if used in moderation, the occasional pun is OK – especially at a low grade meeting where very little is happening and it’s in danger of turning into an otherwise boring afternoon.
It can raise a smile and laugh / groan from an otherwise quiet crowd
Seems a thoroughly decent chap and commentator to me with a good sense of humour, even my missus likes him and says she can tell he’s good family man.
I wouldn’t disagree with any of that.
He either has a sense of humour or is totally vindictive, as his words to me when I set off to walk the Derby course on Saturday morning were "looks like it’s going to rain, I’ll wet myself laughing if you get soaked." (or words to that effect)
Apologies for the ill-educated intrusion, but who on earth called the Prix du Jockey Club today on ATR?
The, and i mean THE, worst race call i’ve ever heard in my life, and a Classic too.
The clip I saw on ATR this morning (didn’t see the race live) was a call by a guy called Patrick Fereday who does quite a few of the French meetings from the Equidia feed. To give the guy some credit I guess he’s probably holed up in a bunker somewhere in the UK reading from a monitor so is dependent on the French director on what he sees.
I notice Machin had a Jim moment this afternoon, calling the last winner "Howmmmm for all money"
One of Stewart Machin’s commentary colleagues once said that his commentaries are a mishmash of all the catchphrases and hackneyed cliches of other leading commentators and he was certainly right, based on this evidence.
I’m still having therapy to cope with the trauma caused by the sight of that comedy patterned 1970s shirt he wore on the Morning Line two weeks ago.Thought you were an expert on commentators CrustyPatch? And you’ve never noticed Stewart Machin is the King of Puns?
Shame really because he is quite a good and accurate caller.Not quite sure what commentators think they achieve by using puns, are they meant to be funny or do they think it makes them sound clever? It achieves neither for me and I don’t recall O’Sullevan or Bromley doing many throughout their illustrious careers.
Never forget the Machin classic "When the chips are down, count on McCain" (2011 Chester Cup).
Going slightly off topic, I was thinking last night how the majority of the current commentating roster are approaching their late 40’s. Infact, the only ones currently on the roster I can think of under 40 are David Fitzgerald (late 20’s), Alan Howes, Tony Ennis and the probationary trio of John Blance, Gary Capewell and Matt "Tango" Chapman. (Not sure if I’ve missed anyone).
While Fitzgerald seems most likely to be dining at the top table in the not too distant future, are there any others that TRFers feel could make up the next generation when the likes of Holt, Hoiles, Johnson etc start to approach the twilight of their careers? (I know Gareth Topham has been touted quite highly by others on TRF – not yet heard him myself).
Finally, as for Tango man Chappers, methinks he’s being lined up to take over some of Thommo’s gigs on Ladies nights, music nights etc (i.e. racemeetings with large crowds of people who have NO underlying interest in the horses and are just there to get drunk and see the after race concert by the likes of Peter Andre, Olly Murz etc etc
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And you’ve never noticed Stewart Machin is the King of Puns?
Shame really because he is quite a good and accurate caller.
Not quite sure what commentators think they achieve by using puns, are they meant to be funny or do they think it makes them sound clever? It achieves neither for me and I don’t recall O’Sullevan or Bromley doing many throughout their illustrious careers.
I must admit CrustyPatch I’m puzzled by your "victimisation" of John Hunt, did he feel your collar when he walked the beat?
Seems a thoroughly decent chap and commentator to me with a good sense of humour, even my missus likes him and says she can tell he’s good family man.Stewart Machin certainly is the King of Puns. I’m well aware of that and it’s been very apparent for years. I’ve been listening to him long enough to be very familiar with that.
I think the puns rot set in with Graham Goode. When Machin first started, he consciously copied GG’s style, including excruciating and blatantly artificial puns, and also incorporated many of Graham’s other sayings, especially things like "…by two, by four, by six lengths…"
Since then, the puns count has snowballed to the point where they are a bit too contrived at times. With Machin, any jockey riding a winner which has a gun reference in its name always has the race "shot to pieces" etc. Any jockey riding a horse with a car-related name is always "in the driving seat".
There’s an element of showing off in it. You’re right that Peter O’Sullevan and Peter Bromley never stooped to using puns. That’s a good point.
The newspapers are just as bad at times. No story about toilets winning awards for cleanliness is complete without the compulsory "flushed with success" cliche. Gardeners always have to be "green-fingered" etc.
The John Hunt jokes are all tongue-in-cheek and satirical. I know he’s very well regarded generally. We all have our favourites and others we are not so keen on.Can I be a little controversial here am I the only person who dislikes Simon Holt?
He seems to be golden boy with everyone but to me he has a boring, monotonous tone, and even when he gets excited over a great horse it just doesn’t seem to do it for me.
I would like to see David Fitzgerald become the new number one commentator for Channel Four.
Can I be a little controversial here am I the only person who dislikes Simon Holt?
He seems to be golden boy with everyone but to me he has a boring, monotonous tone, and even when he gets excited over a great horse it just doesn’t seem to do it for me.I know what you mean. He isn’t nicknamed Languid for nothing. He can be a little too laid-back and I used to hate his course commentary efforts because he seemed to make very little effort, even in small-field longer jumps races, and seemed to adopt the practice of just giving the names of the horses every now and again, punctuated by long silences.
Always disappointing from a top-flight commentator, who wouldn’t dream of doing this for a TV commentary. I like his TV commentaries. Graham Goode was just as bad for often minimal effort in his course commentary efforts although, towards the end, he did pull up his socks a bit.
I know TV and racecourse commentaries are for different markets and may have different requirements but David Fitzgerald has shown some of the lazier ones what can be done by seemingly effortlessly adding in all sorts of information that enrich and enliven the commentary of even a humdrum race.
Okay, it requires a bit of effort and homework but it’s an insult to the listener just to do the minimum and to contrive to sound as bored and uninterested as possible.
Simon Holt never used to name the jockeys when he identified the runners as they came out on to the course, except in the biggest races with a parade.
Even at Royal Ascot, he often doesn’t seem as though he can be bothered to mention the jockeys of the horses as they come out. Big fields isn’t an excuse because other commentators manage to mention the jockeys in equally big fields. You can sometimes hear Simon in the background during TV coverage just mumbling the names of the horses and the colours in as monotonous a way as possible as they go to post.
Don’t know whether he now still does this at smaller (and bigger) meetings or whether he now actually does routinely name jockeys as the runners come out (doubt it somehow).
He has improved his course commentaries to include a bit more detail, including jockeys and other bits of information.
Full marks to Richard Hoiles, who at least does mention the jockeys and often the trainers and owners when he identifies the runners to post. Mike Cattermole is also excellent for this, as is Mark Johnson.
Ironically, some of the commentators they have got rid of over the years, including Ben Newton in particular, Jeremy Branfoot and even John Budden and Jonathan Turner, were very good at always mentioning jockeys when the runners came out. It’s often the ones who make the effort who get the boot.
It was the higher-profile ones, such as Robin Gray, Bruce-Friend James and Simon Holt, who just did the minimum with the names of the horses and the colours. Robin Gray never knowingly mentioned a jockey at any meeting, except in the parades for the biggest races, including the Derby.
But, to be fair, as Paul Ostermeyer has pointed out, any deficiences in this country pale into insignificance compared with Ireland, where, according to Paul, not a word is ever said by the course commentator as the runners go to post and load up.
Simon is a very professional broadcaster, an excellent wordsmith and writer and deserves praise for his attention to detail, unflappability and ability to get even minor details right. His pronunciation of "quantitative" as in Quantitative Easing was spot-on and he was one of the very few not to say "quantative".I would like to see David Fitzgerald become the new number one commentator for Channel Four.
Good to see all the praise David Fitzgerald is getting. He has made a big impression on many people.
Not a chance he will become Channel 4’s main commentator. He will have to form an orderly queue behind Simon Holt, Richard Hoiles, Stewart Machin and to a lesser extent Mike Cattermole, Mark Johnson and even Lee McKenzie.
It’s been good to hear David a few times on Channel 4. He seems genuinely modest and is thoroughly professional. I haven’t read a word against him from anyone.
Hope Paul wasn’t referring to him when he mentioned the new commentator who had the cringemaking and carefully scripted hyperbole soundbite written on his racecard in advance!Hope Paul wasn’t referring to him when he mentioned the new commentator who had the cringemaking and carefully scripted hyperbole soundbite written on his racecard in advance!
Surely got to be the dreadful John Blance, it certainly sounds like him. Think he’s even worse than Chapman
He even managed a "It’s the God’s Honest truth!" in one race at Towcester today. I nearly **** myself, I thought something drastic had happened to him in the commentary box.
What is it with SIS that they send any Tom, Dick or Harry from their studios to the racecourse and expect them to make a commentator?
An exception is Alan Howes who is excellent.Hope Paul wasn’t referring to him when he mentioned the new commentator who had the cringemaking and carefully scripted hyperbole soundbite written on his racecard in advance!
Surely got to be the dreadful John Blance, it certainly sounds like him. Think he’s even worse than Chapman
He even managed a "It’s the God’s Honest truth!" in one race at Towcester today. I nearly **** myself, I thought something drastic had happened to him in the commentary box.
What is it with SIS that they send any Tom, Dick or Harry from their studios to the racecourse and expect them to make a commentator?
An exception is Alan Howes who is excellent.I’m inclined to agree with you, Yeats. But a glance at John Blance’s not-too-thrilling Twitter account reveals a glowing reference from no less an authority than Darrell Williams.
He tweets about Blance: "How good is John Blance as a commentator. Very good in my humble opinion."
There’s certainly no accounting for taste.
As I have said previously, I can’t stand it that Blance refers to runners as "its", as in "jumps out to its right", rather than doing his homework, working out which ones are fillies etc and marking his sheets accordingly. Mind you, Lee McKenzie does the same. Mark Johnson and others do say "his" or "her" rather than "its".
I was distinctly underwhelmed with Blance’s efforts at Southwell recently for a jumps meeting. Less than engaging voice and style. To think the powers-that-be even considered getting rid of better commentators so they could bring in the likes of Blance is unbelievable.David Fitzgerald is certainly clocking up the miles, I thought Cartmel completed your set.
Certainly has done for some of the premier commentators in recent years, with – I think I’m right in saying, but do correct me if not – messrs Cattermole, Hoiles and Johnson all completing their set with a visit to the Lakeland idyll in the mid-2000s.
David Fitzgerald is London-based as well, mind, so his booking for Cartmel so early into his tenure certainly piques the interest.
Malcolm Tomlinson and the late Doug Fraser have also "pinched" days at Cartmel from the preferred caller MacKenzie in recent years, and in both cases neither were especially close to completing a full set of courses at the time (nor will they: Fraser for obvious and tragic reasons, and Tomlinson having apparently been refused a Fontwell gig by Fontwell themselves, if a Twitter feed I read several months ago is gospel). Both, you’d suspect, got Cartmel gigs on the grounds of proximity to the venue rather than any of completism.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
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