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Taken across the board I think the standard of commentating in this country is higher than it has ever been.
Agree entirely. The combination of the weeding out of the superannuated over time, plus the acknowledgement from most of the remainder that the advent of in-running markets demands a more thorough approach to interpreting the race throughout, has led to a standard which is far in excess of where it was even five years ago.
The future continues to look bright. Some of you may have heard Tony Ennis sharing Kempton with Richard Hoiles last Wednesday, and for a first – or among first – on-course effort live on air he pretty much nailed everything, including in two blanket finishes. Looking a little further afield, I’ll eat my socks if neither of ICS’s new young tyros Gareth Topham or Steve Powell eventually find their way onto the Racetech roster.
Mike Cattermole, incidentally, has been on the Racetech (or antecedent) roster since 1993 and has had a full complement of engagements for quite some years now. If one is looking to be fair, maybe it is the size and dimensions of certain venues that can be the problem for him sometimes, as I don’t think he missed a thing at Ludlow earlier in the week.
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.
Inrunning betting makes them much bigger targets these days but I think by and large commentators at UK tracks do a very good job.
We’re spoilt if you do a comparison with a lot of the callers at US tracks on ATR (the guy at Woodbine is brain damage).
As in any profession some do it a bit better than others and I’d certainly like to hear Richard Hoiles more often at the bigger meetings.
While not rating him as low as the likes of GG and Jim McGrath I would certainly have Catt firmly ensconced in the bottom half of racecallers. He certainly gets the big meetings his talent as a commentator doesn’t deserve, particularly compared to someone of the quality of Mark Johnson.
Catt’s well known as Mr Sycophant with good reason.
Apart from his obvious inaccurate calling a couple of irritations from his commentaries for me are the number of times he says "Just looking for such a horse" and every time a horse makes a bad mistake he can’t get out such a jockey’s made a "great recovery" quick enough. Apart from that he’s great
I wouldn’t agree commentating’s never been better, on the whole I would say half are very good and the other half very poor.
I would say Simon Holt has few if any peers in racecourse commentating although even he has missed quite a few fallers lately but his commentaries are far less effective when he is doing it for C4 for me.
Just to clarify, the Jim McGrath I was talking about is Timeform Jim not drunk Aussie who can’t spot who is in the lead until the line, J A McGrath.
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[b:23ku0173]"We’re spoilt if you do a comparison with a lot of the callers at US tracks on ATR (the guy at Woodbine is brain damage[/color:23ku0173])."[/b:23ku0173]
You took the words right out of my mouth Cavelino Rampante.
The commentary and TV coverage you get in the UK is head and shoulders above the crap we get here. We get Aussie racing late at night and the commentaries from there are very good, but ours (Woodbine) are shite, real, real……..shite!!
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I don’t think there is anything outstanding abou Hoiles, Simon Holt is streets ahead of the lot.
JohnJ.
Flash –
Lesley Graham is the one that I want them to get rid of – keep her away from the NH meetings!
Couldn’t agree more.. Irritating and terrible at interviews.. Did she get the job by default or because she is one of the horsey set? There have been occasions where i’ve thought McCoy was going to tell her to go away mid interview (Which would have made for better TV).
Alderbrook I thought you were talking about aussie Jim at first!
Thommo’s the best anyway, don’t know what you lot are talking about.. Enthusiasm, accuracy, insight, its all there!!!!
I’ve also heard Lesley Graham openly admit she doesn’t like jump racing – so rack off home you vacuous air head. Put someone with more gravitas in her place, like Jordan for example.
I’ve also heard Lesley Graham openly admit she doesn’t like jump racing – so rack off home you vacuous air head. Put someone with more gravitas in her place, like Jordan for example.
Made me laugh out loud that!I seem to remember that Lesley Graham was on the Racing World videos? I think she came along at a time when they were desperate to find a female presenter. In my opinion Lydia is the only female presenter worth her airtime.
On ATR yesterday they played an old race from the 90’s.
Aussie Jim was doing the call – what a difference, it really bought home just how he has lost his edge nowadays, it was a shame.
I agree about Aussie Jim. I love watching the void grand national on You Tube, he was ace on that – it was his first National commentary too ("This absolute farce!", "nobody’s game enough to pull up!")
He’s obviously got a bigger problem that the much quoted "lack of match practice", and I for one hope he sorts it out and makes a come back. I fear time has passed now, Hunt Hoiles and Holt have left him far behind.
2.10 Newbury 29/12/06
Surely a race too far. Calls a 150/1 shot as galloping all over the favourite the pair clear virtually all the way up the straight. Up the run-in suddenly parachutes in the Henderson/Fitzgerald 3rd fav as having come to take it up. Not a thought of apologising for mistaking the winner.
Richard Hoiles in the booth for RUK sheepishly apologised for the "misleading commentary".
If this was a rookie caller they would be removed from the roster immediately. No doubt "the cat" will re-record the commentary for the replay and book his hotel for the next grade 1 meeting he will be gracing!
2.10 Newbury 29/12/06
Surely a race too far. Calls a 150/1 shot as galloping all over the favourite the pair clear virtually all the way up the straight. Up the run-in suddenly parachutes in the Henderson/Fitzgerald 3rd fav as having come to take it up. Not a thought of apologising for mistaking the winner.
Richard Hoiles in the booth for RUK sheepishly apologised for the "misleading commentary".
If this was a rookie caller they would be removed from the roster immediately. No doubt "the cat" will re-record the commentary for the replay and book his hotel for the next grade 1 meeting he will be gracing!
If a Racing Post article I read a few years back is to be believed, historically an "X strikes and out" policy was employed by Racetech in such instances, where X was a very low number indeed.
I’d suggest there are at least a couple of people on this Forum better able to advise whether this is still the case, but my own perception is that removal from the roster nowadays has more to do with either Racetech or certain / enough racecourses losing confidence in a commentator in general terms, rather than on account of a specific incident.
Some of you may remember, for example, that Jon Hickman made precisely the same sort of error in a race at Chepstow in 2003, but both Racetech and that course were happy enough that the error was an isolated one to retain him for another three years subsequently. I’d expect he probably got a ticking off at the time all the same, though, as might Mike for this, but probably nothing stronger.
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.
If a Racing Post article I read a few years back is to be believed, historically an "X strikes and out" policy was employed by Racetech in such instances, where X was a very low number indeed.
Jeremy – can’t think it would be that low a number – I offer Mr Orkney as evidence!!!
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