RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
upsndownzs

A Salute To Our Commentators

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I think Gus' brother Lionel (who trained a handy sort at one stage - sorry name escapes me but I remember it was a grey) had a brief attempt behind the microphone. Had potential but struggled to control his emotions during the call is best I remember.

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Bruce Sherwin for me.I a not sure why he doesn't do it now,maybe something to do with his employment with Raffles Farm.

He is of International standard,a pity he doesn't do much these days

Totally agree; accurate and insightful = international std ..

He doesn't commentate anymore because, I believe he is precluded from having a bet.

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I remember those 2 races well.

That inter dom mile race winner aomarama was paying heaps. It was a wet track and i think from memory they changed mobile starts to stands due to track conditions.

The connections of that winner would be very happy with that photo on the wall, beating the lady, poppy and gammalite.

he could be one to follow!

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I think Gus' brother Lionel (who trained a handy sort at one stage - sorry name escapes me but I remember it was a grey) had a brief attempt behind the microphone. Had potential but struggled to control his emotions during the call is best I remember.

The grey may have been "Luigi".

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Ao marama paid 63.80, delightful lady and Gammalite blew the start and then she got checked when sharvid skipper and Hobart star locked wheels, vin knight reckoned poppy had never seen a wet track. They paced the stand mile in 2.8.3..

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Hard to beat Haubie for humour - like the race he called when fog covered the back straight - I recall he had time to tell a joke about a cannibal family - dad, mum and son, out one day came across a lovely young maiden - the son said: hey dad lets take her home and eat her - his dad replied: No son, lets eat your mother and take this one home.

Was that the time he called from the back of a truck?

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I have been delving into the past as i often do and have been listening to alot of old racing commentaries.We are lucky to have and have had so many fine commentators.My roll call of these very gifted people past and present is:

Alan Allardyce,Chris McQuaid,Thomas Wood,Reg Clapp,Syd Tonks,Freeman Holmes,George Simon,Dave McDonald,Peter Kelly,Reon Murtha,Rob Fielder,Alan Bright,Doug Ahern,Lochie Marshall,Gordon Hutter,Murray Behrns,Trevor Wilkes,Kevin Payne,Gordon Mathieson,Bill Cherry,Darren Tyquin,Keith Haub,Tony Lee,Mike O'Sullivan,Mark McNamara,Dave Clarkson,Aaron White,Alby Gain,Bruce Sherwin,John Pritchard,Peter Earley,Jack O'Donnell,Ian Chambers,Bryan Martin,Terry Yuill and Eric Percy.

If there are any others, i would love to know,please let me know if i have misspelt any of these names.

Another good South Island commentator has been added to the list.

I heard that George passed away awhile back now. R.I.P. George.

A big thanks to all who have supplied me with additional names for my list.

:)

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..you weren't 'in Apples'...in the seventies..by any chance., and if you're who i might be recalling, then you'd have a brother., possibly two.

Hi Hedley,

The family have been involved with apples since the time of Adam and his lady friend.

Funnily enough I also have two brothers so it appears you're thinking of the right clan my friend.

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Remind me about Bill Cherry.

Was he the caller around the Otago way prior to Lochie Marshall?

In the time of horses like First Tuesday and Ambrose Lodge etc etc?

I remember one great call from Lochie at Forbury Park. He felt Lord Module was being held back from wining the race in the home straight and said so during his call. Great entertainment.

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Me too. I recall vividly one commentary of my Dad's horse winning at Richmond - was on one of those old fashioned tape recording - I played it until it broke -

"...a grand sight in sunshine as they race toward the bottom bend, Jack Smolenski immediately gives the dust sheet a tap or two and his charge is out by a length at the moment, Canny Glen's the big danger.........and here's High Chaparell down the outer - High Chaperall races to the lead.......this will be a boilover!"

Jack was a great caller and a neat bloke to go with it. He took me up into his callers box when I was 8 and I watched him call the race. It was on the grass track that was knee deep in mud.

I also remember two top horses the Hills had from Richmond. One was the Cup Class pacer Single Lord and the other was the very good trotter McShane named after a road not far from Richmond Racecourse.

Noel Berkett with his famous Gold and Black colours had Lady Eastburn among others. I always remember as a boy looking for the rank outsider in the race. Funnily enough it invariably had the drivers name beside it as Murray Pash.

I see Murray is still going strong ;)

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Remind me about Bill Cherry.

Was he the caller around the Otago way prior to Lochie Marshall?

In the time of horses like First Tuesday and Ambrose Lodge etc etc?

I remember one great call from Lochie at Forbury Park. He felt Lord Module was being held back from wining the race in the home straight and said so during his call. Great entertainment.

Hi John

Bill Cherry was a fine announcer from Southland who had a rarther distinctive style of calling.Bill retired in 1976.It sounded like he was singing a song and at the finish of a race he would say as an example " and BONNY ALOUISE will ( high voice ) win ( low voice ) his calls were amazing.One of the very best ever was Bill.R.I.P.Bill.

Noel Berkett's father zzz drove a winner at Richmond in March of 1920.The winners name was WAIROA BELLE ,she was a grey horse and paid approximately 1,033 pounds for a win.New Zealand's biggest ever win dividend.

:)

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Hi John

Bill Cherry was a fine announcer from Southland who had a rarther distinctive style of calling.Bill retired in 1976.It sounded like he was singing a song and at the finish of a race he would say as an example " and BONNY ALOUISE will ( high voice ) win ( low voice ) his calls were amazing.One of the very best ever was Bill.R.I.P.Bill.

Noel Berkett's father zzz drove a winner at Richmond in March of 1920.The winners name was WAIROA BELLE ,she was a grey horse and paid approximately 1,033 pounds for a win.New Zealand's biggest ever win dividend.

:)

Hey Kevin,

I remember listening to Bill Cherry when I was a young fella. I'd get him mixed up with Gordon Mathieson despite the fact they sounded nothing alike. Just the perception of a young boy.

I remember one of them would talk about any number of things during the race other than the actual race. "down the back straight with 4 furlongs to go and Ambrose Lodge is out by 5 lengths,looking into the infield there is a thousand seagulls all standing by the pond which is unusual at this time of the year as Ambrose Lodge still leads the field with 3 furlongs to go ;)

Would love to hear one of Bill's or Gordon's calls along with Jack etc etc. Does anyone have any clips we could tune into? That would be something very special.

That's incredible information about zzz Berkett and the 1033 pound win dividend. I'd be interested to know what the average house price was back then. I'm picking you could of probably bought the 5 best houses in the street with that win dividend.

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Remember Bill Cherry as commentator in Southland. Think he also owned a Book shop in Dee St Invercargill. When he retired from race calling a gentleman from I think Riverton took over. George Hayward if my memory serves me right. George sadly died suddenly not long after. At that time a workmate and flatmate of mine was calling the odd trial or two in Southland. Still a teenager but with talent. When George died " Titch" as we called him was called in to fill in.That was some 36 years ago and he is still doing the job . Gallops , Trots. Greyhounds, On course presenter on Trackside. Go Davey Mac you a Legend in the South!!

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The horse was Wairau Belle(sometimes listed as Wairau Queen) paid 1032 pounds.There was one 10 shilling ticket

on it so the pool must have had about 600 pounds in it

Hi Paul

The horse was called Wairoa Belle and there was one 1 pound ticket on her.Total amount invested on the race was 1,570 pounds,she paid 1,033 pounds and a few shillings.

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On 5/26/2012 at 1:07 PM, Maninthestand said:

 

 

Jack was a great caller and a neat bloke to go with it. He took me up into his callers box when I was 8 and I watched him call the race. It was on the grass track that was knee deep in mud.

 

I also remember two top horses the Hills had from Richmond. One was the Cup Class pacer Single Lord and the other was the very good trotter McShane named after a road not far from Richmond Racecourse.

 

Noel Berkett with his famous Gold and Black colours had Lady Eastburn among others. I always remember as a boy looking for the rank outsider in the race. Funnily enough it invariably had the drivers name beside it as Murray Pash.

 

I see Murray is still going strong ;)

Here is a old thread brought back,Noel Berkett,did he have a big team he trained out of Richmond,an odd place to race a large team from,I think a guy Healy trained a large galloping team as well

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On 5/24/2012 at 7:21 PM, upsndownzs said:

Reg called trotting the light harness sport and Alexandra Park " THE RIBBON OF LIGHT". A wonderful caller right till the end.

And a great gentlemen off course as well. One of life's true characters. 

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On 5/26/2012 at 1:07 PM, Maninthestand said:

 

 

Jack was a great caller and a neat bloke to go with it. He took me up into his callers box when I was 8 and I watched him call the race. It was on the grass track that was knee deep in mud.

 

I also remember two top horses the Hills had from Richmond. One was the Cup Class pacer Single Lord and the other was the very good trotter McShane named after a road not far from Richmond Racecourse.

 

Noel Berkett with his famous Gold and Black colours had Lady Eastburn among others. I always remember as a boy looking for the rank outsider in the race. Funnily enough it invariably had the drivers name beside it as Murray Pash.

 

I see Murray is still going strong ;)

Are the Hills still around?

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