Hope you’ve gotten to see Zenyatta’s stunning win at the Breeder’s Cup yesterday. Considering all the circumstances before and during the race, the filly’s victory was beyond astonishing. Certainly goes down as one of the greatest performances ever.
(Inset: Santa Anita track announcer Trevor Denman - Photo Credit)
But I’m not so sure track announcer Trevor Denman shouldn’t be credited with a good portion of what will be Zenyatta’s everlasting legend. If you think his presentation of the race doesn’t significantly add to the stature of the horse’s performance, you’re not paying attention.
As a former longtime professional sports announcer, I was in awe of how Denman controlled audience emotion as a wily southpaw pitcher would set up hair-trigger hitter.
From the first burst from the gate, Denman intoned Zenyatta’s impossible task. He folded in burgeoning concern for her field position throughout, noting that it’d take a kryptonite-free spree to overcome her adverse circumstance.
“Zenyatta is dead last, Zenyatta is dead last early … Zenyatta has a lot a lot of ground to make up. … Zenyatta, if she wins this she will be a superhorse.”
By the time Denman’s customary emotion explosion kicked in upon Zenyatta’s history-making move, viewers had been conditioned with a context that will forever elevate the race’s aftermath.
“This! Is! Un! Be! Lievable Zenyatta! What a performance! One we will never forget! Looked impossible. But it is Zenyatta still unbeaten under Mike Smith. What a dramatic performance! One of the most sensational ever! Zenyatta wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic. “
The font face doesn’t do justice to Denman’s 120-second, goosebumped masterpiece, so here’s the video:
As sports has become more of a calculating commercial enterprise than an emotionally reactive endeavor, impact of announcers on audiences has largely been lost. But not yesterday.
Thanks Trevor.
2:42 pm on November 8th, 2009
She is a mare not a filly
5:49 pm on November 8th, 2009
I thought she was a horse.
6:27 pm on November 8th, 2009
Why the long face?
8:04 pm on November 8th, 2009
Yeah, it was a great call, but the horse was the story not the announcer.
11:20 pm on November 8th, 2009
Good piloting of the wonder horse through traffic by Mike Smith
3:12 am on November 9th, 2009
Mare not filly.. Zenyatta is 5. It was more remarkable cuz that was 14 of 14.
3:43 am on November 9th, 2009
Mine the Bird’s win at the Kentucky Derby 2009 was a remarkable come from last place win too …
Tho the announcer call in that completely sucked… he didn’t even see Mine the Bird in the lead until at the end
8:13 am on November 9th, 2009
Good job with the horse racing post. Didn’t know you had it in you, Brooks.
I watched Zenyatta win the BC Classic at a Las Vegas race & sports book where it was too loud to hear Trevor’s words. It was exciting, but when I heard Denman’s call on the replay a day later I was definitely overcome with emotion.
Since 1994, I’ve watched horse races every day and this was the most exciting race I’ve ever seen. Zenyatta’s performance was huge, but Denman’s call was just as amazing..
Denman does a great job every day in So. Cal. putting the races into context and now the world knows that he is a master of his craft.
8:25 am on November 9th, 2009
Lost in the superlatives for Zenyatta and Trevor was the outstanding job done by the guy who held onto Quality Road while that horse was throwing a fit.
As the horses loaded into the gate for the BC Classic, Quality Road began bucking then broke throught the stall. The alert assistant starter held onto the reigns and led Quality Road in circles while being careful to not be kicked by this out-of-control wild horse.
Had Quality Road been allowed to run off, this million-dollar colt could have hurt himself and a much longer delay would have ensued as outriders chased the animal down. The assistant starter risked serious injury by holding onto Quality Road and he did an great job of calming the horse down.
Forget Goldman Sachs workers, this assistant starter is somebody who really deserves a bonus.
11:29 am on November 9th, 2009
Sounds like the U-verse radio ads in my area, which are a rip of W. Macy’s portrayal of McGlaughlin in the 2003 version of Seabiscuit….