Picture: Trevor Denman in the Del Mar commentary box (© Benoit Photo).
Trevor Denman set a trend of commentary style in South Africa with the great commentator Craig Peters revealing he was influenced by him and following on from that Clyde Basel modelled himself on Peters, Craig’s son Sheldon modelled himself on both Denman and his father, whilst current commentator Naqeeb Munshi clearly models himself on Basel.
Denman was the first out here to inject varying tones of voice into his commentaries, and thus his voice tone gave a clue to just how strongly a horse was travelling, and he became an icon in the USA when introducing his style over there.
His commentary of the 2009 Breeders Cup Classic is recognised as one of the all time great commentaries in horseracing history as the crowd went with his instinctual raised tone as the great Zenyatta switched to the outside and they virtually lifted the roof off the grandstand (Click here to hear the commentary).
Denman began calling in South Africa in 1971.
He left for the USA in 1983 and has been there ever since.
www.dmtc.com wrote the below article about Trevor’s retirement:
Iconic race caller Trevor Denman has announced his retirement after 40 years on the job at Del Mar. Denman will be succeeded at the seaside track by veteran track announcer Larry Collmus, the voice of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup for NBC Sports.
Denman, 72, who first started calling races in 1971 in his native South Africa, has been in the booth atop the Del Mar grandstand for all but one summer racing season since 1984. A Southern California racing institution, he also served as the caller at Santa Anita from 1983-2015, and for a time, called races at every stop on the Southern California circuit, including Hollywood Park and Fairplex Park.
“This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Denman said. “But my soul is telling me that now is the time.”
Denman and his colorful story-telling style of race calling effectively changed how the sport was heard in America. Rather than the straight reporting of positions during the running, he would weave a tale of what was unfolding and – using his background from early days at the South African jockey school as well as his special feel for the game – would often alert racing fans to events likely to happen well before they did.
“We knew this would eventually come with Trevor, and now it is here,” added Del Mar CEO Joe Harper. “We’ve been so lucky to have the best in the business in our booth for all these years, and now all we can do is wish him and his wife Robin the very best on their road ahead.”
Collmus, 58, has called races around the world since his first at Bowie Race Track in Maryland in 1985. His first full-time job as a track announcer came when he was 20 years old at Birmingham Turf Club in Alabama. Since, he has ascended to call many of the most important races of this century, including American Pharoah’s Triple Crown run in 2015, every scintillating Breeders’ Cup performance since 2012 and the 2023 Dubai World Cup.
“Del Mar racing fans have been so fortunate to have Trevor as the announcer here and we’re excited that someone of Larry’s stature and experience can succeed him,” said Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein. “Just as we’ve been lucky to have Trevor in the booth all these years, we’re lucky now to have Larry here.“
Collmus has served as the regular race caller for Del Mar’s fall Bing Crosby meet since he took over that role from Denman in 2020. He also serves as an on-camera racing analyst for FanDuel TV.
“I grew up listening to Trevor and have loved his unforgettable calls for decades,” Collmus said. “It is an absolute honor to follow him at Del Mar. Calling the races there in the fall the last five years has been a great experience and I’m thrilled to be the new full-time voice of Del Mar.”
Denman called races for more than 50 years. Besides his extensive Southern California stint, he worked at tracks in the Bay Area and on the east coast, as well as calling the Breeders’ Cup races when ESPN had the TV rights to the championship event. Additionally, he provided the calls in several racing movies and dozens of television shows. He currently lives with his wife Robin on a 500-acre farm in the Minnesota countryside.
