loved listening to Peter Bromley on the radio back in the day

thought Aussie Jim McGrath was very good as well
nowadays they're all much of a muchness but I like Alex Fussey and John Hunt
and Jerry "nicely spaced out" Hanlon in Ireland as mentioned by a few is a good listen too

the best commetator i've ever heard commentates on the greyhounds on SIS, I think his name is Peacock, a pleasure to listen to. cheers.

Hi Bairn.   Hope you are well.

I heard one of the all time great commentators on bbc news this morning the magnificent Eddie waring

He also did it’s a knockout bentring but yes just rugby league as far as I remember.

i rated goode very highly indeed until the puns, the irishcomms are better than uk ones now imo, they dont try and be clever

Was that Jim (“if you went racing every day like I do you would know” McGrath.
I always remember him whingeing and whining about how in his early day working for Timeform Phil Bull tore him off a strip for writing that a horse “liked” the soft.
He was told to write that they “acted” on the soft, didn’t “like” it.

Loyal Honcho

No, that was the other Jim McGrath.

I always thought that Simon should have changed his name to Colt!

I’m not a fan of Sam Whataface he talks and talks. How Natalie married him I’ll never know.

I used to like Jim Margrath when he’d do his pre race commentary on the BBC, never forget how strong he was on Tartan Bearer for Stoute that year.

Who called the colossal fight out with Rewilding in the POW with So You Think? That was a classic too. Probably Jim.

Legendary start of race commentary Marksman , remember him well , born in Liverpool as well.   

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Persistence-Paid-Off-For-Track-Announcer-Voice-2953295.php

There are commentators I detest because they're just shít (like Thompson) but for them to have a nauseating
caterwaul like a demented banshee makes me wonder just who the fcuk thought they'd be up to the job?

I must agree with LH about Darren Owen, who's the most unbearable commentator I've EVER heard as I really
can't bear the pitch of his 'crescendo' voice which like listening to an irritating ex-wife screaming down
the phone about alimony payments!

I'm struggling to find the words to describe just how irritating his voice is when reaching the final stages of a
close race - I really cannot listen to it...and it's an instinctive lunge for the remote for an immediate mute!

Just to rub it in...those callers I can't abide are absolute jinxes for me - I can't ever remember a decent win
on a race they were calling! AND that's been over decades!

Dougie Fraser a few years ago was always a Jonah for me as well with his whining, almost suicidal tones around the
Northern tracks - I remember backing a horse at Hexham where the winner fcuked me for a decent bet and was called
Rexmehead which is precisely what he did to me every time he was on duty

I must add that I grew up listening to the great Peter O'Sullevan though he bored the balls off me in his dotage with some
really mediocre calls (especially small fields which were littered with silence) when it was obvious he couldn't be arsed.

I think it was a 4/5 runner race at Ascot (possibly the SGB Chase) in 1985/6 won by Door Latch and I genuinely thought
he'd fallen asleep - I nearly dozed off myself

My memories of him are somewhat tainted with several appalling calls - another which sticks in my mind is when Barnbrook Again
ran at Ascot and approaching the last, he called the jockey Russ Arnott, Russ ABBOT instead

I must admit to being firmly camped in the old days/nostalgia with everything but I think the best two commentators for me are
Richard Hoiles & Simon Holt - when you're as good as them, they make it all look effortless - I'd go as far to suggest they've
got sizeable IQs...compared to those inept imbeciles who are stealing a living!

Hoiles ,doesnt call the result ever in a close finish, and always tries to tell viewers the way he thinks the race is going to pan out instead of just commentate on whats happening,  someonr on here said that peter osullivan didnt say anything on occassions in a race , id rather that if there is nothing to say, just like snooker with whispering ted was brilliant, now the commentators just wont keep quirt . The irish comms are my fav

LH - they ALL must've made mistakes over the years - it must be so highly-pressured if you're as
exposed for all to sneer at in the public eye so I wouldn't envy them as they've got a tough job.

I was unaware of Hoiles' slip recently but he's not exactly Biden material just yet is he?
He's got a couple of decades to remain at the helm...so I do believe he IS as good as I think.
I always liked Simon Holt but when Hoiles was his 'understudy' I rated him the game's top caller.

I don't watch the dregs of racing nowadays and I usually get by watching the TV racing nowadays
(so I'm not as up-to-date as I used to be) as that covers nearly everything bar the top foreign
group/grade races and to be fair to Hoiles, I can't ever recall a balls-up at a big meeting.

In fairness, I did call O'Sullevan 'great' and he was definitely 'the voice of racing' but
I do think he continued well past his sell-by date.

As obvious as it sound...you can't please everyone can you?

Knight , in that era,   coleman, moore,carpenter,  whispering ted, arlott, blowers,alliss,  waring, osullivan, maskell, bromley,mclaren , and many more , superb

I appreciate that “they can all make mistakes”, which is my point about Jerry Hanson.  In my opinion too many criticise his excitement at the business end without actually assessing his commentaries.  His fluency is simply staggering to hear.  For me he is way the best.

Bill McLaren was damn good too, and, for a Scotsman, was thoroughly intelligible.  . The body of research /notes he brought to his Mike was immense and the players loved his sweeties.  He learned early how such a simple thing brought him goodwill and thus more open, relaxed interviews, and thus more insights.

I think Hoiles is a very quick witted, capable of thinking with clarity like nobody else...as well as
having tremendous knowledge & understanding of the game.

Remember the 2023 Hunt Cup when he uttered that immortal line "Jimi Hendrix floors (or chins) Sonny Liston?"

He couldn't possibly have envisaged that result and pre-prepared (a lá Machin) that superb one-liner
with a pair of 25/1 pokes from the same stable fighting out the closing stages in a huge field...which
incredibly I did as I backed both! I swear to you guys...that is 100% true, though I didn't have the F/C

Of course he could, and did as far as I am concerned.  They all look to have such bullet phrases available in advance.  Nonetheless one of the very best at the time.

Do remember that Herbie , very good