Best commentators

I detest Darren Owen, and always have done.  He was simply dreadful as a greyhound commentator and why he has to waste the first furlong of every horse race with his tortuous description of the race name etc; and screech his way through the finishes of the same races is beyond me.  When he is commentating mute is a must for me.
Sry, but that’s how he is for me.
The best of the lot is the Irish fellow.  I can’t recall him ever stuttering, aheming, stumbling through his commentary, or miscalling ever, and his fluency and knowledge of every colour is simply awesome.  He screeches at the death too but out of passion.  He is a joy to listen to for me.

Jerry Hannon. I would agree with you. I actually quite like him giving it the kitchen sink. Much bigger fields to cope with in Ireland as well.

Jerry is simply the best   

And not one of them could lace Sir Peter O'Sullevan's Brouges.

He was great in his pomp but he went on too long.

If you can find a copy of his book "Calling the Horses" its a great read, tend to agree with Swifty though he possibly went on a yr or 2 too long.

So he went on a tad to long?..That dont mean nuthin ffs....Still the Greatest Commentator that has ever been and ever likely to be.

Horseracing died a wee bit for me when Peter retired.

Him and Lester very much missed.

.. Only being picky Acey, He will always be my Fav Caller.

Yes i know Glasgow but i get tired of hearing he went on to long....Not just the Greatest but the Greatest by a mile ffs.

I dont disagree Acey, just saying it was uncomfortable at times watching him mix colours.

Come to think of it like all good books I lent his to a mate and never got it back.

His calling Attivo home in the Triumph Hurdle was superb and you would never have known that he owned it

In the latter stages he started whispering his commentary which would probably have been a good time to call it a day , gentleman to speak to though and loved following pricewise , i used to chat every morning there was a pricewise selection around 8.30am before opening to to the public and he always got the price and stake requested being a pony punter.

Good memories   

O'Sullevan did go on much too long. That's obvious from the old You Tube clips.

Modern commentary just has too much emphasis on two aspects: shouting and wittering

Both are incredibly annoying and mostly just distraction from the actual event.

Shouting is horrible, and wittering adds tonnes of unnecessary information - so you end up needing to block most of it out.

Sadly very few commentators avoid being either one or the other, sometimes they do both!

Agreed.

spot on stu

At least with PARX taking a break, we are spared that silly t@rt Jessica Paquette, and with Turf Paradise ended that brainless f@t chav Craig Braddick (ex of Cambridgeshire).

No danger of either of those two making a list of Top Commentators.

Along with Tim "WIV UP ON THE INSIDE" Peters, currently blighting Bath with his race-calling.

The Irish have got a stutterer, one who sounds like he's having an asthma attack and one who sounds like he's going to have a heart attack. They have a doctor on standby in the box with them.

Simon Holt is my favourite of the modern day brigade.

Martin Harris is excellent, and does an accurate job.

Thommo!

agree with you Acey,  he was miles superior to every other commentator , its just not the same without him and Julian. i massivly miss them  ,

That Maris Piper is a personal favourite of mine, very versatile.

All of the people who think O'Sullevan was a great commentator really need to have a good listen to his commentaries again. He is not a patch on the best of today's band. You are just longing for a past that never existed.... He did have occasional moments, of course ('and the mare's beginning to get up') but the whispering nonsense started on Ascot Saturdays, as if that deserved a lower and demure tone, because it was sh1t and not worthy of inclusion in the 'royal' part of the meeting.

One that never gets a mention is Peter Bromley. don't think he commentated much on TV but listening to his commentaries on radio made the race come alive and in close finishes made the hairs on the back of your head stand up.

Agree timmy I loved listening to Peter Bromley on the radio, I recall salsabil winning the 1000 Guineas foemr example but there were so many good commentaries.

Peter O'S, had a very pleasant voice and delivery,but having watched lots of old races ,his mistakes and inaccuracies were quite alarming, I was surprised to be honest, because I had him on a pedestal in my younger days.

...and at the line Attivo is fourth followed by.....  !!

John Hanmer.

i liked hanmer as well, just say i thought john hunt was always a good, clear, accurate caller, but he's been total class in recent months when you consider what happened

In the US Trevor Denman's commentary on Zenyatta's Breeders Cup still sends a tingling down the spine.

I don't have commentary on
I know my horses colours and don't want to listen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud_XPH6Eix4  if you've never seen it.

Was driving to Bath races yesterday so had to tune in to R5 for the Oaks. John Hunt commentary. Shockingly bad. Suspect he will mention all 19 runners while the Derby is running too.

Good
Bomber Harris
Simon Holt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZ33kuurXg

I'll tell Jerry you enjoyed listening to him LoyalHoncho and you to Differentdrum he's a personal friend..

Simon Holt is my favourite by far and i do like the excitable irishman....

as for Peter O'Sullevan' from the mid 80s onwards he made lots of mistakes in races, lots...
still enjoyed listening to him...

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

Listening to Fraam winning at Glorious Goodwood on my earphones with commentary from Bromley whilst walking through Westburn Park is another glorious piece of aftertiming from me...

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.

I don’t just enjoy him workrider I think he is bloody marvellous.
We probably hear 2% of the effort/work/prep.he puts in to get his job done right.
Thanks for your previous offer to introduce us, sadly impossible, but shows what a good guy you are too making the offer.
Hope you are well.

Hi Bairn.   Hope you are well.

thaks for that loyal, yes everything is good just now, although i have slight concern with my bet on Broncos I bet it in a koral shop on nov 2nd, korals haven't put up ante-post betting on the derby after the 1st round, not even for the heats, I find that very strange. i'm just wondering why, cheers.

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

Was he not just Rugby league

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

I quite like the excitable Irishman when he doesn't quite reach the strangulated pitch he is unbelievably softly spoken in real life.

Graham Goode especially when he started adding puns I detested along with Jim McGrath for same reasons. The GG commentary of Desert Orchid winning one of the KG's was excruciatingly bad at the end.

Peter O'Sullevan was great until the last few years. It was almost like he was sympathising with me when giving me bad news about how my horse was running.

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

The very first time Aussie Jim, Mcgrath did a racecourse commentary was at Newmarket's July meeting in the late 1980's (or possibly 1990?).

I was there that day and loved it when, in an early race, the favourite skipped right away from the field a furlong out. JM called it as 'This bird has flown, this bird had FLOWN'.

It was fresh and original and exciting.

Never forgotten it...

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.

Think i'd like to see the word " preferred " used if the horse is proven on soft and that he's proven to be less effective on the faster ground.

Loyal Honcho

No, that was the other Jim McGrath.

Of course.  I’d forgotten there were two.
Thanks Saxon Farm.

Jun 12, 2025 -- 2:22PM, Hayden wrote:

Think i'd like to see the word " preferred " used if the horse is proven on soft and that he's proven to be less effective on the faster ground.

With you on that one Hayden. I always thought that "acts on" doesn't say enough about preference.
Although I've had many winners using TF's go to tool for distance requirements, "will be suited by", especially when they step up to a proper staying trip.
The old Superform commentaries were less ambiguous, if a horse had a preference, they would spell it out.

Good commentators mentioned across a few sports   

My particular fav was Cliff Morgan who was at his imperious best commentating on what majority agree to be the greatest Rugby Union try ever scored......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip6TCr03fsE

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.

"The 12 year old Red Rum, being proceeded only by loose horses..."-  Peter O'Sullevan

Most underrated commentator was Tony Calo, who called races in the Bay Area (Golden Gates and Bay Meadows).  He always started with "And there they g-o-o-o-o" and then came out with phrases like "they get it on besides the lakeside lawn" when they were going past the reservoir in turf races.  Sadly, he never got a chance to do Breeder's Cup.

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-Announ...

Marksman - I used to videotape the best races years ago and I always remember a great call from that bloke you mention, though
I was unaware of his name - it was the unmistakeable 'growl' of "There they go" which brough back a distant memory from around 1985.


I vaguely recall a great front-running ride and the commentator saying in the closing stages "It's Sonny Barich and Lester Piggott..."
in a deep, nonchalant voice.
I can't remember what the race was but it'd be great if someone with a better memory than me could tell me the race and maybe track it
down on YT - my old tapes perished years ago

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!

Holiest miscalled a horse that came up the rail and won just the other day.  Makes errors quite often.  He’s not as good as you think.

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

John Hunt. I liked Tony O'Heir - not keen on the current caller for the bog Iris races.

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?

Many on here nowadays will never have heard him, but to my mind the very best sports commentator of all time was Richie Benaud on cricket.

As an ex-Aussie test captain and top line spin bowler, he knew the game so well. But his laconic and witty delivery was perfect. Not only that, though, he also knew when to keep quiet and NEVER said too much, allowing the sport to speak for itself.

There is a well known story told by a novice commentator who was working with Benaud one day.

The novice said that a team had suffered a 'tragedy' late in the day when their batting collapsed. Apparently Benaud passed him a note the the next day saying 'War, or plane crashes, or stuff equally as serious was a tragedy, not wickets falling in a cricket match'.

How right Benaud was, and how he would cringe today with the plethora of over-excitable, often childish, commentators so many of whom also suffer with verbal diarrhea!!!

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

Eddie ( up and under ) Waring spent more time laughing during " It's A Knockout " than the viewers.

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.

Agree Honcho , i'd have him best in the modern era and Cliff Morgan best of yesteryear , for the record i thought David Coleman was an embarrassment.

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.

Knight's call for Richie Benaud is a cracker as well , i'm embarrassed to say i'd forgotten about him   

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

All of the cricket commentators of Benaud’s era, and I agree he himself, were terrific.  A different breed.  Laconic, informative, business-like whilst humorous.  Totally untouched by commercialism.  So professional, so missed.

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.

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   

Jim McGrath was decent, think he started with the BBC then C4, GG was OK but can't say there is much between rest

I can't listen tbh, doesn't need any more ramping, hate the shouty screamy sort. Tbh the football on bbc radio needs a real clear out, it's total garbage atm. Every game sounds like basketball, can't listen it's pointless.
And the smug fcks were getting heads up with VAR and they get players names fed in via earpiece and only time they make any sense is when they just waffle about summit off field.

LH - you've just made me realise something obvious which I overlooked in that if Sonny Listen comes second to ANY horse
in the race, that line would ALWAYS be applicable - that said...it was a perfect storm for Jimi Hendrix to nail him

First class commentary there by Hoiles.  Well done sir.

Jun 18, 2025 -- 5:10PM, LoyalHoncho wrote:

First class commentary there by Hoiles.

Poor Barty 'thinks' My Cloud got up

let be honest, hoiles 99% of photos sits on the fence , even if theres half a length between them

I hope he mentions Francophone frequently here.  Has a smattering of group form and 1st time cheekpieces here.
As good as any if favs. offer little value.

I hope he mentions Francophone frequently here.  Has a smattering of group form and 1st time cheekpieces here.
As good as any if favs. offer little value.

Jun 18, 2025 -- 10:46AM, The Knight wrote:

Many on here nowadays will never have heard him, but to my mind the very best sports commentator of all time was Richie Benaud on cricket. As an ex-Aussie test captain and top line spin bowler, he knew the game so well. But his laconic and witty delivery was perfect. Not only that, though, he also knew when to keep quiet and NEVER said too much, allowing the sport to speak for itself. There is a well known story told by a novice commentator who was working with Benaud one day. The novice said that a team had suffered a 'tragedy' late in the day when their batting collapsed. Apparently Benaud passed him a note the the next day saying 'War, or plane crashes, or stuff equally as serious was a tragedy, not wickets falling in a cricket match'. How right Benaud was, and how he would cringe today with the plethora of over-excitable, often childish, commentators so many of whom also suffer with verbal diarrhea!!!

If i remember right he was often on channel 4 on the morning line, loved his racing.

i actually love cricket...obviously cant support the saffer english , im a big Pakistan fan....Waqar, Javed, Imran, Wasim Akrim etc..haha.

anyway love Richie Benaud....great wee vid is this,,, The Richies, Shane Warne commentating and Bob Hawke, former aussie PM....Great county is Oz....

https://youtu.be/hima6KCQ-yE?si=7RVURkX3Wfme90Gl