Ozone Park, NY - April 1, 2015 - It has taken 30 years to reach this moment. For Larry Collmus, it has been worth every second.
Now at 48 years of age and serving as the official voice of the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup World Championships for NBC Sports, Collmus would already appear to be at the pinnacle of his career. However, if you ask Collmus, that height begins today at Aqueduct Racetrack when he fulfills a lifelong dream and officially becomes racetrack announcer for The New York Racing Association.
Initially achieving mainstream media acclaim in 2010 for his race call at Monmouth Park between two horses named Mywifenoseeverything and Thewifedoesntknow finishing first and second, which collected over 1 million Youtube views, Collmus' career began at just 18 years of age in 1985, calling his first race at Bowie Race Course in Maryland. Soon thereafter, he diligently worked his way around the country at various tracks including: Golden Gate Fields, Suffolk Downs, Monmouth Park, Churchill Downs, and Gulfstream Park where he remains the race caller for the winter meet.
Speaking from the Big A in anticipation of his first week and this Saturday's running of the Grade 1, $1 million, TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial, Collmus sat down to reflect on his career, what drew him to join NYRA, replacing a legend, what he's most looking forward to in his new role and more.
Question: Do you consider it a homecoming of sorts, returning to Aqueduct Racetrack this Spring as the NYRA track announcer since having previously spent two years prior in your career calling races here?
Answer: Yes, I was there 2005-06, so it's been a long time. Things have changed a little bit; there was no casino when I was first here but it's good to be back at Aqueduct and a good way to kick things off for my whole season because at least I've spent a lot of time in this booth and there's a lot of familiarity.
Q: When you first began your track announcer career at 18 years of age at Bowie Race Course, did you envision the path you've taken which has led to duties such as the main track announcer for prestigious events such as the Triple Crown & Breeders' Cup World Championships in addition to your new job at NYRA?
A: I wouldn't say I envisioned it, I think when you start out you hope something like that might happen but you can never imagine that it would. It's pretty exciting the last two years things have just gone right for me, falling into place one after the other and to end up in New York is the absolute pinnacle of it.
Q: This isn't the first time you've followed the legendary Tom Durkin in the booth? Can you point out what makes each of your race calling styles similar and different?
A: I think you're kind of a product of your environment. I heard Tom call so many races that it's hard not to have a little of Tom in your race calls and I think that a lot of guys are the same. There's so much when you listen to the same guy over and over because he called all these major races it's hard not to have a little bit of him come back to you. I try not to sound like him because I think we all want to be our own selves with our own style but there's definitley a lot of Tom influence because he called all these races so eloquently over the years.
Q: Taking a look at the year and upcoming meets at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course is there any one day or race you are most looking forward to?
A: If there's any one day, right now I would say Opening Day at Saratoga. To me Saratoga is the Mecca of racing. I've been there many times as a fan and I've actually called races there as a fill-in about fourteen years ago but that was so long ago. The whole atmosphere of Saratoga and walking in that day knowing I'm going to be the guy who's going to be calling the races is just an amazing thing and I can't wait for that.
Q: What would you consider the most memorable call in your career so far?
A: For me my most memorable call was the first Kentucky Derby I ever called, which was Animal Kingdom in 2011. The whole experience of calling the Kentucky Derby for the first time is something no announcer would ever forget and it was an unbelievable thrill and relief as soon as they hit the wire in that race
Q: What was the deciding factor for you to come to New York to be the next main track announcer for The New York Racing Association?
A: Well I think the deciding factor is to me, since I've been in this game as a kid, I've always envisioned New York Racing as the best racing in America and it's always been something I'd hope that one day I could be a part of. When the opportunity came up when Tom decided to retire, it was terrific that they decided to choose me.
Q: You're very active on Twitter, what has been your experience interacting with racing fans on social media?
A: It's fun, I've sort of drifted from Facebook to Twitter quite a bit cause it seems there is more opportunity on Twitter to communicate and it's fun. You get some good feedback from people and then some that's not so good and you take the good with the bad.
Q: Lastly, are there any specific challenges at any of the NYRA venues themselves that you're preparing yourself for?
A: Every place is a challenge, there are different challenges at every place. One of the biggest challenges is calling the Belmont Stakes when it's sunny outside.
Tom Durkin told me about this there's an unbelievable back lighting of horses when the sun is shining during the Belmont that time of day that time of year and I remember the first couple of Belmont's I called I didn't have to deal with that because it was cloudy. Then, in the 2013 Belmont with five minutes to post the sun came up and when they turned for home it was Palace Malice, Oxbow, and Orb and all of their silks turned black.
You couldn't tell the difference, I knew who they were because I had seen them before. I couldn't believe how bad it was, so at least I've done it and I'm prepared for that. I'm told there are a lot of things I have to prepare for getting ready for Saratoga in terms of trees and reflections off car windows, but I'm sure at Saratoga there will be a breaking-in period for me before I feel getting comfortable there.