Denman celebrates 30 years in Santa Anita announcer's booth

"There were two announcers at Clairwood (Racecourse in Durban) and one of

them quit. I was told to come out to the races one day and to call a few races

into a tape recorder, so I did. Then, the guy in charge told me 'Okay, you're

calling the sixth race.' I had no idea I was going to call a race on the public

address system, but I did and I ended up working there for the next 13 years."

Denman said that in 1982, at age 29, he decided to come to America and was

allowed to call a race at Bay Meadows that winter.

"I then came down to Santa Anita and they let me call two races. I went back

home and I got a letter two weeks later from Alan Balch offering me a job. I'm

sure he was under a lot of pressure, but Balch never wavered and here I am."

For his part, Balch credits Santa Anita's late Senior Vice President of

Racing Frank E. Kilroe and publicity department staffer Bill Kolberg for

assisting in Denman's Santa Anita tryout.

"Mr. Kilroe sent Trevor to see me when he arrived at Santa Anita out of the

blue one day and Bill Kolberg had visited Durban and had heard Trevor call

races," Balch said. "After he called the last race that day, I just had a hunch

that if we hired him, it would change American race calling forever and it has.

"His style and method were so new to us, that only my fellow dinosaurs know

just how different it was...But to us he seemed revolutionary in a good way,

because just hearing what he said, you could visualize what was happening, or

about to happen, with both horses and riders.

"He had and has a consummate work ethic and devotion that enabled him to

overcome any obstacle and reach the very pinnacle of his profession and of our

entire sport."

Known for his signature "And AhhWaaaay They Go," when the horses break from

the starting gate, a major component of Denman's greatness is his capacity for

spontaneity and his willingness to let races develop and to describe them

accordingly.

"Spontaneity is the key. I let the horses tell me how they're going. You

cannot pre-plan what you are going to say in a race. It always sounds rehearsed

and it will backfire on you more times than not. I can honestly say that I've

never pre-planned what I'm going to say. I do say things like 'They'd need to

sprout wings…' and so on, but what I'm doing is responding to a horse opening up

on the field. I'm just describing what is happening."

Two jockeys are atop Denman's list of all-time favorites.

"Eddie Delahoussaye and Laffit Pincay," he said. "Eddie was phenomenal. His

timing was unbelievable and his cooperation with the horse and the way he

dovetailed with them was amazing. They just ran for him and it didn't matter

what class level they were at. He seldom used the whip and it didn't matter if

they were a claiming horse or a graded stakes winner -- he rode them the way

they wanted to be ridden.

"As for Laffit, he was just the ultimate jockey. What more can you say? He's

a first-class person and it always showed on the racetrack. He was so strong and

I believe he won with horses that other guys would not have because he was in

sync with them and they responded to his balance and physical strength.

"I would have to say that in my time in America, the three greatest horses

I've ever seen are Sunday Silence, John Henry and Precisionist. All three were

amazing."

In addition to his regular duties at the upcoming Autumn Meet, Denman will

also be calling races on NBC Sports Network during the two-day Breeders' Cup

World Championships on November 2-3.

When asked if he ever feels big-game type anxiety when preparing for races

like the Santa Anita Handicap or the Santa Anita Derby, Denman discounted the

specter of pressure -- with one exception.

"When I'm preparing for most big races, I feel the excitement attached to

those races and I think that comes across in my delivery," he said. "It's just

more exciting to call the big Grade 1 races than most of the overnight type

races.

"The Breeders' Cup is the exception. There is pressure there because we have

so many races and in most of them, California-based horses only account for 10

to 15 percent of the field, so I'm seeing 80 percent of them for the first

time."

As he readies for his 30th autumn season at The Great Race Place, Denman has

an eye to the future and admits he is cognizant of Father Time.

"Have I thought about retiring? No, not really. The day I wake up and say 'I

don't feel like going to work today,' will be the day I make my decision. The

ace in my pack is the fact that I spend five months of the year on a farm in

Minnesota. It's been a great battery-charger for me and it allows me to come

back to work fresh and ready to go."

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