TRAINERS TAKING THE MIC
THEY are more used to training winners but seven newmarket trainers will be calling them home on saturday when they take up commentary duties at their local track.
Derby winners John Gosden, william Haggas and sir Michael stoute, as well as Charlie Fellowes, Hugo Palmer, David simcock and Lucy wadham, have been given tips by former BBC commentator Jim McGrath.
McGrath said: ‘It is a fun day and no-one expects them to be Peter o’sullevan. newmarket is a difficult course to commentate at but I stressed how important it is to learn the colours.’
Royal trainer stoute has a head start on his colleagues. Before coming to Britain, he commentated on races in his native Barbados and also at Queen’s Park, Trinidad, where his fellow race-callers included sir Trevor McDonald.
In the 1960s, stoute auditioned for the role of commentator and presenter at the BBC.
The septet’s calls will be broadcast at the track but a professional will broadcast to the country’s betting shops. saturday’s event is being staged on day one of newmarket’s open weekend.
ELM PARK booked his place at Champions Day at Ascot on october 17 with a two-length comeback success at rain-lashed sandown.
The Andrew Balding-trained 4-7 favourite landed the onemile Fortune stakes by two lengths from Gabrial on his first run since beating only one home in the Derby at Epsom in June.
Elm Park could run in either the Queen Elizabeth II stakes over a mile or the mile-and-aquarter Champion stakes.
Today’s meeting at recently re-surfaced Yarmouth has been abandoned. The track also had to call off the last three races yesterday after heavy rain.