From Roman Road to Highway 2000 (Series Finale)
By the time Legal Light won his Derby, the commentary booth was controlled by the wonderful Chris Armond, who brought a whole new style of race calling to the radio in …
Oh, just because they can! – The idea of “Might is Right”
There was a time when corporal punishment was part and parcel of our Jamaican school system. It was, perhaps, a holdover from the old British colonial era. It was often abused …
From Roman Road to Highway 2000 (Part IV)
When Titania won the Derby in 1974, David Vernon was still in charge of RJR’s commentary booth but the skill and artistry of George HoSang ruled the racetrack. Titania (trained by …
FROM ROMAN ROAD TO HIGHWAY 2000 (Part III)
Horseracing has always been an audio-visual sport and, as such, identified with and by the voices of its commentators. One of the earliest was the legendary Charlie “Dollars to Donuts” McCormack. …
FROM ROMAN ROAD TO HIGHWAY 2000
“Have I missed anything?” the small boy in the disheveled prep school uniform hopped nervously from foot to foot, peering over his father’s shoulder for a glimpse of the as-yet-forbidden fruit. …
ONE STEP FORWARD; ONE BACK
The new racing promoter has taken some steps in the right direction. For example, I notice there has been an attempt to raise the value of claiming tags albeit only at …
Do we have a vision?
I spent last week glued to the world’s best flat racing festival, Royal Ascot. Some fun facts about the five days of world class horse racing: Royal Ascot welcomes 300,000 race-goers …
Give the people what they want!
Recently, traditionalists, programmed to believe only England has answers to anything, have renewed a call for the return to an English system of handicapping/rating as the panacea for what ails local …
Cream Rising to the Top
Toldja! Since I wrote about the embarrassing scenario among Jamaica’s jockey colony as exposed by 54-year-old Gary Richards (published June 4) the Old Master has ridden 7 winners from 34 rides …
A classic review
Cawn’t sey mi neva dida warn yu! Punters got useful pointers for Jamaica’s first two classics from my very early look (published April 6). After 1,000 Guineas winner Disability Charm’s winning …
Public Opinion’s birthday; your gift — speed!
Belated happy first birthday to the new Public Opinion which celebrated its first birthday last week! Its focus on independent opinion and critical thought fills a void in local media. Regarding …