Larry Collmus © Benoit Photo

LARRY COLLMUS STEPS INTO THE BOOTH FOR THE BING CROSBY MEET

A familiar voice will take over calling the races at Del Mar next week. Larry Collmus, the voice of the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup, steps up to the mic for a third year in a row at the Bing Crosby meet.

Collmus first filled in for longtime Del Mar announcer Trevor Denman in 2020, during the height of Covid when Denman decided not to risk his and his wife’s health by traveling across country. Collmus was asked back last year when Denman suffered a serious back injury in a fall at his home in Minnesota. Trevor is fine this year, it’s just that at 68 the veteran race caller has decided to cut back on his workload.

Collmus admits filling in for Trevor was a bit nerve racking at first.

“It’s a daunting task when you first step inside that announcer’s booth,” Collmus says. “Everyone is so used to hearing Trevor. He’s been such a legend over the past few decades. But it’s something I’ve done in the past with Tom Durkin back east. I keep following legends wherever I go but it’s okay, you just be yourself and people like it.”

That approach has been working for Collmus for almost 40 years of calling the races, a career that has taken him to practically every major track in the country, from Saratoga to Gulfstream Park to Churchill Downs. And like most of these stories, it all started with a trip to the track

“I was in my mid-teens,” Collmus says. “My father installed a sound system at Timonium at the Maryland State Fair and he took me there to work for him in the summer. He quickly found out I was mechanically incompetent so he had me hang out with the announcer. I would make sure the sound was loud enough. I’d turn it up or down depending on how many people were at the track and that’s when I fell in love with horse racing.

“I got a tape recorder and a pair of binoculars and practiced calling the races in the Maryland press box,” Collmus remembers. “One day the general manager at Pimlico gave me my start. I was 18-years old when I called my first race at the now defunct Bowie race track. I never thought I’d be calling the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders’ Cup.”

His list of mentors is a who’s who of racing announcers.

“In my earliest years the one guy that was most influential was Dave Johnson. Dave was the voice of the Triple Crown on ABC at the time and he was a big help with me getting started.

“Another guy I used to love to listen to was Marshall Cassidy, the voice of New York racing,” Collmus continues. “Later on, he and I became friends when I was the announcer at Saratoga. It was great going out to dinner and being friends decades later with a guy I listened to as a kid.”

Collmus has called some of the biggest races of this generation. American Pharoah’s Triple Crown victory comes first to mind. So how does he get up for a mid-week $10,000 claimer?

“Every race is its own race. I don’t think you can fake that. If it’s a $10,000 claimer and one horse is running away from the others it’s not going to sound the same as the Kentucky Derby. But sometimes $10,000 claimers have stretch battles where two horses are going at each other the whole stretch and it’s exciting. You’ll be a little more pumped up for something like that.”

It’s that level of professionalism that has lifted Collmus to top of his game and to one of the most sought-after jobs in the industry, the one here at Del Mar.

“Oh, absolutely,” Collmus says. “It’s not only one of the better race meets in the country but it’s one of the better places to be. It’s hard to beat the weather and the beauty of the area.”

Collmus sees that beauty every race day when he steps in the announcer’s booth atop the grandstand at Del Mar, something now you can for yourself. Collmus is inviting people to watch a race with him for $100 with the proceeds going to the non-profit CARMA, an organization dedicated to providing funding for the rehabilitation, retraining and/or retirement of California-raced Thoroughbreds.

“It will be a fun experience,” Larry promises, “and it all goes to a good cause.”

Collmus will start calling the races next week after he re-charges from the Breeders’ Cup in Turks and Caicos. Del Mar’s John Lies, ably covered for Collmus this week while he was in the Caribbean.

GRAHAM MOTION SENDS HALF A DOZEN OUT WEST FOR FALL MEET

Trainer Graham Motion has been bringing horses to Del Mar from his east coast base at Fair Hill, Maryland since 2014, making his seaside debut during the inaugural Bing Crosby meet. He’s already notched a stakes victory in the young 2022 fall meet with Bipartisanship Saturday in the Kathryn Crosby Stakes. He also had a near miss in Friday’s Let It Ride when his 3-year-old colt Script came from the back of the pack with a furious closing kick and missed by a nose.

So nothing out of the ordinary. Motion usually makes an impact wherever his horses race and there’s more where that came from.

“We sent four out (to Del Mar) on a Fed Ex this week,” Motion says, “and then Speaking Scout stayed over from the Twilight Derby. He’ll run in the Hollywood Derby at the end of the meet. So we’ll have half a dozen in the rotation.”

That’s par for the course for the 58-year old conditioner who has been an annual participant at the Bing Crosby meet.

“It ties in real well with Keeneland just because when Keeneland is over and we get back to the east coast there’s not a lot of grass racing left,” he noted. “Often we’re out there (on the west coast) anyway for the Breeders’ Cup so it works well for us and it’s a great place to race.”

 The bulk of Motion’s stable remains at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, 350 acres set in the rolling hills of the Mid-Atlantic.

“We moved there 20 years ago,” Motion says. “We can do our own thing. We have our own facility and we can go wherever we want with our horses. We’re not tied to anybody. It’s a luxury to have and it also enables us to do a lot of different things with the horses, we don’t have to go to the racetrack every day.”

Over the past several years, Motion has been scaling back on his operations while exploring places to race.

“We used to have two barns at Fair Hill,” Motion says. “Then two years ago we decided to consolidate a little bit and we sold one of them. I’m trying to concentrate more on quality than quantity. So we keep 70 horses at Fair Hill and then Alice (Clapham, his assistant) is usually on the road with a string, whether it be at Saratoga or Del Mar. It’s even possible we might send some to Santa Anita, we haven’t decided yet.”

Motion has become one of the most respected trainers on the east coast. His involvement in racing dates back to his early years.

“My family was always involved with horses,” Motion remembers. “My mom was one of the first females on the backstretch in America and my dad was an auctioneer for the Tattersall Auction Company so racing is pretty much in my blood.”

Motion has been training horses for nearly 30 years. 

“I worked for Jonathan Shepherd,” he says. “That was my introduction to racing after I left high school. I spent a season in Europe where I met my wife. Then I worked with Bernie Bond and when he retired in Maryland in 1993 I took over his license.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate,” Motion continues. “Bernie got me off to a really great start and I’ve had some great owners.”

And some great horses. Motion trained Animal Kingdom, winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby and the 2013 Dubai World Cup. There was Better Talk Now, winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Turf; Main Sequence, Eclipse Award winning grass champion in 2014 and most recently 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing. There is also Mean Mary and Spendarella, his star 3-year-old filly who hasn’t raced since winning the Del Mar Oaks this summer.

“We’ll probably get her back under tack by Christmas time,” Motion says, “and then hope for a spring campaign with her.”

In the meantime, keep an eye on Script, a horse Motion once thought could be a Derby horse until he got sick this spring. If his run on opening day is any indication, there’s big things ahead for the colt. And Motion is the one to make it happen.

SUMMER MEET WINNERS EYE RETURN TO DEL MAR NEXT WEEKEND

The Stakes action at Del Mar’s Bing Crosby meet continues next weekend with the possibility of all three races featuring winners from the summer meet.

There are two stakes on tap for Saturday, the seven furlong $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes for Cal-bred 3-year-olds and up also going seven furlongs. Then next Sunday, it’s the first graded stake of the fall meet, the G3 Bob Hope, a seven furlong test for 2-year-olds.

Topping the nominations for the Desi Arnaz are two fillies who put on impressive performances this past summer at Del Mar. Chismosa, a talented Cal-bred daughter of Clubhouse Ride, is trained by Rafael DeLeon. She’s won the first three starts in her career, all at Del Mar, including the $125,000 C.T.B.A Stakes in August and the $125,000 Generous Portion in September.

She may match up with Justique, an imposing daughter of Justify who wowed the Del Mar crowd in July with her come-from-behind maiden victory. She then went up to Santa Anita and ran third in the G1 Chandelier. That was at a mile and a sixteenth so she’ll be cutting back should she run for trainer John Shirreffs next Saturday.

The Cary Grant could mark the return of Big City Lights to Del Mar. The 3-year-old son of Mr. Big captured the $175,000 Real Good Deal Stakes last summer before heading up to Los Alamitos and finishing second to The Chosen Vron in the $75,000 E.B. Johnson Stakes.

The Chosen Vron is also nominated for the Cary Grant. The 4-year-old son of Vronsky has won four times and finished in the money in 10-of-his-11 career starts, including the G3 Laz Barrera and the G3 Affirmed at Santa Anita last year. He’s riding a two race win streak after taking the $100,000 California Flag Handicap last out at Santa Anita.

The top 3-year old from the 2021 Del Mar summer meet, None Above the Law, is also nominated for the Cary Grant. Entries for both of Saturday’s races will be drawn Wednesday.

Trainer Bob Baffert has nominated four colts to the Bob Hope, including the hard knocking Havnameltdown, winner of the G3 Best Pal at Del Mar this summer. Newgate, Carmel Road and Hard to Figure also may go in the graded stake.

Peter Miller may bring Giver Not a Taker to the Bob Hope. The son of Danzing Candy won the $125,000 I’m Smokin at Del Mar in September.

Entries for the Bob Hope will be drawn Thursday.

Racing resumes at Del Mar Friday with first post at 12:30 p.m.

COOLING OUT:  Teena Ella, the first foal by Beholder, made her long anticipated debut Saturday. Unfortunately for her connections and backers she hooked another talented 2-year-old out of the Bob Baffert barn, Faiza. The pair dueled to the top of the stretch where Faiza went on to an impressive 3 ½ length victory while Teena Ella faded to sixth…Trainer Peter Miller says Handy Dandy, winner of Friday’s Let It Ride Stakes, came out of the race fine and will be pointed to the G1 Hollywood Derby…Notable works on Sunday: Dirt – Giver Not A Taker (4f, :50.60); None Above the Law (4f, :48.60); Justique (5f, :58.00); Turf – Bellabel (4f, 51.80); Rhea Moon (4f, :53.60); Hong Kong Harry (5f, 1:03.20); Masteroffoxhounds (5f, 1:02.60). A total of 64 horses put in official works on the main track, 20 horses on the turf, 17 of which from trainer Phil D’Amato’s barn.

Del Mar Statistics

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Saturday, November 12, 2022 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Saturday, November 12, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Saturday, November 12, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 4 out of 17 -- 23.53%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 2 out of 8 -- 25.00%
Winning favorites on turf -- 2 out of 9 -- 22.22%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 2 -- 50.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 11 out of 17 -- 64.71%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 2 -- 100.00%