Trevor Denman
Encyclopedia
Trevor Denman is an American
sportscaster
and public-address announcer
specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing
.
Denman was born in Germiston, Gauteng
, South Africa
. A part-time jockey
and exercise rider, he started as a race caller in his native South Africa in 1971 at age 18.
He is the current race caller
at Santa Anita Park
, Del Mar Racetrack
and the Los Angeles County Fair
(Fairplex) in southern California
, and was the announcer at Pimlico Race Course
, Laurel Park Racecourse and Hollywood Park Racetrack.
Denman, who began calling races in North America in 1983 after announcing in his native country, is best known for the phrase "And aaaaaway they go...", spoken as the horses emerge from the starting gate.
Some other phrases that Denman has coined are very popular with racing fans, such as "scraping the paint", used to describe a horse who is saving ground (running very close to the inner rail). Another is "they would need to sprout wings to catch ______ ..." when a horse is leading by an insurmountable margin in the stretch. A similar phrase used in the same context is "he's [or she's] out here moving like a winner..." "______ looks like he jumped in at the quarter pole..." is used when a horse comes from far back and is running so fast as to give the impression that he has only just started to run. Finally, another well known Denman phrase is, "_________ is coming like an express train!" This phrase is used when a horse is running right by leading horses in the stretch.
He owns a three-year old filly in South Africa, named Top Twenty, trained by Paul Lafferty.
In the 1989 comedy movie Let It Ride
starring Richard Dreyfuss
and Terri Garr, Denman is the track announcer that is heard in many of the racetrack scenes that took place at Hialeah Park in Hialeah, Florida. Trevor Denman was also the announcer in the movie Racing Stripes
during the race.
Denman is the current voice of the Breeders' Cup
, aired now on ESPN
instead of its original 'home' NBC Sports, for the first 22 years. He replaced Tom Durkin
who had been the race caller since the inception.
During the 2009 Breeders Cup Trevor Denman made perhaps his most famous call when undefeated Zenyatta came from behind to win the race. After running dead last throughout most of the race, Denman called "Zenyatta has a lot, a lot of ground to make up.... If she wins this she will be a super horse".
When the race made its final turn Denman delivered his famous call as Zenyatta took the lead. "Zenyattas come to the outside. Zenyatta coming, flying on the grandstand side... THIS, IS, UN-BELIEVABLE!"
Denman was the unnamed race announcer in the animated television show The Simpsons
episode #239, aired originally in February 2000, entitled Saddlesore Galactica
.
Denman also makes an appearance in a Verizon commercial.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and public-address announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
.
Denman was born in Germiston, Gauteng
Germiston, Gauteng
Germiston is a city in the East Rand of Gauteng in South Africa. Germiston is now the seat of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality which includes much of the East Rand, and is also considered part of Greater Johannesburg.-History:...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. A part-time jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
and exercise rider, he started as a race caller in his native South Africa in 1971 at age 18.
He is the current race caller
Race caller
A race caller is a public-address announcer or sportscaster who describes the progress of a race, either for on-track or radio and TV fans. They are most prominent in horse racing, auto racing and track-and-field events....
at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
, Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...
and the Los Angeles County Fair
Los Angeles County Fair
The inaugural Los Angeles County Fair, now known as the L.A. County Fair, opened Oct. 17, 1922, and ran for five days through October 21, 1922, in a former beet field in Pomona, California. Highlights of the Fair’s first year were harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing-walking...
(Fairplex) in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and was the announcer at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
, Laurel Park Racecourse and Hollywood Park Racetrack.
Denman, who began calling races in North America in 1983 after announcing in his native country, is best known for the phrase "And aaaaaway they go...", spoken as the horses emerge from the starting gate.
Some other phrases that Denman has coined are very popular with racing fans, such as "scraping the paint", used to describe a horse who is saving ground (running very close to the inner rail). Another is "they would need to sprout wings to catch ______ ..." when a horse is leading by an insurmountable margin in the stretch. A similar phrase used in the same context is "he's [or she's] out here moving like a winner..." "______ looks like he jumped in at the quarter pole..." is used when a horse comes from far back and is running so fast as to give the impression that he has only just started to run. Finally, another well known Denman phrase is, "_________ is coming like an express train!" This phrase is used when a horse is running right by leading horses in the stretch.
He owns a three-year old filly in South Africa, named Top Twenty, trained by Paul Lafferty.
In the 1989 comedy movie Let It Ride
Let It Ride (film)
Let It Ride is a 1989 comedy film. It stars Richard Dreyfuss as a normally unsuccessful habitual gambler who experiences a day in which he wins every bet he places...
starring Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
and Terri Garr, Denman is the track announcer that is heard in many of the racetrack scenes that took place at Hialeah Park in Hialeah, Florida. Trevor Denman was also the announcer in the movie Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes is a 2005 comedy film directed by Frederik Du Chau, the director of Quest for Camelot. Although set in Kentucky, the movie was filmed in Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road, South Africa.-Plot:...
during the race.
Denman is the current voice of the Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
, aired now on ESPN
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
instead of its original 'home' NBC Sports, for the first 22 years. He replaced Tom Durkin
Tom Durkin
Tom Durkin is an American sportscaster and public address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing. He was the race caller for NBC Sports from 1984 through 2010....
who had been the race caller since the inception.
During the 2009 Breeders Cup Trevor Denman made perhaps his most famous call when undefeated Zenyatta came from behind to win the race. After running dead last throughout most of the race, Denman called "Zenyatta has a lot, a lot of ground to make up.... If she wins this she will be a super horse".
When the race made its final turn Denman delivered his famous call as Zenyatta took the lead. "Zenyattas come to the outside. Zenyatta coming, flying on the grandstand side... THIS, IS, UN-BELIEVABLE!"
Denman was the unnamed race announcer in the animated television show The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode #239, aired originally in February 2000, entitled Saddlesore Galactica
Saddlesore Galactica
"Saddlesore Galactica" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 6, 2000...
.
Denman also makes an appearance in a Verizon commercial.