Dumpy - the Sentimental choice?

Never mind Dumpy, who I seldom find less than entertaining, and who would deprive PE racing of much of its flavour if ever he were to be removed, but did you hear the call for the fourth at Belmont Park, this afternoon/evening? The rather dull commentator called the wrong horse as the winner (in an event with half a dozen horses participating, as I recall), and he must be paid a fortune, compared to poor Dumpy. It threw me and the data room guys into total confusion (some wag is gonna say that that's not difficult!). Actually, some of the US commentaries are very difficult to hear when there's a tight finish and there were a few awkward moments today.

When I think of the years of Alan Schoeman having to drive from PE to Kimberley on a Monday morning, and then drive home again, afterwards, I think the man deserves a medal. And I'll bet he didn't make those arduous trips in a Mercedes, either.

I know that Simon Holt has called a winner wrongly, and he's been voted the best commentator in the UK. He was mortified when it happened. It may not happen that often when it comes to the Holts and the Hoiles of the commentating world, but commentating is a rare skill and it's very difficult to find people with that skill. I think SA racing has been lucky in finding Alistair Cohen, who combines passion for the racing game with a maturity beyond his tender years, and a very smooth style..

The guys I reaally admire are those harness race commentators in Oz. They invariably get it right, even in the tightest of finishes. Sweden is another matter, though the Irish lass can sometimes be a lot of fun. .

There have been some lulus over the years. dear old Wolfie Wolfaardt once called a race from Gosforth Park, involving a horse which was strangely called Head Or Tails. He forgot the name as the runners were turning into the straight and after a long period of uhmming and ahhing, about the horse going "terribly well" on the outside, finally pronounced it to be Spin A Coin.

Neighmaster Wrote:

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> Never mind Dumpy, who I seldom find less than
> entertaining, and who would deprive PE racing of
> much of its flavour if ever he were to be removed,

Just out of interest Neighmaster, do you bet some of your hard earned on these races? I find it only entertaining when I know the horse I have backed is not involved in the finish but its a "cringe" entertainment and I feel for those, like today, who do have a financial interest in the result. It is quite possible people heard him call home the wrong horse, turned off the tv, threw away their "winning" slip and will never be any the wiser (could even be a huge exotic bet which would have won). However unlikely that scenario, the possibility should have no place in professional sport, especially where people's money is concerned. And I don't really want a race commentator to be "entertaining" me, I can get that type of entertainment elsewhere. Simon Holt once in a career and is mortified, Dumpy too frequent to remember and doesn't appear to care... I know which one I'd prefer to be calling a race where I've had a bet.
The rest of what you wrote I found interesting but sadly I can't comment on as I really have no knowledge of these events

Jimmy your support of Dumpy shows how distant Phumelela and it's wings are from reality - Punters cannot stand incorrect results in any form - To support a person because he "adds flavor" is wrong if the flavor is foul tasting - Listen to your customers for once - You are not Drs supporting each other against Law suites - The man did not call the Winner !! He misses placed and winning horses on a regular basis . I don't care that he drives to Kim - what has that got to do with doing his job properly ? So punters should endure auditory inaccuracies because Dumpy "has voice - will travel" - I love PE and Kim racing as there are often undervalued horses but it irks me to have to call back after every commentary to see if the results were correct or not.

the worst commentary i ever here is niko when the horse he punt in the summer cup gets beat, i cant remember name. the man is so shocked he almost breaks down

Having worked in a UK betting shop, there were two 'jokes the punters shook their heads in disbelief at..
Ok, it was a decade ago, but not much has changed.
The first was Kimberly reacing, when the wind was blowing, looked like bush racing meets Dubia sand storm
The second was the PE commentator. It made/makes SA racing look backward and unprofessional. At leats they sorted out the sand, but still an eyesore. Pity about the second point. Is it really acceptable? Most jobs have a process when you stuff up in a major way. This IS stuffing up in a major way. Thousands of people watching? More than once in a year, warning, second warning etc.
This has been going on for ages. Whats more scary, the fact that his commentaries are regularly a joke, or the fact that some people actually find this entertaining, or amusing?

flydubai Wrote:

---

> Having worked in a UK betting shop, there were two
> 'jokes the punters shook their heads in disbelief
> at..
> Ok, it was a decade ago, but not much has changed.
>
> The first was Kimberly reacing, when the wind was
> blowing, looked like bush racing meets Dubia sand
> storm
> The second was the PE commentator. It made/makes
> SA racing look backward and unprofessional. At
> leats they sorted out the sand, but still an
> eyesore. Pity about the second point. Is it really
> acceptable? Most jobs have a process when you
> stuff up in a major way. This IS stuffing up in a
> major way. Thousands of people watching? More than
> once in a year, warning, second warning etc.
> This has been going on for ages. Whats more scary,
> the fact that his commentaries are regularly a
> joke, or the fact that some people actually find
> this entertaining, or amusing?


The guys in the studio have a good old laugh about dumpy when they are handing over to him in the UK..

Jimmy the American commentator was probably Mark Johnston and english guy...

To The Dumpies - Imagine a business reporter on radio calling the dollar at R11 when it's R7.72 not once but every week that they work - Pathetic support for a person that has always been out of his depth - No wonder the guys in the Tote think Phumela feels nothing for them!
Racing 's about money not balloons and birthday cakes!

Only in Africa can you actually have a debate whether it is OK to be really bad at your job or not....................lol

Rob i'm self employed and when I'm bad at my job I can't pay bills -

rob faux Wrote:

---

> Only in Africa can you actually have a debate
> whether it is OK to be really bad at your job or
> not....................lol


it is a culture within the racing industry rob one just has to look at presenters journalists etc ...the worse you are the longer you stay in the industry and the better you are the shorter your stay...mediocrity continues

That's it Neighmaster, lets look all over the world for excuses, I'm actually surprised at your response, is the mediocracy of the organisation you work for rubbing off on you....:S

By the way I think you have your races mixed up at Belmont Park, the commentator definitely called the right horse home in the 4th race, Milwaukee Mixer.

Only in Africa can you actually have a debate whether it is OK to be really bad at your job or not..............hysterical.

Wow, talk about getting dumped on! But it was quite fun setting the cat among the pigeons. The points about the need for accuracy and professionalism are well taken, guys, believe me, but there's just something about Dumpy's uncanny ability to rise to a crescendo in the first 50 metres, and sustain the note right to the wire, that get's me where I live.