The fact that Brandon mentioned "Tipsy Tarragon" is in itself some level of acknowledgement that he had a bad day at the office. I did not watch this race with "TT" but listened to the commentary a few minutes ago and if Brandon does a post-mortem on this commentary, he will accept that calling TT breezing into the lead and in the next breath TT is challenging for the lead!!!!
I watched the replay of the 2nd race at Turffontein on Monday 16 Jan - 6 Runner field - Total Protection was the last horse to load in the starting stalls.5 horses jump from the starting stalls a one horse stands in the starting stalls - The commentator says "it wasn't a bad start for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and the commentator only realises in mid-race that Total Protection is not in the race. If a commentator made such an error in a 30 horse field that was dispatched down the Rowley Mile course, one can make excuses for such a faux pas --- not a 6 horse field on a bright sunny day in Jhb South.
I conclude that 4Q is the problem and Brandon is collateral damage. Remember when Ali resigned, his boss did not even know who he was. 4Q is run by a CEO and a CFO that arguably did not know Horse Racing existed as a business and an industry prior to Phum going into business rescue. How on earth could these individuals be able to understand the technical aspects, quality control, performance management and most importantly the minimal acceptable product standards for a sustainable horse racing operator?
PS. Brandon, after the winner crosses the finish line - you don’t need to mention the name of the owners and say that" I know that they watched their horse win, wherever they are". It is particularly embarrassing when you mention this for Greg & Gina, who are on course to lead-in their winner and you clearly did not see the visuals before the race that focussed on them in the parade ring. Also, spare us your after-the-race-merchant comments in its entirety. Focus on the next race if you are competing with white noise
I have posted at length regarding Brandons commentaries & here’s my short version.
All I expect is an accurate description during the running of a race & provisional results
Thats it !!
The "enthusiastic" embellishments & brown nosing the tote & each & every jock, trainer, owners & punters & all the other shit just aggravates me to no end.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Frodo, Saint T, Justanotherpunter
I have posted at length regarding Brandons commentaries & here’s my short version.
All I expect is an accurate description during the running of a race & provisional results
Thats it !!
The "enthusiastic" embellishments & brown nosing the tote & each & every jock, trainer, owners & punters & all the other shit just aggravates me to no end.
Everyone will have their own opinions and preferences. Some prefer Martin Tyler instead of Peter Drury. That’s just the way things are. Brandon’s passion and dedication for the sport is undisputed, however these are few of my observations on this topic.
When you choose a career in media, you must be prepared for the inevitable criticism. Choose a filter that best suits you.
Don’t accuse punters of talking from the pocket. Where else should we speak from. It is generally acceptable in all other industries that paying customers will complain about product, service, or experience. Why should racing be any different
We may be “nameless” but our opinions are not always baseless
There is a background story for almost every horse in a race. Do your homework so that you are prepared for even the most shocking result
Prioritize the basics i.e., Start, positioning, colors, lengths behind, finishing positions and then add your spice.
Call each race objectively as you see it and be fair to all connections in the race, regardless of your preferences or fancies
Commentating may not be easy, however, with any paid job merely trying is unfortunately not enough. Mistakes are inevitable but you have to own them. (Which you have admirably done here)
The following user(s) said Thank You: thisotherdude, Saint T
Listen to the commentary of Clyde on VAAL Race 6, today.
Absolutely no flowery kak from Clyde, with all those years of experience. And he get it 100% correct.
I don't believe that the criticism on this forum is intended to break your spirit. Keep it simple and your fan base will double.
Brown nosing and blowing smoke up the asses of owners, jockeys and trainers is not in your job description.
Good call from Clyde Basel as you alluded to apart from his pronunciation of the winner's name. I cringed listening how he butchered the name over and over.
I happened to have backed Orarari Gold, so was not taking my frustration out on the commentator. And I was not specifically referring to that particular race. I can list any number of times that Mr Bailey has got it embarrassingly wrong ! As others have suggested- we just want an accurate representation of what is happening during the race...
Listen to the commentary of Clyde on VAAL Race 6, today.
Absolutely no flowery kak from Clyde, with all those years of experience. And he get it 100% correct.
I don't believe that the criticism on this forum is intended to break your spirit. Keep it simple and your fan base will double.
Brown nosing and blowing smoke up the asses of owners, jockeys and trainers is not in your job description.
Good call from Clyde Basel as you alluded to apart from his pronunciation of the winner's name. I cringed listening how he butchered the name over and over.
Fair comment / criticism on Clyde's pronunciation.
I was merely making the point on keeping it simple and calling what you see. Also, i'm not suggesting that Brandon becomes a Clyde mini-me!!
