Tom Durkin, the legendary and high profile announcer for the New York Racing Association (NYRA), has announced his retirement. His final day of calling the races will be August 31, 2014 at Saratoga Race Course. Durkin has been calling races for the NYRA racetracks of Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga since 1990.
Here is Tom Durkin's statement on his retirement: "I want to thank all of the fans that have been so supportive over the years, my colleagues at NYRA and countless others who have helped me along over four decades," said Durkin, 63. "I thought that 24 years here at NYRA was enough and that 25 might have been too many. It has been an honor and a privilege to have been given the best seat in the house to some of the greatest moments in modern racing history."
Tom Durkin has spent the last 43 years calling races at various tracks around the country. He got his start at county fairs in Wisconsin before moving on to Cahokia Downs, Balmoral Race Course, Quad City Downs, and Miles Park. His big break came in 1981 when he started calling races at Hialeah Race Course. In 1985 he became the announcer for the Breeders' Cup and held that spot until 2005. In addition, Durkin called the Triple Crown starting in 2001.
As announcer for Belmont Racetrack, Durkin has called the Belmont Stakes eight times when a Triple Crown could have been won. Unfortunately, he has never had the pleasure of calling a Triple Crown during his tenure at NYRA. He may have one final chance if California Chrome can win the Preakness Stakes on May 17.
There has been no announcement regarding when the search for a replacement will commence.