Durkin to Receive Eclipse Award of Merit

Tom Durkin, the recently retired longtime racecaller for the New York Racing Association, Breeders’ Cup and Triple Crown, will be honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the industry. It will be the 39th time the honor has been awarded. “This is quite an honor and quite a surprise,” Durkin said of the honor. “The award has never been given to a track announcer before, and to be singled out when you consider all of the great announcers who preceded me like Fred Capossela, Joe Hernandez, Chick Anderson and Dave Johnson, this is quite a distinction. Getting my first job calling races at Florida Downs was a dream come true, but I never imagined my career would take me where it did. A lot of people took a lot of chances to hire a guy named Tom Who? I have them to thank and anybody whoever bet two bucks.” 

“Tom Durkin has been one of the most remarkable and dynamic voices in our industry for more than a generation,” said Alex Waldrop, NTRA President and CEO. “His uncanny ability to tell a story, build it with drama, tension and excitement through his more than 80,000 race calls was a tremendous gift to all of us who treasure horse racing. On behalf of all of the Thoroughbred industry, we congratulate Tom on his outstanding career and for making our sport a much richer and brighter experience for all.” 

The 44th annual Eclipse Awards will be held Saturday, Jan. 17 at Gulfstream Park.