It's a long ways, indeed, from Carnavon, Western Australia, (population 4,559 according to Wikipedia) to the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains north and east of downtown Los Angeles. But this coming weekend, Craig Evans, the senior racecaller for the Singapore Turf Club at Kranji Racecourse, will audition to replace the legendary Trevor Denman when he takes the mic at Santa Anita Park.
The magnitude of the opportunity at hand is not lost on the affable Evans.
“Growing up in a small town in country Western Australia, there was very little coverage of American racing, but coming from a family of racing enthusiasts, we followed racing from around the globe,” commented Evans, 48, whose duties in addition to calling two live programs weekly in Singapore include managing both the English and Chinese broadcasting teams at the STC five days a week, 48 weeks a year. “From a young age, I have always known of Santa Anita and its position and prestige in U.S. racing. To attend a race meeting there is a dream. To call a race will be unbelievable. The thought of being the full-time caller is indescribable. Trevor will obviously be a tough act to follow, but I'm looking to create my own legacy at the 'Great Race Place.'”
The youngest son of a bookmaker, Evans worked around horses in his youth and picked up racecalling and was a radio DJ in his home town before relocating to Perth at 19 to become a caller for the racing radio station 6PR.
Having covered horse racing in an official capacity in Hong Kong, Dubai, Japan and South Africa, Evans landed the highly sought-after overseas position with the STC in 2007 and became its senior commentator three years later. By his own admission, his career highlight was calling Rocket Man (Aus) (Viscount {Aus}) to Group 1 glory on home turf in the KrisFlyer International Sprint in 2011 (video) two months after the globetrotter made history in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Evans's understated, yet accurate and exciting racecalls, have endeared him to fans on the international racing stage, and he believes a simple approach in the booth is best.
“The horses and the riders are the stars of the show and the caller should complement and make them the center of attention,” Evans theorizes. “A great caller absorbs the listener into the race without forcing himself into the story.”
Evans, who will be joined on the journey by his wife Johanna and children William, 18, and Katherine, 16, is one of two overseas-based commentators who have been recruited by Santa Anita to audition to replace Denman. David Fitzgerald, a presenter for Racing UK, will handle racecalling duties Feb. 27 and 28. The duo will contend with Michael Wrona and Frank Mirahmadi, who have been alternately splitting time in the booth at Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields.
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