We hear their dulcet tones virtually every single day of the year but who exactly are the people behind those horse racing commentary microphones?
Here are just five of the best horseracing commentators around who bring the sport to life with their broadcasting skills.
DARREN OWEN
Welshman Darren Owen is a familiar voice on British racetracks and has been an established commentator now since 1998.
Darren’s first race calling “job” as a young chap was when he was asked to step into the breach at his local harness racing track to cover some holidays.
After years of involvement in the sport he was made chairman of the British Harness Racing Club and is a popular commentator when it comes to horse racing odds and selections.
Darren also works for William Hill Radio, plus provides English commentary on races shown by the French horseracing channel Equidia.
MARK JOHNSON
Mark is a horse racing announcer/commentator in both the United States and United Kingdom and he certainly knows how to whip up a racecourse crowd.
His Twitter biography states that he is the “only person to call both the Kentucky Derby & the Epsom Derby”, which is a truly remarkable commentary milestone.
Mark is also a race commentator at Jersey Race Club, having done so on the island for 30 plus years.
DAVID FITZGERALD
Regularly heard referring to “The Priory, the wood side and sticky toffee puddings”, David Fitzgerald certainly enjoys being on the roster for Cartmel Races each summer.
David was originally awarded a spot on the list in 2010. He called his first live meeting at Kempton Park in January 2011 and his biggest accomplishment was calling the races at Royal Ascot in 2014.
As recently as 2024, David was on the team covering the Aintree Grand National and his impact on horse racing tips is clear for all to see.
JOHN HUNT
Many moons ago John gave up the life of a policeman after seeing an advertisement for a trainee racecourse commentator.
Years later, John is a regular studio presenter for Sky Sports Racing and also a BBC Radio 5Live commentator.
Having turned down an approach from ITV when they first took over the terrestrial coverage of horse racing, John remained loyal to the BBC and has been rewarded since with Match of the Day commentaries, plus a whole range of other sports.
ALEX FUSSEY
Alex fulfilled a lifelong ambition of becoming a horseracing commentator, after beating dozens of applicants during a rigorous selection process in 2022.
He was hired alongside another candidate, Steven Powell, after being given an extensive interview and trial run by RaceTech Media.
Alex’s first solo outing was at Newton Abbot on June 1, 2022, and since then he has worked at more than 30 racecourses across the length and breadth of the country.
It will only be a matter of time before he is covering some of the most prestigious fixtures.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
