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A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
The riveting autobiography of iconic American sportscaster Tom Durkin Sports have become indelibly linked to the voices...
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The riveting autobiography of iconic American sportscaster Tom Durkin
Sports have become indelibly linked to the voices that describe the action, from Al Michaels at the Olympics to baseball's Vin Scully and basketball's Marv Albert. In horseracing, perhaps no single voice did as much to reshape, modernize, and improve the soundtrack of the sport as Tom Durkin. In A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races, Tom Durkin, alongside longtime turf writers Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, shares his fascinating story. Readers will revel in his tales of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning horse racing among rickety grandstands and local hustlers, and of the day when he called the first Breeders' Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant. Durkin also candidly recounts how the pressure to describe each race with flawless accuracy became too much, leading him to step away from the spotlight while still at his prime. Durkin's life is as colorful as his description of a come-from-behinder weaving his way through horses toward a photo finish. A Life's Calling is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the voice behind many of horse racing's greatest calls.Author: Tom Durkin,Paul Volponi,Lenny Shulman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 05/28/2026
Pages: 216
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9798881842598
About the Author
Tom Durkin is a retired American sportscaster specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing and the iconic voice of the Breeders' Cup and Kentucky Derby. He was the race caller for NBC Sports from 1984 through 2010 and served as announcer for the New York Racing Association for over two decades. He lives in New York.
Paul Volponi is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of over 20 books, including Black and White, Rikers High, The Final Four, and Famous First Impressions. His recent work, The 32 Principles: Harnessing the Power of Jiu-Jitsu to Succeed in Business, Relationships, and Life (co-authored with Rener Gracie), made a trio of bestseller lists. He lives in New York.
Lenny Shulman is an Emmy Award-winning television and film writer. He is the author of Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory; Ride of Their Lives; and Head to Head. He received the prestigious Walter Haight Award for lifetime achievement as a turf writer. He lives in Kentucky.
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