Calling all of the big ones calls Collmus back home to West Baltimore for Preakness 149

If you love old Pimlico or know anything about Maryland horse racing, you know that legendary track announcer Larry Collmus is a Mount St. Joe boy. But, Nestor needed to know the rest of the story and further extended the legend of the great Clem Florio, who rides every race with the Triple Crown voice of the racing gods.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

preakness, clem, race, horse, years, people, track, baltimore, week, triple crown, saratoga, call, press, run, move, calling, story, announcer, larry, derby

SPEAKERS

Nestor J. Aparicio

Nestor J. Aparicio  00:00

Hey, welcome home we are wn S T am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we are Baltimore positive even though we’ve got some interesting news here during previous week, not just running through raindrops, and we had a great poster on Monday night I was down to the drawl for that we had to move the world famous annual crab Derby here from Wednesday to Friday, which gives you another opportunity to come join us on Friday if you’re hearing this before Friday. I hope you are we’ll be down to Faithless I was gonna be there on Friday on anyway because the Orioles are playing and Luke’s gonna come down and the Orioles are taken on the Mariners and what the hell they got great crabcakes we will not be racing mechanical crabs, much to penis chagrin. We’re racing real crabs out in the plaza Alfresco on Friday. Lunchtime, I will be there with Luke for two of the five will scratch offs in the mirror lottery Pac Man scratch offs to give away we got some winners last week, our friends at Liberty pure solutions keeping our water clean as well as Jiffy Lube multi care sponsoring the Maryland crabcake. So it’s gonna be good to get that back out to Costas and Coco’s and Pappas and back to state fairs. We’re doing all that next month, but we’re gonna race this week. And this is the first segment I’m doing but one of the last segments of the week, so if you’re hearing it in our radio rotation, let me call him this. I mean, I was gonna bring you on and bust chops about Mount St. Joe and Chris pike and, you know, like all the Jim Schwartz and give you all the to share and all that stuff. But then like, I kept my head into talking to Bob Baffert, talking to Don Ambrose, I pull my head out, and all of a sudden the favorite scratched in the Preakness this week, so we will begin our conversation with the disappointment of that. But man, I have so many things to talk to you about Larry, how are you? Welcome. Hey, Jim is a would say I’m southwest. Ballmer.

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01:41

Thank you very much. And it will be nice. Right now I’m in New Jersey, but I’ll be Who am

Nestor J. Aparicio  01:48

I bear? Springsteen’s from what do you do when a bear? I’m

01:52

going to drive down 95 and make my way home? So anyway, but yeah, I’ll be I’ll be down there on Thursday and looking forward to the big day. But yeah, the big the big news just came Muth is out, which is which is really kind of surprising. But he developed a fever. And so we’re not going to be handling him in the race this year. Bob Baffert, still involved with imagination, and he’s got a big shot. So still is going to be a great race. Mr. Dan, of course, is the Derby winner is going to be there, so and it’s the Preakness. What’s better than that?

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:25

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Well, I don’t know. You know, I mean, hearing you call it. So race aside, because I mean, if we were going to talk, I was gonna have fun with you. Tell everybody about your journey, because I don’t know that I’ve ever I’d love to have a crab cake to do YouTube busy colonies damn races every day race eight days a week and you’re up there. You don’t get home home much. But I would love to take you, you know, out to one of our places and like, sit and say, What’s a nice guy like you doing in this and how did you and how’d you lose your Baltimore accent? But all that aside, you really are. You are the success story that Preakness dreams are made of in the same way that when I was a boy, see, and Rodney Franklin, you know, from Dundalk, my hometown, like, it sucked us in and I tried to express the young people here don’t get in or don’t even get baseball, the importance and the pageantry and the significance that you and I found that when we were kids, that it was a calling to you, right like it’s become your life in the way that sports is in the Orioles in the Colts and then the Ravens became my life. Absolutely.

03:24

I started coming to the track at Timonium at the Maryland State Fair. My father put in the sound system there when I was I was a baby there at some point I don’t remember it but when I was a teenager I would work for him totally mechanically incompetent. So he would go set up the fare exhibits. I would hang out at the grandstand and turn the sound up or down whether it needed and I would hang out there with the announcer Dick Willie was the longtime voice of Maryland racing.

Nestor J. Aparicio  03:53

I knew TIG wooley in 1986. When I had my first press pass at the Dewey I go down here Charlie would be there and Clem florial You Baby doll. Oh, you baby.

04:03

So he’s

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Nestor J. Aparicio  04:05

sweating. He’s ready to run baby. He’s ready to run. Clem. That’s not bad, right? Oh, it’s

04:13

a good club. I loved him. I loved you know. Yeah, we he was one of my favorite people. And I’ll tell you the story. So I’m, I’m a kid as a golfer in the press box, right? Eddie McMullen was the guy that ran the press by Paul. Absolutely. Right. So, so bad. He said, I’ll tell you what, because what I would do is I would go around the press bots, and I would be doing impressions of these different announcers around the country, right? Because I’d watch him on TV. And so Clem Clem Florio of The Washington Post said to me, why don’t you do it for real? And, and I said, Well, how do I do that? He’s like, get a pair of binoculars, a tape recorder Eddie will find your room, start practicing. And that’s what I did in the Maryland press boxes when I was 17 years old, going to Mount St. Joe, spending the weekends at the track as a golfer. And then one day I’m doing this doing my weekend stuff. And Chick Lange was the general manager at Pimlico. And he’s he hurts it gave

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:20

me my press pass. his autograph was on the press pass. Right? Right. Right. Great,

05:24

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man. Great man. He heard me call him up there. He went downstairs to his son, Chick laying juniors office who was the PR director at the time. And so Who’s that? So that’s Larry. He wants to be an announcer and chicks. Uh, well, let’s get him started. So on June the fifth 1985 They put me on the mic at buoy. It was their last 85

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:45

Yeah. So I went to buoy I used to get down to buoy with rich Pietro was Ross paddock corps with Charlie lane. I met you there, you know, of course, and I still remember you know, driving down the road, Pietro, whatever you do in the fourth race, you bet sole proprietor and JC POIs. And you box that I said, Pete, I’m gonna do whatever you tell me to do. And I got down I didn’t do it. And you know, pay $300 Yeah. And I you know, I’m still 40 years later, I’m still pissed about sole proprietor and JC Penney’s, you probably called the race for crying out loud that

06:19

day. I was calling one of David red. Yeah, Pietro with a stinky little skinny skinny cigars. He used to smoke. I remember remember all those people, you know,

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:28

may want to cast the characters, right.

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06:30

I mean, we had been freaking Larry King hanging out at Laurel. You know, Andy buyer, of course, was there all the time. I mean, of course, Charlie Ackman would put on a show. Yeah, you know, just you bring in somebody memories and I

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:46

would say to you, I idolized Howard Cosell. Right and my first ever Preakness that I had a press pass was It was the year before spend two bucks is 84 I was working for the news American. And my whole job was to drive through the traffic get to winter Avenue and get a bag a film that the photographer’s to take pictures of the ladies and adds to get the special section for the news of the Preakness section. And when I went out there, I put the car in the lot. I walked past the stable right past the winner. And as I’m walking through that parking lot toward the press because I was gonna meet him at the press entrance right with the elevator comes down at Pimlico and Howard Cosell all six foot seven in the yellow blazer and were walked Pat walked in my vicinity only thought that was ever other than screaming at Memorial Stadium and 79 world series were but but but that was my first entree to it. And I had never been to the racetrack in my life. In that moment. I’d never even go into track that day. I just picked this stuff up. And then around the paper, Pietro and those guys were like, come out to the track. My dad wasn’t a gambler. My dad was baseball, football, basketball. And like my dad’s game, we played pool cards at that point, but he didn’t gamble. So I didn’t like I didn’t have that association. So I didn’t go to the track for the first time. The track to me was Vince Bagley and he got the winner in the seventh race and just so I can emulate all that, but that’s what the track was. I didn’t know from that. But I knew the third Saturday of May in the 70s because my dad did love horse racing on television and Wide World of Sports Secretariat Seattle slew spectacular bid like you know all affirmed Aladar all of those races I was eight 910 1112 years old but the track so you had a different experience as a kid right like and we’re almost sort of the same age give or take a couple right? But like that part of the track and you loving it told me what? You went to Germany, we saw horses you like gambling the voices like you liked emulating people like what drew you to horse racing at that point, because it wasn’t even young and sexy, then it wasn’t the place to meet the pretty girls or was a bunch of older folks that were usually around. They’re like real birds, you know? Well, the

08:57

characters fill the characters and the and the characters were the ones that really drew me in not just the guys in the press bots, but the guys in the grandstand and just the whole scene. I just had this feeling I belong here. This is where I’m supposed to be. And it was true. I was and I would get to the track as much as possible. I even would stop by when I was going to Mount St. Joe, I’d stop by the chaplains office and pick up his bets and run them at Pimlico because he wanted to get involved at the Betty windows which was perfectly good thing. So we you know, I was put

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:36

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a couple of backs down from if you’re going to try right Mr. Sam up the street went to the track all the time. And you know, people knew he was going a couple of days a week and like to see if you liked the horse in the fifth because you knew some some Rodney Franklin was like whatever, you know, just Yeah, put $10 on that for me fine. I was on it. You know

09:52

so we I mean I would do that. And then once I got my driver’s license it was game over. I wouldn’t be driving to Charles Town at night I’d be i I’d be driving up to Garden State in New Jersey to the Meadowlands all over the freaking place, you know, just, whatever, whatever places open. I remember my buddies and I one day, we were looking for a place to go because it was Tuesday night, like there’s no tracks open Tuesday night. So we looked it up. Dover Downs harness was open, and we drove there was five below zero. That’s how sick we were. And but I loved going to the track. And and you know, when I was working at Pimlico, I mean, just just imagine this kind of the feeling of, you’re up in the press box, right, Preakness. And here comes Dave Johnson, the guy that calls the Preakness for ABC Sports, this is back in the 80s. And like, oh my god, it’s Dave Johnson, and I got to meet him and we’ve become friends, you know, down the down the road, but on in May of 2011. That long hallway looks exactly the same as it did back in 1986. And the guy walking down there to call the Preakness was me. And I’m like, I just had that moment like, Oh, my God, you would have never imagined that this was going to that this was going to happen. And it did. It was just an incredible thing.

Nestor J. Aparicio  11:13

How many pregnancies for you,

11:14

you call it is 14 this year? Believe it or not?

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Nestor J. Aparicio  11:17

When was your first print? What was your first expense? I tell the story of an 86 I had like a real press pass. And I had been going to the track more. I remember the first time I saw Ferdinand okay. And when I heard a Ferdinand’s exit from the world and read that story, it broke my heart. When I told my wife I don’t think I’d ever seen a horse other than the A robbers that came through my alley in Dundalk when I was a kid like I never I still have never ridden a horse. My wife rode horses, but I always tell her I came in that press lot and look to the right. And I saw this chestnut horse there and I’m at and I’m like And Charlie Whittingham was there and he was older and said that he was 86 years old or whatever then and I looked over Pat day, you know, all these people 96 That was like, I’m like, this is something special here. I’ve been this is the stuff that’s bad. And he’s been talking about and yeah, my dad didn’t get it. I’m still not a gambler, and I’m still and I can read the form. Clem Florio taught me how to read the form and Charlotte, those were the guys Ross pet accord. Marty McGee, Dale, Austin, those were the guys teaching me the form in AD same as you 8586 8788. Can you give me a Sunday silence Dave Johnson call Can you you’d probably get to do that, right.

12:30

Actually, that was Yeah, I don’t I can’t off the top of my head.

Nestor J. Aparicio  12:35

You could do that though. You’re good at that. Right? Yeah.

12:37

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But so but when you said how many priestesses at 14. I meant calling them. This will be my 14th calling. I go back a little bit longer than that. The first Preakness I went to was a Lomas ruler in 1982. And I sat in the grandstand seats that are now condemned at Pimlico. Those are my those are my seats that are at the top of the stretch there. And so Lomas ruler, and Jack canal, who was 16 years old when the Preakness and you know that that was the first one for me. So that was quite a quite a long time ago.

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:13

You’re busy being serious. I was in the Enfield 80s and 90s. I mean, I kid about Sunday silence that was I was silenced on that Sunday. Believe me after what happened on Saturday night combs be calling race. He’s one of us. He’s the St. Joe guy. And listen when pica brags about St. Joe, he didn’t talk about the sharers or Marty, he talks about you mean, we were one of our real guys, you’re typing what you do now other than calling the Preakness and where life has taken you because you’re much like my love of sports, your love of horse racing has really taken you lots and lots of places besides just being in New Jersey these days. Yeah,

13:47

it’s taken me all over the map, including last year when I got to call the Dubai World Cup halfway across the world. That was that was something crazy there. And, you know, I I’ve been everywhere, you know, like Johnny Cash. So I mean, all these different places around the country. I thought I was gonna settle down as the announcer in New York. I was calling at Belmont and Saratoga and and we had a little parting of the ways but these things happen. And so now I’ve been in addition to working for NBC, calling the Derby, the Preakness and the Breeders Cup we no longer have the Belmont that went to Fox. I also worked for FanDuel TV, as an analyst which has been a whole lot of fun. I’ve been enjoying trying to pick winners doing that. And I still get to call a few meats I call the Del Mar meet in the fall which is in San Diego and a wonderful place to be Kentucky downs which is in the middle of nowhere I’m there in September so kind of kind of all over the place right now but there’s nothing like the third Saturday in May and I can’t wait to get home and and see everybody and enjoy. Enjoy. Hi ho pimlico’s We used to say as a kid

Nestor J. Aparicio  14:59

What was it like calling a triple crown? I mean, I had bob on the other day, he’s got American Pharoah over shoulder. I’m all pissed off. It’s like the North. I’m chasing the Northern Lights this week to Spokane. It’s a long story. I’m writing an essay about it, but I didn’t get the Northern Lights. I’ve gone on Belmont buses. Because I’ve owned a sports radio station for 25 years. We did all these road trips every time. Smarty Jones, funny side, Big Brown. I’ve ran bosses, sometimes 234 bosses, sometimes my wife, my wife always talks about the most miserable day of her life. Think it was funny, whatever one was 45 degrees and raining on Belmont day. And she had like, a taffeta dress on it was just the most miserable. I think Belmonts got heat in there and some french fries, you sit in under the French fry warmer. But I’ve done that at the disappointment. And when American ferret I wasn’t, you know, I’ve chased the Triple Crown thing several times I’ve been to, you know, eight or nine derby. So I mean, I’ve been at it, what to call it? You know, it’s a dream to call the race you call the racist every year for I don’t know, 25 years and not call a triple crown, right?

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16:01

Unbelievable. I mean, I called it me feel. You look at the you look at the calendar. I told you the first day I called a race right? June 5 1985 at buoy. June 6 2015 30 years, one day later, following American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown at Belmont Park, it was unfreaking believable I mean, the just that whole week the lead up and you’re like, Oh my God, just just if it happens, please give a call that you’ll be proud of. And that’ll work out well. And thank goodness for the horse because he made it so much easier for me by winning by an open margin so that I could say the 30 year wait 37 year wait is over and he’s finally the one and all that good stuff that was able to come out and and you know, I fell in love with that horse throughout the throughout that triple crown. And I’ll never forget, after I should say before the traverse the day before I had never had a chance to get up close and personal with American Pharoah. And I had asked Bob Baffert, whether I could meet him, and I remember we were at Saratoga, and he brought American Pharoah over to me and handed me his leave. I’m not a hands on horse person at all, hands me his lead, and walks away. And here I am holding the horse that just won the Triple Crown. And he’s looking at me and I’m looking at him and I’m like, Oh, my God, this is this is just incredible,

Nestor J. Aparicio  17:32

always explains that animal was being different than the other animal just in the way I interact with people like a golden retriever.

17:37

You know, just the distance. The nicest calmest friendliest horse, you know, justify would have ripped my head off. Right on that was just American Pharaohs way. And I saw him years later, as a stallion in Kentucky and he’s the same way. And he’s so smart because you, you have this. People standing over here with the cameras. He knows that that’s what they’re doing. And he’ll he’ll face himself, turn his head toward the cameras so that he you know, they catch his good sight. I mean, he’s just like, he’s, I’d say he’s human, but he’s better

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:15

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than us this year. He is one of Aussies in Baltimore, and he is calling another Preakness you guys should never take that for granted certainly to Baltimore, and I don’t take that for granted. I want to talk about the future the Preakness but I got to stop everything because I I wrote this down if I don’t go back to this I’m gonna be really pissed at myself at the end. Clem Florio is one of my favorite people ever, and you’re telling me the Clem Inspire? was the first person that told you you could do believed in you and your life? Your professional life? 100% gonna make you cry Larry. Clem, Clem was one of my all time favorite people.

18:50

Me too. How can you not be I mean, is it this this ex boxer from New York that that comes down to Maryland and just you know, he’s was just such a fun, fun person and, and he knew what he was doing. He had the eye for the horse and and Andy buyer would never ever make a big bet without asking Clem Florio how the horse looks on the track. And that’s why I got Clem

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:17

would always get the binoculars out he goes I’m gonna go out on the rail and take a look there. I guess you gotta look because they didn’t call me nasty. That’s that’s you got to do. You got to look because he did get one on the one or run. They got to see a little swag. You got to see him. You want to see a little one? And hold on. Let me take a look. You know, so that was was just the best man.

19:37

I’ll tell you a funny Clem Andy Byers story.

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Nestor J. Aparicio  19:40

I love funny Clem stories, please bring it up.

19:43

We’re up in this Morgan Andy Byers story, but Clem is very much involved. So we’re up in the press box at Laurel. And the buyer of course is the famous writer for The Washington Post huge gambler, the man who invented the buyer number that everybody uses for handicapping. Now And so he is he walks up to Clem. He goes Clem, let me borrow 50 So Clem reaches into his that’s

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:09

a really good Andy, by the way, go ahead. Do you got any? Like I

20:13

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could do Andy pretty good, a better with Andy than anything you’re Clemens? Good. So, so Clem reaches out pans and 50 No problem. And you probably remember the betting window the guy’s name was Cecil was the mutual clerk. So Andy walks up to the window. He goes Cecil, give me 1000 To win on the floor. And so he makes his bed and Clemes like, Andy, what do you need the 50 foregoes I didn’t want to bet 950. Horse when? I believe so.

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:51

He comments on our call here. He’ll be calling the run 149th Running of the Preakness Stakes for N B C. Let’s talk about the Preakness and let’s talk about Pimlico. Let’s talk about tracks and you obviously that you study this i helicopter in is an Oriole Raven, long haired freak from Dundalk that loves horse racing enough to want to keep it see the value in it have promoted the value in it for 32 years. But I’ve been here for like much at the Orioles and all the malfeasance and ineptitude and awful long. I’ve been here watching this thing be mistreated. I remember when the lights went out and they lost all the pyramids. I’ve been here for all of it, but we’re punching the horse rainy days, swell, Preakness, scaffolding, like all of it. And the last 20 years every time I bring since Clem died every time I bring Gerardi on every time I bring Marty on Marty McGee, they’re my my mafia they every year they’re Preakness we sit here and what’s gonna have to preach we’re gonna cave it, we’re gonna save it. We’re gonna go to Laurel, what are these people from Canada going to do? They’re going to move to Gulfstream. They’re going to they’re going to put it up for bid they’re gonna bankrupt it here and move it out to sustain on the city owner who owns it we’re gonna fight for we’re gonna have slot like, and that’s 30 years and 30 seconds formulary. And you know that, yep, this is the year. I mean, I work keep the Preakness and Baltimore pins four years ago, right? Like, this is the year where it feels like there’s a plan and everybody I’ve talked to David Richard and I was at the post draw that Allen foreman on everybody in the industry, write it down in Kentucky, McKenney writes down abroad, they’re like, we’re gonna find a better Pimlico and Preakness here five years from now and the state of Maryland’s taking this thing over and the whole debutante thing that’s been going on here for years is going to change the People’s Party. Give me your what do you tell people in Jersey about the Preakness and Baltimore?

22:37

I mean, that everybody you know, who’s get surprised when I say this is the people in Baltimore, including my family, lives in crownsville. And I always say it’s as a media person. It’s everyone’s favorite triple crown race. First of all, by far, Kentucky Derby so much, so much going on pressure, but easiness Belmonts just not quite the same. It’ll be cool this year, because it’s up in Saratoga, but the Preakness the when the it’s like the take the deep breath, ah, let’s have some fun. And it is always it is always the race that we look forward to going to and, and the other thing I like to say is, is Pimlico a dump. Yeah, but it’s our dump. I love Pimlico. And I am so happy that they’ve they’re finding a way to keep the Preakness in Baltimore because that’s where it should be. That’s where always should be and I know it’s gonna have to move to Laurel for a couple years fine. That’s going to keep it in Baltimore. And I hope whatever this plan is that they have it sounds good to me, I hope it works out and then we’ll we’ll have the Preakness you know for the rest of my life hopefully, and from beyond that in Baltimore at a newer better facility. And you know, even be able to help the area get a little bit better to that would be an addition to that and man i i can’t wait to step into the new Pimlico and a few years and see what it’s going to be like and I hope I hope everything goes to plan because I think this should be in Baltimore and I am so happy that it stay in Larry

Nestor J. Aparicio  24:17

one of your colleagues, Donna brothers who I have on every year and I love having done on a kid her about the she know who the winner is on the back especially when there’s three horses nose, the nose in Kentucky Derby, she brought up just a great and that’s why I love having you guys on to talking about I learned a lot and then I learned more and then I can go back and learn more for next year. Here’s something I learned from her literally earlier today and if our listeners don’t know Muth is out of the race and some of the pieces Bob efforts on the show this week. The race to me Baltimore has failed the Preakness as an event in regard to Bud Light nights 20 years ago in regard to crab Derby races which were brought up in the 80s Mayor Schaefer went to build vine and fade these and said, let’s get some enthusiasm for the race and Bill’s like, well have a great Abra me and Dave, he told the story on the air this week about how the crab Derby started that we that that, that we embrace it. And when I tell people that I’ve went to Louisville 25 years ago and the oaks, now they have Therby. And the Tuesdays at 502. They’ve turned it into a week long, like the Super Bowl like the NFL stretching out their schedule to the middle of May, they’ve made it something beyond Well, we get the Derby winner most of the time, and we run a little race. And so people come down and get hammered. And Joe boobies and we got rid of that run urinals, we got rid of all that. Now, what if what we brought in Bruno Mars running right now? That’s not what’s it gonna be moving forward? And what does it need to be? And I think she talked about this from the industry, this is a total horse nerd thing. But you know, when 30 years ago, Friday was a big day and all day Saturday for the pregnancy, the best horses in the world would come all of them. Now because of the two weeks, you might get the Derby winner, you might not but everybody else is saying I run my horse in two weeks. And he unless it’s gonna win the Triple Crown, and there’s only one horse, they can win the Triple Crown. And sometimes that horse doesn’t even come. I would just say this timing of this, of moving the race. I’ve talked about the free first things I taught for 20 years. Just keep the race I don’t give helping run the thing in March. Keep the race now. Okay, that’s good. Now, how do we fix the race because fixing the event of the week is about more than just moving the race, it’s going to move a lot of things. And to me, this thing is always needed to be embraced better, served better and supported better around it. With more brown stable barns and more parties and more concerts and more. We’ve got a Super Bowl weekend here, the third week of May or the first week of June, whenever they do it. Where are you on the timing of it? Because I wanted to set that out because I hadn’t heard anybody talk about that until dawn brought up like, hey, if they move this, the whole thing could be a bigger thing for everybody, including Baltimore, which is my biggest concern. Wow, can it be better for everybody here?

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27:03

They should move it and I’m an I am a traditionalist, and I’ve been one of those guys that say, Triple Crown is perfect. Don’t change it. I was wrong. Okay. It needs to it needs to be changed, because you need a better not only a better field for the Preakness. But if you move the race a couple of weeks, make it four weeks, not to the whole week. And the whole quality of racing that you’ll see would be so much better. All these really have the undercard, which we call the races leading up to the big race at Churchill Downs is so much better than the one that Pimlico but if you move the Preakness, you can get those horses, they’ll come and then if you can get New York to say, Okay, we’ll move ours a couple of weeks. And we’ll spread this thing out. And the way the horses are trained these days, they need that extra time. It’s just the way the breed is. And yeah, if you if you come up with this new date, whether it be Memorial Day weekend, maybe who knows. And you’re right, Baltimore needs to do a better job. As you you’ve been to the derby. The entire city is Derby crazy. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case with the Preakness. Like

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:19

it might have been that way. We were kids in 8084 8586. It was something I aspire to, which is where I began this conversation. It was something that was important to me as a kid even though I didn’t come from horse family at all. You

28:31

know, we stayed we stayed downtown. We stayed by the waterfront, you know when we do the Preakness. And is there like a huge buzz where everybody’s talking about it? No,

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:40

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I lived downtown for 19 years and I felt that but you know, when the pink thing caught on for a little while with the Black Eyed Susan, they did the pink party on Friday. I would on that Friday night see lots of people walk through the harbor pink and I thought well, this is coming a little bit and the Pathet that was 15 years ago, you know like we have done what we need to do which is take time out, get things fixed, get things organized, get the government get get where we need to be and this is the first year and I’m just thrilled that you could come home to this and hopefully call it good racing industry. I got to ask you this because we’ve been talking bucket list all week. I did this crazy thing chasing the Northern Lights, which is at the top of my bucket list didn’t get it long story writing a blog about it go read about it. I’m going to try to make it humorous even though it wasn’t funny flying to Spokane on a moment’s notice being up in the middle of night. But nothing happened but it’s funny now that it’s over with somebody to tell myself that one of my bucket list things and as a young sports fan I wrote down I want to go to Super Bowl i What I’ve done literally Larry my 25th anniversary just came out documentary is really nothing left that the Indy 500 was something I wanted to do. Wimbledon was something I really wanted to do. I get there again. But Saratoga was at the top. It’s probably Marty McGee’s fault and people that had been there and they you know, see the traverse or whatever I didn’t see the traverse or what maybe the week or two before and it was accidental. I I found myself in New York City with my wife hooting, the blowfish was playing its back that night, and they’re friends of mine and we had like a kiss off day. We kind of messed up a schedule. We rented a car to Newark airport and drove to Saratoga on two hours notice, got the fried chicken is the best fried chicken. No offense. Listen, I love rural farms. They’re my sponsor. I love you. You know, I love you, Larry. I would sell my soul for a drumstick right now. And I think about it, and I salivate and I think about it, but I went up there. And it was such a beautiful. I had friends that were there that day by chance. We take some pictures, but it was like this picnic in the park. That was just beautiful. It was a Saturday. And we went up there. We just rolled up there. And it was a bucket list thing. And I said, if we go shooting the blowfish mark will take care of it. And it’s two hours in the weight room is gonna get to Albany, certainly. Let’s go. We get the fried chicken. And we went. And two hours later, I’m there and I’m like, this is killer man. You know, like I haven’t been to Del Mar since 40 years. I mean, my aunt lived in San Diego. So I would make that drive. I try by now and I looked and I see the pictures and I’m like, I want to go to Del Mar. You know, and I haven’t been to Lexington but I’ve been to Gulfstream I’ve never been you know, Santa Anita, tell me from a bucket list. I’ve been to Churchill but I’ve been there since they made it whatever the hell it was on TV last year. You were wherever you were showing me look like the most unbelievable I said to my wife, we gotta go back, which is exactly what you want us to do. What else am I missing? Because Marty would tell me about Saratoga and I know you called races there and whatnot and it really was lovely. I’m thinking Del Mar is gonna be lovely when I get there.

31:36

It is so I think I’m the only announcer who has been the TRACK ANNOUNCER at both Saratoga and Del Mar. So that’s a that’s a unique thing. Chris pike

Nestor J. Aparicio  31:46

always told me you were special on all your Mount St. Joe guys you know

31:51

the two tracks are absolutely nothing alike. And they’re both awesome. I dream my whole career about getting the job and being the guy that calls it Saratoga. I got to do it for five years. It did not let me down I was it was amazing. I might not the people that run the place might not have been that good to me put them but Saratoga itself the town the track unbelievable the fans I saw I used to do my program changes in our to post and then I’d walk around walk around the ground say hi to people and there was just no place like it it’s

8

Nestor J. Aparicio  32:27

almost like you have a smile when you walk in because the place people feel the yard you know I mean they feel that way about Lambeau Field. You know what Disney World right i mean it is literally when you walk in you feel good about being there. And that was the thing first, I said to my wife. It’s like a postcard like the 60s or something. It’s fun. It was

32:46

fun. Whether there are two other tracks. I think that instant smiles in the US when you walk in that Saratoga Del Mar we mentioned and Keeneland will be the Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky. They only run in April they only run in October. It is paradise

Nestor J. Aparicio  33:03

our GC Marty McGee or I see Martin McKee I’m missing I’m gonna give him he’s gonna have to go eat chili dogs with me again Cincinnati because he had nobody sold me on Keeneland. So you’re selling me on key. That’s that’s the thing I need. Okay. Yeah. Well, I worked at the Dell every year. Yeah, no, I know. He, you know, he refused to come on this week, because he says he’s retired and he means and I said, I’m not bringing you on to handicap the race I’m bringing you on because you’re my friend, you know, and you tell me things about Caitlyn. And we get to tell old Clem stories and stuff. Gomes is here. He’s not here often enough. You do. You’re now convicted. I’m gonna bother you every year to come on the show. All right. Let’s do a race comes back to Baltimore until we have our own little Del Mar on the hill at old hilltop. And you and I can compare Charlie Ekman and Clem, Florida stories. Let me call them this is a good man called the racist for NBC 149th running, as we like to say he’s coming home this weekend. So for you and I look, I did this for Baffert the other day and he got all offended because you know, I helped Bobby’s right. I held this up. I said, Look, man, your horse trainer, right? Like, your hands are already dirty. Don’t give me excuses that you got to eat crab cakes. They’re delicious. When you come to Baltimore once a year, get the mallet out. It’s in season. Right? Right. Yep, printer straight to the mallet. Right. That

34:24

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brown paper out there and beat the crap out of them. Yeah, me you uh,

Nestor J. Aparicio  34:28

Chris Piku. could get some crabs over Constance. Like I call him as he is calling the rate. It’s great to have a name a columnist when you call the race, right? It’s perfect, right? Perfect. nickname. You don’t need a nickname. You’re the you’re the freakin TRACK ANNOUNCER for triple crown series. He’s the man he’s the columnist. He is Baltimore. He is West Side. Even though I’m East Side much like shorts and pica. We try to figure it out and get along. Have a great call on the race Saturday and welcome home. It’s good to have you back, Larry. My

34:51

pleasure. And let’s make this an annual event. Absolutely.

Nestor J. Aparicio  34:55

Every year I get to tell the story about how Pietro gave me sole proprietor JC boys, and I’m still at $294 I am Nestor we are wn st am 1570 Towson Baltimore it’s always the one that got away