The 1960s was a decade rife with stars. Kelso won Horse of the Year five times while Northern Dancer and Buckpasser were superstars on the racetrack and then in the breeding shed.
It was a good thing that before the results of the summer races at Saratoga Race Course executives with the Phillip Morris tobacco company decided to put up $250,000 to sponsor a race at Belmont Park.
On the Sunday morning of Oct. 26, 1986, Larry Bramlage was minding his own business in a Chicago hotel as he prepared for a lecture to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Bramlage was a Kansas native who received his DVM credentials at Kansas State University and his master’s degree from Ohio State University, where he was on the teaching faculty, as well as an equine veterinary surgeon of growing repute.
A nine-race card awaited fans at Del Mar that Labor Day afternoon, Sept. 4, 1967, as the venue navigated through the second half of its summer meet. Over the course of those contests, a total of 86 horses would engage in competition as thousands of people watched from the grandstand.
But of all the Thoroughbreds who appeared on track, one towered above everybody because of his popularity and the plethora of victories he had collected since debuting in September 1961.
When Tom Durkin walks down Broadway in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., it is almost as if he is stepping back in time. Fans often stop him to remind him of one of his legendary race calls and to express their appreciation for his extraordinary career.
Those conversations mean the world to Durkin.
“You’re walking down the street and somebody stops you and has something really nice to say to you about you,” said Durkin. “I don’t know that a lot of people go through this world experiencing something like that. It’s one of the great blessings of my life.”
