![]() | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(October 2020) |
Mark Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Skegness, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom | 7 February 1966
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | King Alfred's College, Winchester |
Known for | Horse racing announcer |
Partner | Katherine Heptonstall |
Parent(s) | Derek and Joy Johnson |
Mark Johnson (born 7 February 1966) is a British thoroughbred horse racing announcer in both the United States and United Kingdom.
Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Johnson attended King Alfred's College in Winchester, Hampshire and London College of Printing in Elephant and Castle, London receiving a bachelor's degree in television, film, and theatre studies, and a postgraduate diploma in radio journalism. His first race commentary was in 1986 at Tweseldown Racecourse in Fleet, Hampshire. In 1995, he called his first Classic, the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire, and as of May 2009, had announced eleven St. Legers, and five Epsom Derbies. He has also announced multiple Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National steeplechase races.
Following the unexpected death of announcer, Luke Kruytbosch, Johnson became the track announcer at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky in January 2009, calling his first Kentucky Derby later that year after being selected amongst five announcers who called different weeks in the 2008 Fall Meet. This made him the first announcer to have called The Epsom Derby and The Kentucky Derby. He also did paddock commentary with Jill Byrne at Churchill Downs. His tenure ended in the Fall Meet of 2013 in what Churchill described as an "amicable parting".
Johnson has covered fences 1/17 - 4/20 and fences 10/26 - Anchor Bridge crossing in the Grand National for ITV on terrestrial television from 2017. He's also covered the race for Racing UK (now Racing TV).
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1+1⁄8 miles (1,800 m) at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year. The winner gets $750,000 of the $1,250,000 purse, and a large garland blanket of lilies, resulting in the nickname "Lillies for the Fillies." A silver Kentucky Oaks Trophy is presented to the winner.
Steve Cauthen is a retired American jockey.
Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first Kentucky Derby, a Thoroughbred sweepstakes and part of today's horse racing Triple Crown, and the first Kentucky Oaks were held in the same year. Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned Breeders' Cup on nine occasions, most recently on November 2 and 3, 2018.
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles (16 km) south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), and Winter/Spring —and offers year-round simulcast wagering from tracks across the continent.
Charles David "Chic" Anderson was an American sportscaster and public address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing. He was one of American sports' most famous PA voices, and remains among its most revered race callers. Anderson's narration of the 1973 Belmont Stakes, where he described Secretariat as "moving like a tremendous machine", remains one of horse racing's most memorable calls.
Churchill Downs Incorporated is the parent company of Churchill Downs. The company has evolved from one racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, to a multi American-state-wide, publicly traded company with racetracks, casinos and an online wagering company among its portfolio of businesses.
Dave Johnson is an American announcer and sportscaster, best known for his work in horse racing with ABC and NBC Sports and at various race tracks in New York and New Jersey. He also called races in California. His signature line — "And down the stretch they come!" — is instantly recognizable throughout the sport, and is often imitated by comedians, notably David Letterman.
Lucas Martin "Luke" Kruytbosch was an American Thoroughbred horse racing announcer. He was best known as the on-track public-address voice of Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby from 1999 until his death. He also called races at Turf Paradise, Ellis Park Racecourse, Kentucky Downs, Hollywood Park, Sunland Park, Northlands Park and Ruidoso Downs during his career.
Acatenango (1982–2005) was a German Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by the Deutsches Derby winner and German Champion sire, Surumu, he was out of the English mare Aggravate. Acatenango's ancestry includes German Champion sire Dark Ronald, the French Champion sire, Tantieme, English Triple Crown champion Gainsborough, and the most influential Italian sire, Nearco.
Dr Devious was an Irish-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. In a career which lasted from May 1991 until November 1992, he ran fifteen times and won six races. He is most notable as the winner of the Derby in 1992. Dr Devious's other most significant wins came in the Dewhurst Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes. He was the second horse, after Bold Arrangement in 1986, to run in both the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby.
Scorpion is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a three-year-old in 2005 he won the Grand Prix de Paris and the St. Leger Stakes. In 2007 he won the Coronation Cup.
Red Rocks was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse.
Travis Stone is a public address announcer for thoroughbred horse racing at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, in which he has served since 2015. Originally from Schroon Lake, he graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta in Oneonta, New York.
The Kentucky Derby Trophy is a set of four trophies that are awarded to the winning connections of America's most famous race: the grade one $3,000,000 Kentucky Derby. The owner receives a gold trophy while the trainer, the jockey and the breeder win a silver half size replica of the main gold trophy. The trophy itself has been run for since the 50th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1924. Churchill Downs Race Course of Louisville, Kentucky has annually presented a gold trophy to the winning owner of the famed "Run for the Roses."
This is a listing of the top attended stakes races for thoroughbred racing in North America by year.
Mike Battaglia is an American horse racing analyst, race caller and television broadcaster. He is most closely associated with Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby and as the on-air talent for Keeneland Racecourse with Katie Gensler.
The 2017 Epsom Derby was the 238th annual running of the Derby horse race and took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 3 June 2017. It was televised on ITV for the first time since 1988. The race was worth £1.5million, an increase on the 2016 prize, and was sponsored by Investec. The race saw the biggest Derby upset for 43 years as Wings of Eagles won at odds of 40/1. His win was the seventh in the race for his owners and the sixth for his trainer Aidan O'Brien. By contrast, it was a first ride in the race for the winning jockey Padraig Beggy, a work-rider at O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable.
The 1972 Kentucky Derby was the 98th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 6, 1972, with 130,564 people in attendance.
Louisville Downs was a half-mile Standardbred harness race track located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It opened in 1966 and held over 3,400 days of harness racing until it was sold to Churchill Downs Inc. in 1991. Louisville Downs was built and managed by William H. King, a Louisville entrepreneur and promoter, who was the first to offer wagering by phone (“Call-a-Bet”) and full card simulcast wagering to television viewers. The track is now the site of Derby City Gaming, a historical racing parlor opened in 2018.
The 2020 Kentucky Derby was the 146th Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, September 5, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is one of the three legs of the American Triple Crown, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The Kentucky Derby was originally scheduled for the first Saturday of May, but the 2020 running was rescheduled to September 5, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. It was won by Authentic.