Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Those who commentate on sporting events of all kinds know their words carry huge responsibility.

The legend of the commentator’s curse means they risk being held to blame for seismic events if they were foreshadowed by a careless phrase.

Lavish praise for a player is almost guaranteed to produce an immediate howler and it turns out that might be the case for horses too.

Early in the race at Gulfstream Park, the announcer mentioned that one of the runners, Fallen Leaf, was prone to unexpected outbursts.

However she appeared to have the race sewn up with seconds left so he felt safe enough to say: “Fallen Leaf is sharp in victory. No antics of any kind.”

Watch from 50 seconds to see the inevitable end to the race.

Oh dear.

“And there we go with the antics,” the commentator could only add despairingly, as Fallen Leaf attempted to to jump the rail before throwing her jockey to the ground a few feet from the finish line.

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