It's nice to see some fans on here are passionate about harness racing....yeah....sometimes we fight like family..... ...but we are a harness racing family...lets face it ...not too many people are fans of this sport..... people are people....and it is what it is..... We are human.....we have nice people....and we have mean people.....even in harness racing....I am glad to have found a forum with mostly nice people....it's a shame there must always be the ones who are jeaolous of the good guys.... and find fault in every little word....and want to start a fight all the time... Sulky will call them out....I dont care of it's a bully poster on these forums...or if its a driver who stiffs a horse....YOU will be called out.....and even the sulky needs a time out once in awhile.....
Anyway.......Vance Cameron the caller of the gold cup and saucer races is the BEST ! " BOOM !!!! just like that !!! "
Meet Vance Cameron, Track Announcer of Red Shores Racetracks
Vance Cameron has called the Gold Cup and Saucer Finals 17 times. We asked him to answer a few questions for APC readers.
Who won the first race you called and what year was it?
I’ll never forget it. I was only 19 and the youngest person to ever call this race. It was 1979 and there was a lot of mud. It really was a miserable night. Kaweco won in 2:02 with Island native Henry Smallwood in the bike.
What was your favourite call going into 2011?
Every Gold Cup and Saucer has been special for me.
Last year’s 2010 Gold Cup and Saucer with Part Shark and young Scott Zeron was pretty exciting. The tremendous early fractions had me thinking that the ultimate miracle mile of 1:49.4 was in reach. In the end, he would settle for the fastest race mile in Gold Cup history. Trainer Wayne Preszcator is an old friend from my London days and that added an extra touch to the race.
Earl Smith’s historical win with Pownal Bay Matt on a Sunday afternoon in 2008 was another special call. Rain washed out the track Saturday night so the show was postponed. I can remember saying it was the greatest Gold Cup and Saucer of all time, as only four lengths separated the field of nine rounding the final turn.
I can’t forget the Sand Olls Dexter runs for another. London friend Daryl Roberts and driver Mark MacDonald would show me great generosity during my cancer battle and I’m eternally grateful for that.
When watching replays, the Bill Robinson team gave me everlasting calls and to this day the back-to-back track records in the Cup Trials by Stout and Native Born are still a couple of my best calls of all time.
What does calling this race mean to you?
This year will put me alone in Gold Cup and Saucer calls – something I’m very proud of because now we have a worldwide audience and some 15,000 fans at the racetrack. Live racing alone cannot match this. The Gold Cup and Saucer colour and pageantry are second to none. This race can never be duplicated.
Which race callers preceding you, who called Gold Cup and Saucer Finals, come to mind?
Ed Watters and Kevin “Boomer” Gallant come to mind. The 50th Gold Cup and Saucer is a fond memory for me because I got to spend some time with my idol, former race announcer Ed Watters.
