Tom Durkin book talk and signing

On Wednesday, June 3, renowned track announcer and broadcaster Tom Durkin will discuss his biography A Life’s Calling: The Voice Behind the World’s Greatest Horse Races, written by Durkin with Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, at 6 p.m. in the Hall of Fame. The event is free to attend.

In A Life’s Calling: The Voice Behind the World’s Greatest Horse Races, Durkin, alongside longtime racing writers Volponi and Shulman, shares his fascinating story. Readers will revel in his tales of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning horse racing among rickety grandstands and local hustlers, and of the day when he called the first Breeders’ Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant. Durkin also candidly recounts how the pressure to describe each race with flawless accuracy became too much, leading him to step away from the spotlight while still at his prime. Durkin will be available to sign copies following his talk (books will be available for purchase).