Travis Stone has a way with words, especially at a horse race.
Stone, a 2005 graduate of the State University College at Oneonta, is a finalist in the search for a race announcer at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. He and four others will be guest callers during the track's Fall Meet.
``It's exciting,'' Stone said Wednesday afternoon. The opportunity is part of his lifelong dream of calling ``the big races,'' he said.
The Fall Meet starts Sunday, Oct. 26, and Stone will call races from Nov. 5 to 9. The guest announcers are among applicants seeking the job of the late Luke Kruytbosch, the ``voice of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby since 1999,'' according to a media release from the race course.
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Kruytbosch died July 14 at age 47 from an apparent heart attack.
"Luke Kruytbosch has a legacy which will forever be unmatched, and having the opportunity to potentially follow his tenure is a tremendous honor,'' Stone said in a media release.
Stone, 24, has been the track announcer for Harrah's Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., since 2006 _ his first job behind the microphone at a racetrack. He is the youngest among the Churchill Downs guest announcers, the rest of whom range in age from 39 to 42.
Stone said he spent time during childhood with his father at the Saratoga Race Course and knew from then on that he wanted to call horse races. At his website, www.racecalling.com, Stone said many people, including his parents, felt his interest in calling horse races was a fad and that he would eventually find himself a "legitimate career."
But Stone was determined to maintain his goal.
Stone said he chose to attend SUCO for its communications program. By accident, he took the interpersonal instead of the communication arts track, he said, but ``the mistake'' was to his benefit because he gained knowledge about social development, representing corporations and other skills.
Stone said his overall experience at SUCO helped him prepare for a competitive world. As a graduate of Schroon Lake Central School with about a dozen other students, he said, attending SUCO was an eye-opening experience based just on its enrollment of more than 5,000 students.
Stone said Maggie Barnes, director of community affairs at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta and a teacher of public relations at SUCO, was helpful in conveying the importance of corporate image and presentation.
``She was great,'' he said.
Barnes said Stone was an enthusiastic and engaged student with a great sense of humor. He applied his passion for horse races to create a career, which was a niche in the communications field, she said.
``We kept asking him, what's your backup plan?''' she said.
But his focus and drive resulted in an impressive career opportunity, she said.
``I'm so pleased for him,'' Barnes said Wednesday. "I'm thrilled for him.''
Stone, who said he admired the work of callers Tom Durkin and Dave Johnson, has made guest appearances at Suffolk Downs, Monmouth Park and Churchill Downs. He also attended the Missouri Auction School. During college years, he spent summers at Saratoga writing for The Saratoga Special.
Churchill Downs received about two dozen applications, said Jim Gates, general manager of Churchill Downs, in a media release, and a good chance exists that the next announcer will be chosen from among the guest callers.
"Our worldwide search for a successor to the late Luke Kruytbosch as only the sixth voice in the history of Churchill Downs has been diligent and far-reaching," Gates said. "Each of these five individuals is greatly respected, and they are considered to be some of the top announcers anywhere in the world. They've generously agreed to assist us through this difficult situation, and we truly appreciate their cooperation and the support of their respective employers, including Magna Entertainment Corp. and Harrah's Louisiana Downs.''
The previous track announcers were Gene Schmidt from 1940 to 1960, Chic Anderson through 1977, Mike Battaglia from 1978 to 1996 and Kurt Becker for two years.
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