Tom Hammond: Hometown Hero

BloodHorse.com is sharing a portion of this story to provide a glimpse of the type of unique feature stories readers can expect each week with BloodHorse magazine.

Tom Hammond has always possessed an innate talent to be in the right place at the right time, a trait shared by most great journalists. Whether it was in his youth when he volunteered for any job that came open, or later when his positioning put him in the sweet spot to tell great stories, Hammond's gift has landed him in one more right place: He will be inducted this summer into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, just the third broadcaster to be so honored, alongside Jim McKay and Jack Whitaker. Film historian Joe Burnham will be inducted posthumously with Hammond.

It's been an unlikely road traveled by the Lexington native, who hosted 15 years worth of Triple Crown broadcasts on NBC and whose coverage of the Breeders' Cup goes back to the inaugural running in 1984.



Few of us traverse life's paths in a straight line, and in those meanders lie the adventures and fortuitous forks that allow us challenges and accomplishments.

"How improbable this whole thing is," Hammond, now in his early 70s, said from his beautiful Lexington-area home. "I never took a journalism course, and here I am going into the Hall of Fame with all these great journalists. It's mind-boggling, and it means even more because Joe Hirsch encouraged me early in my career when I was working for WVLK radio in the press box at Keeneland. He'd be working on his 'Derby Doings' column, and he encouraged me to get involved in horse racing."

Anyone growing up in Lexington gets exposed to the sport, but Hammond's attraction to racing was sealed when he attended his first Kentucky Derby, Northern Dancer's 1964 victory.

"I fell in love with him when he won the Blue Grass," said Hammond. "He was such a gritty little horse, and after he won the Preakness, I decided I had to see him go for the Triple Crown. They were running the Belmont Stakes at Aqueduct that year because of the rebuilding of Belmont Park, and I distinctly remember seeing (ABC legendary announcer) Chris Schenkel standing in the paddock with a program in his hand—but inside the program he had a script, and I was fascinated by that."

While Hammond wanted into the industry, he figured it would be as a farm manager or as an owner. He worked on the track as a hotwalker and groom for trainer Sherrill Ward three years, then for Tom Gentry, researching pedigrees. These weren't lucrative undertakings.

"My wife, Sheilagh, and I used to eat a lot of short ribs because they were so inexpensive," Hammond said, "and I found out Gentry's dog, Bozo, a St. Bernard, ate short ribs. I told Sheilagh our best meal of the month was what Gentry feeds his dog."

Hammond volunteered for his first job in radio reading race results on WVLK for $35 a week. He then volunteered again to do a nightly sports show, and again to do play-by-play of high school football and basketball games. Hammond eventually moved up to become news director and then program director at the Lexington radio station, and then secured the job of sports director at Channel 18, the Lexington NBC affiliate. While covering the Blue Grass Stakes in 1978, Hammond got wind that Keeneland president Ted Bassett would be driving Calumet Farm's elderly owner Lucille Markey to the rail so she could see her Alydar close-up.

"I was right there when Jorge Velasquez brought Alydar to the rail, and Mrs. Markey petted him," said Hammond. "Alydar dipped his head, and Velasquez said, 'He's bowing to you, my lady.' I'll never forget that.

"I went to New York to see that Belmont with Affirmed and Alydar; watched the race in the booth as my friend Chic Anderson was calling it, and to this day I vacillate whether that was the greatest race I ever saw, or whether it was Personal Ensign defeating Winning Colors in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)."

While still at Channel 18, Hammond was hired by auctioneer George Swinebroad to read pedigrees at the Keene­land sales. He spent a decade at the job, eventually working sales throughout the country, which allowed him the luxury of staying in his hometown.

"I was able to supplement my income without having to play the television game of continually trying to find bigger markets in which to work," said Hammond. "I was able to stay close to horse racing and the horses."



And that has proved fortuitous for both Hammond and the sport. There have been two Eclipse Awards and numerous Emmy Awards for the father of three, reward for his thorough knowledge of racing (and other sports) and the smooth, deep tone of his friendly voice that goes down like fine aged bourbon.

His continuous tie to Lexington has colored Hammond's life in a positive way. In 1980 he formed Hammond Productions, a video production company that began with a weekly show replaying big races and then branched out to videotaping yearlings on farms—video that was played at sales barns for potential buyers to see. Hammond, for so long a trusted voice in the community, is also a ubiquitous presence on Lexington TV and radio, serving as a spokesman for numerous products.

Hammond's big break in TV came at the inaugural Breeders' Cup at Hollywood Park. Hired as a minor player by NBC to patrol the backstretch and cover early-morning workouts, Hammond used his volunteer spirit once again to carry him forward. He pushed to do a story on Bill Allen, the owner of Wild Again who supplemented his longshot horse to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) for $360,000. While Allen explained why his horse had a shot in the race and stated he was betting on him to win, Wild Again, in the background, began nodding his head. Days later he won the Classic.

Hammond also suggested a feature story on John Henry, who was injured but on the grounds, and who could be named Horse of the Year, depending on the Classic's outcome. Hammond arranged for a TV set to be put in front of John Henry's stall so he could "watch" the race. While Hammond was doing his live remote, John Henry stuck his head out of the stall as if he really was watching. Then, as Hammond was holding a dozen roses that a fan had sent to the horse, John Henry began munching on them, making for an unforgettable TV moment.

In the right place again, Hammond, whose duties were done for the day, was standing near the winner's circle watching the Classic, which ended in a three-horse wingding of bumping that led to a long stewards' inquiry. Pat Day, after talking to the judges via telephone, saw Hammond, approached him, and gave him the whole story on air.

Michael Weisman, then executive producer of NBC Sports, called Hammond after the show. "I didn't know until this week we had a broadcaster on our hands," he said. And then he offered Hammond a job doing NFL broadcasts. And in an age of increasing specialization, Hammond carved out a career doing everything: the NBA, college basketball, the NFL, college football, track and field, figure skating, the Olympics, and, of course, horse racing.

"To be at a network—there were only three then—was the pinnacle," said Hammond. "And my background came in handy. It amazed me how many announcers didn't have the foundation; they couldn't do things like write a script. I had gotten a great education at Channel 18. It was the primitive days of television where you were a one-man sports department and you learned every facet of the business. That helped me in lots of ways."

When NBC secured the contract to televise the Triple Crown in 2001, Hammond landed his dream assignment...

If you're not already a BloodHorse magazine/tablet subscriber, now is the perfect time to sign up and give yourself a gift that keeps giving week after week. You can subscribe here.