Father-son duo Craig and Sheldon Peters of Waterfall will once again be the men behind the microphone at this year’s Vodacom Durban July to be held at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, 2 July.
With thanks to Anthony Grote / Gameplan Media
Veteran commentator Craig Peters began calling races back in 1977 in Bloemfontein after spending years watching horseracing in Gauteng.
“I would always go with my parents to watch the races when I was younger. Those were the days when kids weren’t allowed into the course, so I had to sit alongside the track and watch all the action” said Craig, describing where his love of commentating developed.
Craig, known as “Eagle Eye” within the racing community due to his nack for picking out the winner well before a race has finished, inspired his son Sheldon to follow in his footsteps.
“I grew up wanting to be a jockey, but I grew too quick,” laughed Sheldon. Instead the youngster spent much of his childhood watching and listening to his father.
The Peters family would often sit around the dinner table where Craig and Sheldon would take turns commentating. Craig insists that it is not something that can be taught, but practise is essential for success in the industry.
“I spent three years practising into a tape before I was able to call my first live race,” said Sheldon, who won first prize in an amateur commentating competition when he was 17 years old.
A world first
Craig and Sheldon are the first ever father and son team in the world to call a Grade 1 race at the same time and venue, a feat they accomplished at the 2005 Vodacom Durban July.
The pair’s fondest racing memory was when they couldn’t make a decision on the winner of the 2008 Vodacom Durban July, which was an eventual dead heat between Dancer’s Daughter and Pocket Power.
Craig and Sheldon have just begun their preparations for calling the 12 races set for the Vodacom Durban July. “We study the race card and memorise the horses, jockeys’ names and silks, and work from there,” said Sheldon.
As casual horseracing gamblers, they choose never to bet on the Vodacom Durban July, as they find selecting the winner too much pressure.
The 115th running of the Vodacom Durban July takes place at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, 2 July. For more information, visit www.vodacom.co.za/vodacomdurbanjuly