Last year I visited Ellis Park Racetrack, a small track near Henderson, Kentucky. Before each race a little man stood by the winning post and played that tune from Seabiscuit on his bugle. You know the one: da-da-da-daa-da-da, daa-da-da-da, daa-da-da-daa.
My question is actually twofold: do all racetracks feature a little man (or woman) like this - rather than a recording - and does that tune have a name?
AFAIK the bugle call is always played live. It is known as the “Call to the Post” but I don’t know that it has any other name.
Thanks. I must say it added a dash of colour to proceedings. Actually, now I come to think of it, the bugler played a different ditty before one or two of the races.
If it’s the tune I’m thinking of, it’s played as a recording at New Zealand racetracks. Something traditional, I guess.
I think some tracks might have a recorded call to the post, but I’ve never seen one. In Kentucky, we tend to be traditional about such things, to the point that Keeneland didn’t have a track announcer until the very late 90’s.
Not trying to pick on you or anything, but this cracked me up. I’ve heard that bugle call so often and enjoyed watching so many races in my life since a very young age, that seeing it refered to as “that tune from Seabiscuit” is nothing less than surreal.
Well, I was being a bit facetious, so I’m glad you picked it up. It’s like when my daughter was really into Westlife (an Irish band that plays covers) and I told her that “I Have a Dream” was first played by another group, Abba. She resolutely refused to believe me. Abba must have borrowed it from Westlife coz she heard them sing it first.
According to this site, it’s a military bugle call dating to the Civil War, also known as “First Call” or the “Assembly of the Buglers”.