Results tagged “Hollywood Park” from The Sports Desk

Sad news for veteran fans of Hollywood Park -- for fans of lots of racetracks all over America, actually. Luke Kruytbosch has died at age 46.

Kruytbosch (pronounced KRITE-boss), who called thoroughbred races at Hollywood Park in the 1990s and called the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs the past 10 years, was found dead Monday morning at the apartment in Evansville, Ky., that he rented during his summer gig at Ellis Park.

His death is believed to be heart-related. The Evansville Courier & Press reports Kruytbosch told friends at Ellis Park on Sunday that he wasn't feeling well.

Luke worked at Hollywood Park from 1996 to '99 before taking the job at Churchill Downs. I always thought of him as one of the top three or four announcers in the country. More important right now, he was as nice a guy as there was in the press box.

He didn't mind sharing how anxious he felt as he prepared to call his first Kentucky Derby in 1999. That race, won by Charismatic, had 19 horses. Luke had never called a race with more than 14.

"I just hope I can look past the emotion, rattle off names and call a solid race,'' he said the day before.

Which he did, not surprisingly.

Here's a profile of Luke that I wrote as he began his first Hollywood Park season in April 1996 ...

Of all the weeks for the most important elements of our horse-racing coverage to be missing from the paper: Kentucky Derby week, when more people than ever pay attention to racing.

The Hollywood Park result charts and consensus box were missing from Thursday's and Friday's Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group sports sections because of computer problems that hampered production of the papers both days.

As we've told the many readers who phoned to inquire or complain, the charts and full selections will return -- and we hope it'll be tomorrow.

Because so many other papers have reduced racing coverage, fans worry that we're cutting back. Which would hurt horseplayers who like to supplement their own handicapping with our experts' picks, and those who use the charts for research -- such as the reader who told me on the phone this morning how he compiles lists of the winners' pedigrees. Hey, I can relate, because in my days on the racing beat I was an avid consumer of the charts, pasting the local tracks' results in a spiral binder every day, marking them up with pens and highlighters.

We're not cutting back, just having a mechanical problem, and we thank you for understanding.

The sports world has a lot going on the rest of April. I've written down nine big events, leaving room for your suggestion to make it an even 10. My question is: Which event in the next couple of weeks are you really looking forward to?

The Masters (through Sunday): Tiger Woods goes for his fifth green jacket, batting arch-rival Somebody Else.

Ducks in NHL playoffs (round 1 continues Saturday): The champs have to dig deeper after Thursday's 4-0 loss to Dallas.

Lakers' stretch run (regular season ends Tuesday): They can finish anywhere from first to sixth in the conference.

Dodgers, Angels face San Diego, Seattle (this weekend): With Bay Area clubs weakened, these might be the rivals.

Final Kentucky Derby preps (Saturday): In Blue Grass, Pyro and Cool Coal Man try to scare Fla. Derby winner Big Brown.

Long Beach Grand Prix (April 20): It's the last go-round for Champ Cars before the circuit merges with the IRL.

Hollywood Park opens (April 23): The 70th anniversary meet for the Inglewood track whose future is in doubt.

NFL draft (April 26-27): An ESPN mock draft has the Raiders using No. 4 pick on Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden.

Champions League semifinals (April 22-23, 29-30): Chelsea vs. Liverpool and Barcelona-Man U. will set May 21 finalists.