It is a track announcer’s worst nightmare, especially among the elite few who get the opportunity to call the sport’s biggest events.

Having a so-so call in a Triple Crown race brings out a flood of critics, as Tom Durkin, one of the best in the business, found out in the aftermath of a Kentucky Derby call that wasn’t his best. Calling the race on NBC, Durkin didn’t blow the call by any means, he was just a little late in picking up the winning move of Mine That Bird.

Dave Rodman, the world-class voice of the Maryland Jockey Club, empathizes with any announcer who gets caught in a difficult situation in a big race.  “When you call a race, there’s no re-wind button, there’s no edit button so everything you say can’t be taken back,” Rodman said prior to getting behind the mike for the Black Eyed Susan Card. “There’s always a chance you are going to miss something and of course that’s the announcer’s nightmare. “I’ve missed things in Preakness’s before that maybe I’ve noticed. It’s going to happen when you call thousands and thousands and thousands of races. Hopefully it doesn’t happen at 6:15 on Saturday in the 134th Preakness.”

You try figuring out who is who in a field of 19 horses that by that point are already soiled in mud. Add to that, the shock factor of the lightning bolt streaking towards the finish line being a horse that wasn’t on anyone’s radar. “The man has called thousands of races creating great memories and the perfect picture so many times,” Rodman said of Durkin. “It was a difficult day, with the move along the rail, the mud and the fact the jock was wearing black.”

Rodman said an announcer can only prepare to a point. He can memorize the horses, their colors and their racing style but when post time comes, he can’t get too forced or scripted.  “I don’t want to over-prepare for tomorrow,” Rodman said during our chat on the Pimlico roof. “It’s a 13-horse field and obviously I will be thinking about the filly (Rachel Alexandra) but I don’t want to script out the field too much ahead of time.”