Two friends of racing lost, sorely missed

Two good friends of mine and of horse racing, Luke Kruytbosch and Jim Beers, died recently.

They were opposites in personality but alike in their deep love of horse racing.

Kruytbosch was well known among racing fans. He was the track announcer for Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs and Turf Paradise. I met him before his first Kentucky Derby in 1999.

I worked that Derby in a dual capacity with ABC Sports. We were doing a feature on him, so I went up to the Churchill announcer’s booth to introduce myself. Kruytbosch greeted me warmly and, with his signature baritone voice, said “so you’re the guy who made me 8-1 for the job.”

Earlier that year, Churchill was seeking a replacement for longtime track announcer Mike Battaglia. I wrote an “Announcer Derby” column listing 10 race callers and wrote a morning line on each getting the Churchill job. Kruytbosch had read my column and remembered his odds.

John Asher of Churchill Downs told a funny story about Kruytbosch on Race Day Las Vegas. Churchill is always dark on the day after the Derby. So, how did Kruytbosch relax after working his first nerve-racking Kentucky Derby day in 1999? He drove 90 miles north to River Downs to bet the Sunday card.

Beers was well known in the race books of Las Vegas. He was a person you either liked or didn’t. There was no middle ground. He was a former horse trainer who, by his own admission, was a very good one.

For more than two decades, Beers worked in town on both sides of the race book counter, first as a supervisor and ticket writer and then as a horseplayer.

He was a terrific handicapper. I’ve never seen anyone turn $10 or $20 into hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars as often as he did.

Beers’ love of racing centered on the horse. He had the passion of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals when it came to equine safety, and his concern was sincere.

The high percentage of sand used in track surfaces outraged Beers. He sarcastically labeled most racing surfaces “sand dunes.”

Beneath his crusty exterior was a man with a heart of gold. If Beers liked you, he would do anything for you.

For years, Beers was my golfing partner every Tuesday. He also was known for his sizable girth, and I’m still not sure how he saw the ball, much less hit it.

I hope my two friends are together in Heavenly Downs, sharing cold brews and handicapping the Daily Racing Form. We sure miss them down here.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.