![\"Tetsushi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bab3-1024x716.jpg\")
TETSUSHI BABA \/ Budapest \/\/ Early 1990s \/\/\/ Photo supplied<\/p>\nTHE KYOTO CROWD cheered when the gates opened for the 2005 Kikuka Sho, but the noise was a brief, nervous release from the tension of expectation. Deep Impact was the 1.0 favourite to win the Kikuka Sho and with it Japan\u2019s Triple Crown, and as the fans quietened and the 16 horses galloped on, race caller Tetsushi Baba knew what he said would be the soundtrack to history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBehold! Horsemen of the world, this is the masterpiece of modern Japanese racing!\u201d he declared three minutes later as the brilliant colt strode to victory with the crowd in full voice.<\/p>\n
Baba\u2019s words carried the moment across the airways into households the length and breadth of Japan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he was going to win,\u201d Baba tells Idol Horse of his iconic line. \u201cI had already prepared what I was going to say to look cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
DEEP IMPACT \/ G1 Kikuka Sho \/\/ 2005<\/p>\n
Baba turns 75 this year. He recalls that autumn nearly two decades ago with crystal clear detail as he sits in a coffee shop in the lobby of the Swissotel in Osaka. The people milling around on this busy weekday afternoon, seeking shelter from the summer swelter outside, do not know the seated man by sight, but many would know the voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For 36 years, Baba covered racing and sports for Kansai Television, bringing a respect for the sport that was displayed in his meticulous research.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI once asked the landscape department at Kyoto Racecourse how many swans were in the pond for a line like, \u2018Even the swans in the pond are paying attention,’\u201d he says. \u201cThey told me there were 163, so I used that line on another occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not that Baba ever thought he was the star of the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis applies to all sports, not just horse racing, but I don\u2019t think sports commentary is good if you don\u2019t respect the athletes. Therefore, the commentator should not stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baba grew up with a fondness for sports broadcasting from a very young age and has covered numerous sports besides horse racing for Kansai TV, a subsidiary of Fuji TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve loved sports since I was a child. I was born in 1950, so when I was a kid, the only sports being broadcast were baseball, sumo, and pro wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s, his heroes were Tochinishiki of sumo, Masaichi Kaneda, and Jun Hakoda of the Kokutetsu Swallows in baseball. When Baba\u2019s sports-mad father returned from the war, he formed a baseball team with his seven sons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad was very good, and my eldest brother was even scouted by a professional baseball team. Although my dad was an amateur, there was no one who could beat him in the Tama area near Tokyo,\u201d Baba said.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t on the diamond that Baba believes the seeds were planted for his future vocation, though, but through his father\u2019s unconventional lullabies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I went to bed, my father would do a baseball commentary for me, saying things like, \u2018Pitcher Otomo has thrown the ball!\u2019 and I would supposedly fall asleep happily listening to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first time Baba encountered horse racing was in high school, when he was absorbed in soccer and even considered becoming a professional. However, he soon became engrossed in horse racing instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI started watching horse racing on Fuji TV\u2019s black-and-white broadcast in high school,\u201d Baba recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was intrigued, but when he saw it first hand at the 1969 Arima Kinen in all of its explosive glory, he was transfixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeed Symboli won in a one-on-one duel with Akane Tenryu. I saw an amazing race right in front of me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
SPEED SYMBOLI \/ Arima Kinen \/\/ 1969<\/p>\n
Now he was obsessed. The day after the 1970 Tokyo Yushun, he woke up at dawn and went alone to watch a thoroughbred auction in Chiba.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFamous trainers like Tokichi Ogata were lined up, eating their gorgeous bento boxes, and I was eating a roll I bought in front of the station all by myself. There weren\u2019t any other students like that. I just took pictures.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the first half of Baba\u2019s university life, there were no lectures due to the lingering effects of the 1960s student protests, and he took on part-time work such as truck driving and delivering groceries at a U.S. military camp, where he also picked up English.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His first step into racing media came not through broadcasting but by producing pedigree catalogues with Toru Shirai, a senior from Waseda University who ran the Thoroughbred Pedigree Center in Shinjuku. Together, they launched the inaugural issue of Keiba Shikihou (Horse Racing Quarterly), and when Shirai discovered a chart Baba had created of sire results and prize money, it was developed into Shuboba-roku (Record of Sires), which later evolved into Keiba Nenkan (Horse Racing Almanac).<\/p>\n
The horse Takeshiba O\u2019s overseas start in the United States provided another turning point for Baba. Like many Japanese racing fans, he listened intently on a shortwave radio, and his racing obsession went to another level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would even buy betting tickets at the Korakuen off-track betting facility, even though I wasn\u2019t supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cAt that time, there was an announcer named Iwao Kosaka from Radio Tanpa (now Radio NIKKEI) who said, \u2018Good morning, everyone in Japan. This is Laurel Racecourse in the United States. The Japanese horse Takeshiba O is finally\u2026\u2019 It was so cool, I got shivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Takeshiba O, a colt by China Rock, competed in the Washington D.C. International twice, in 1968 and 1969. Although he finished last both times, Kosaka\u2019s commentary left a powerful impression on Baba.<\/p>\n
\u201cListening to Kosaka\u2019s call, I thought, \u2018Horse racing calling is great,’\u201d he says. \u201cAt the same time, when I watched Fuji TV, my senior Kiyoshi Sugimoto started calling in 1969. I would always record all of Sugimoto\u2019s calls on a small open-reel tape recorder every week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once he decided to become an announcer, Baba moved quickly. His first clue was in the phone book.<\/p>\n
\u201cI happened to find the name of a man named Hiromasa Kobayashi from Radio Tanpa in the phone book, so I called him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe invited me to his house, gave me papers with outlines of racing colors to fill in, and I would write them myself and go to the racecourse to practice calling from the front row of the second-floor seats.\u201d<\/p>\n
While in college, Baba spent two consecutive summers working at Shadai Farm in Hokkaido, gaining hands-on experience with horses through arduous 4 a.m. starts and even assisting veterinarians with pregnancy checks, a task that left future JRA officials surprised he had once performed.<\/p>\n
It was here at the farm that Baba struck upon a realisation that would later change the fundamental way racing was described by commentators. As the \u201cgrandpas and grandmas\u201d he worked with listened to Radio Tanpa while raising bedding, he noticed that not every horse in a race was mentioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe workers would be cheering hard, saying things like, \u2018So-and-so who was here before is running at the back today.\u2019 Hearing that made me think, \u2018I have to mention every single horse.’\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI developed the belief that a commentator must call out every horse, even if they are at the very back or in last place. At that time, Fuji TV would only mention 5 or 6 horses. It was less about being a fan and more about the feelings of the breeders.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1974, Baba joined Kansai TV as an announcer. However, he was not limited to horse racing as he had hoped and had to cover other sports as well. He recalls that the period when he was in charge of professional baseball\u2014there were four teams in Kansai at the time\u2014and F1 and Alpine skiing, which were broadcast live from overseas every year, was busy but a \u201cvaluable experience\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been overseas for horse racing. But I had valuable experiences in places like Switzerland and Slovenia for F1 and skiing. However, when you\u2019re in Kansai, Kyoto and Nara are cities of a thousand years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
TETSUSHI BABA \/ Budapest \/\/ Early 1990s \/\/\/ Photo supplied<\/p>\n
Baba\u2019s signature style is to skillfully weave seasonal descriptions, haiku, tanka, and sometimes literary works like the poetry of William Wordsworth into his meticulous commentary. He says this comes from being close to ancient Japanese cities like Kyoto and Nara, as well as the influence of his senior, Kiyoshi Sugimoto.<\/p>\n
\u201cSugimoto-san also has his own unique beat and rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would speak in a low voice that felt like it was creeping along the ground. When the race starts, his tension goes through the roof, but then he inserts rather affected words. He called that \u2018anko\u2018 (a filling).<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cBut he would tell me, \u2018Baba, it\u2019s not good to put in too much anko.\u2019 I thought that was cool, but I couldn\u2019t do it the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baba, who became an announcer under Sugimoto\u2019s tutelage, says he often imitated Sugimoto\u2019s commentary at first. However, a director pointed this out, which became a turning point for him to establish his own unique commentary style.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, on top of the unique coolness of sports commentary, I added the four seasons,\u201d he explains. \u201cSince I was in Kyoto, and there were races like the Oka Sho and Kikuka Sho, I decided to study about cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums, flowers of the origin of the race names, and I started studying those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so cool, I thought if I could incorporate even a little of something like Ki no Tsurayuki\u2019s poem, \u2018The winds that strew the cherry trees \/ a remnant of their passing \/ bring waves to a sky without water,\u2019 into my call.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Baba emphasized was the importance of the seven-five rhythm, a metrical pattern unique to the Japanese language. He explained that this rhythm is not only used in haiku and tanka but is also found in popular songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another one of Baba\u2019s particularities was the precision of his expressions related to weather and atmospheric conditions. He said that during his active years, he would carry not only classical tanka poetry collections but also a dictionary of meteorological terms for reference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study of weather is interesting. It also depends on the weather on the day of the race, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, I would say things that might be a little affected, like, \u2018The start is made through the steady spring rain,\u2019 or \u2018From a forget-me-not coloured sky.\u2019\u201c<\/p>\n
The preparation of the words he wove into his commentary was not limited to classical literature and meteorological terms. Baba recalls that interaction with jockeys was also a crucial element.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes, he would ask jockeys such as Yutaka Take and Hirofumi Shiii about their impressions, sounds, and atmosphere during the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d ask things like, \u2018What does it feel like when you start?\u2019. Then, Shii told me, \u2018Baba san, sit on a chair, and I\u2019ll pull it all of a sudden. That\u2019s what the shock of the start feels like.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baba then said he had another memorable race and began to talk about the 1989 Mile Championship, where Katsumi Minai on Oguri Cap and Yutaka Take on Bamboo Memory fought a fierce battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked Yutaka, \u2018How do you feel about the next race?\u2019 and he said, \u2018Well, I have a tactic. \u2018 He wouldn\u2019t tell me what it was, so I went to Minai and said, \u2018Hey, Yutaka said he has a tactic.\u2019 And Minai said, \u2018I don\u2019t have any tactic. But I\u2019m sure Yutaka\u2019s thought of all sorts of things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the fourth corner, Take\u2019s secret tactic was revealed; Bamboo Memory suddenly made a big move on the outside, then Minai came up from the inside and stretched out again.<\/p>\n
Baba said he can never forget the tears of Minai, who, after winning the historic fierce battle, said in an interview, \u201cI felt like I lost again today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding the skills and strategies of the legendary jockey Yutaka Take, who pushed Minai to a nose length, Baba recalled a comment made before the 2006 Kikuka Sho, where Meisho Samson was going for the Triple Crown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYutaka also led that race with a horse named Admire Main. When I asked him before the race, \u2018Can you tell me your tactic?\u2019 he said, \u2018Baba san, I\u2019ll go the first 1,000 meters in 1:01, the 2,000 meters in 2:02, and the 3,000 meters in 3:03. If I can\u2019t win with that, then so be it.’\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Admire Main maintained its lead, pulling away from the rest of the field until the fourth corner, but was passed by Song of Wind, who came up on the far outside, and finished third.<\/p>\n
Baba spoke warmly about interactions with jockeys from the past, but described Take\u2019s father, Kunihiko, as \u201cstill the person I like most in the world of horse racing,\u201d and the 1977 Takarazuka Kinen, which was won by the \u201cHeavenly Horse\u201d Tosho Boy in a wire-to-wire victory as one of his most memorable races.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really liked Kuni-chan, he was so cool. He was tall, too. When Kuni-chan won the Takarazuka Kinen, he ran perfect laps of 12.5, 12.1, and 12.5 seconds, and just held on for the win. Both father and son have a beautiful pace.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when Meisho Tabaru ran in the Takarazuka Kinen this year, I was hoping someone would mention it, but no one did; it was too old. The next day, I called Mamoru (Ishibashi) and said, \u2018It reminded me of Tosho Boy.’\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for his impression of recent horse racing, Baba\u2019s lively tone when talking about the famous horses of yesteryear took on a slightly somber note.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStayers are completely ignored now. I liked horses like Indiana, Take Hope, Bell Wide, and the Mejiros. It\u2019s a bit disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Tetsushi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Baba44-1024x720.jpg\")
TETSUSHI BABA, KAORU HACHIYA \/ Mejiro Farm \/\/ Late 1980s \/\/\/ Photo supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think thoroughbreds have reached their limit. They\u2019re probably over-specced. So even horses like Kizuna have amazing acceleration, but those kinds of horses with a great burst of speed are scary.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThat acceleration can also become their fragility. It\u2019s a double-edged sword, so I think that while the Japanese racecourses have certainly gotten better if they\u2019re going to break 1:30 for a mile, I think it\u2019s past the thoroughbred\u2019s limit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baba emphasized the importance of accuracy and speed in race commentary, using the 1999 Shuka Sho as an example.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAccuracy. You must not make a mistake, no matter what.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNext, you have to call the horse\u2019s and jockey\u2019s movements as quickly as possible. Because if you look at the third corner, you can pretty much tell who\u2019s going to win, so at the fourth corner, I mention all the names of the horses that look like they\u2019re coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo even if it\u2019s Buzen Candle or Clockwork, I always keep them in my sight. I\u2019m thinking in my head, \u2018Clockwork is coming from the far outside.\u2019 I need to be able to say the names even when 5 or 6 horses finish with a head-head or neck length.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not bragging,\u201d he added, \u201cbut in the 2002 Kikuka Sho, where No Reason fell, other networks were more than a second slower than me in calling out the horse\u2019s name.\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the moment of truth for an announcer.\u201d \u220e<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
Making Memories For Fans: Racecaller Nao Yamamoto\u2019s Passion<\/p>\n