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Nicho Meredith prepares to call the next race at the Aiken Trials. The Englishman announced racing events Saturday.
Michael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle
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AIKEN - Across the sea of fast-talking oddsmakers and beer-chugging race fans at Saturday's Aiken Trials, there was a singular voice that smoothly guided the crowd from one event to the next.
His name is Nicho Meredith, a native of England who is fluent in six languages and is able to announce horsing events in 13.
He stuck with English on Saturday and spoke authoritatively, which might have surprised some listeners given the level of chaos involved with actually narrating a six-event horse race.
Though the names of horses, riders, owners and trainers were written down, it was up to Mr. Meredith to spot them from tens of yards away and tell their story as they stampeded toward the finish line.
"Thank God there aren't 50 horses in the race," he said.
Mr. Meredith, who is actually more accustomed to announcing horse shows than racing, made an art out of the process. He used binoculars to spy on the horses and their jockeys as they warmed up in the paddock. He quickly drew pictures of each jockey's racing silks for easy recognition once the race started and repeated the names of horses before they broke from the starting gate.
"Blotto, Blotto, Blotto," he repeated.
He also used word association to help with recognition. Take Blotto, for example. It's slang for drunk or tipsy.
"That's what I'm going to get tonight," he joked.
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Tara Lee Shellhouse chats with Rick Scott (left) and Steve Hale while they wait for the start of the next race. Saturday marked the start of the Aiken Triple Crown.
Michael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle
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Another horse was named Caught in the Zip. To that, Mr. Meredith quipped, "It makes my eyes water just thinking of it."
But it was strictly business during the races. Though those around him imbibed, and even offered him a nip, Mr. Meredith declined.
And his routine didn't change. As one race ended, Mr. Meredith would confer with official timekeepers for first-, second- and third-place finishers and the winning time.
He'd read them off, talk the crowd through the awards presentation and, if he was lucky, take time for a quick smoke break before doing it all over again.
His audience at the 63rd running of the event was arguably the largest, organizers said, and was estimated to have surpassed the 10,000 mark.
Longtime horse fan Woody Millen worked alongside Mr. Meredith at the officials' building and orchestrated the awards ceremonies.
"It's great that we've got owners and trainers who are willing to put out horses to show the people what it's all about," he said.
As for Mr. Meredith, he's not going far. He's announcing the second leg of Aiken's Triple Crown, the Aiken Steeplechase, on Saturday.
Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com
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