(LEX 18) — If you're watching the Kentucky Derby from home this year, you'll hear a familiar voice.
This will mark the thirteenth year for Larry Collmus on NBC. His love for racing began at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium about 13 miles north of Baltimore.
"The first one that I ever called was 2011, Animal Kingdom. He came roaring down the middle of the track, and I was able to say that in the call," Collmus said. "The nerves were out of control leading up to the race, but once the Derby was over, it was like 'wow, this was such an experience,' and I wouldn't trade it with anyone."
It's an experience Collmus has lived over and over for a dozen years. Rain or shine, there's one illustrious voice that captivates the chilling moments.
He calls Rich Strike's win last year unbelievable.
"I was just in a state of shock, and I remember when it came down to the wire, and to this day, I can't believe it," Collmus said.
Collmus learned most of what he knows from his father.
"My father installed the sound system at the Maryland State Fair. Basically, I would sit by the announcer's booth and learn everything about the game, and my job was to turn the sound up and down if it was too low or too high," Collmus said.
As the voice of the triple crown, Collmus has never lost track of his roots, the Maryland State Fair in Timonium.
"It was just a love at first sight," he said.
That love at first sight is synonymous with the sounds on the first Saturday in May.
"When you hear 'My Old Kentucky Home,' you're like 'oh boy, here we go, here we go, it's moments away,'" Collmus said. "I would take off my headset, throw it down, and just study the horses and ignore 'My Old Kentucky Home,' and then after a few years, it's like okay I can do it now and I can enjoy it."
Collmus has seen the most iconic tracks around the world. But there's just something about Kentucky.
"The characters at the track. It felt like I fit right in," he said.
Now, the voice just fits.
"You get through it somehow, but at the same time, it is nerve-wracking," Collmus said. "When the outrider starts bringing the horses to the starting gate, the palms get sweaty, your heartbeat is going a mile a minute, you're like okay, you've done this before, you'll be okay."
He's done it before, and this year, he'll do it again.
