Bugle boys
Quartet’s ‘First Call’ trumpets start of Hambletonian
These are the men who are instrumental in trumpeting the Hambletonian, the crown jewel of harness racing, that was held yesterday at the Meadowlands.
They call themselves The All-Star Buglers, a trumpet ensemble that performs the traditional “First Call” prior to each race as the horses step out onto the track. The group has performed over 220 times in 23 states and Canada since 1997.
“I got hired as the official NYRA bugler in 1987,” director Mark O’Keeffe said. “I stayed there through 1992 and then began a career as a free lance/guest bugler at race tracks all over North America. In 1997, while employed at Delaware Park, I perfected the concept of multiple buglers in race track attire performing at major horse racing events such as The Breeders’ Cup, The Belmont Stakes and the Hambletonian.”
Asked why he loves it so much, O’Keeffe said: “Every 15 minutes presents a new challenge, a new opportunity to perform, a new race. As a musician, first and foremost, any time there is an opportunity to earn a living doing something you love and do well, you should take it.”
The coolest thing about his job at the Meadowlands?
“Getting paid to perform music before thousands of live patrons and millions more in simulcastland,” O’Keeffe said.
Amazin’ contest helps high schools
Baseball fans will have a chance to give back to NYC high schools and score a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have dinner in the SNY suite, prior to the start of the Mets-Nationals game, on Sept. 12 with the network’s popular Mets broadcast team — featuring former Mets greats Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen. The auction winners will also appear on TV in a segment of SNY’s Emmy Award-winning “Mets Weekly” show. Winners will be allowed to bring one guest with them. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the four high school basketball teams scheduled to play in the 2013 SNY Invitational, New York’s premier high school basketball event. Fans can log on to http://www.sny.tv/charityauction to bid on the auction. The winners will receive suite tickets and a parking pass to the game, have their photo taken with Hernandez, Darling and Cohen, and receive gift bags containing SNY merchandise, including a baseball autographed by Hernandez, Darling and Cohen.
Johan gets first-hand look at Ground Zero
Johan Santana used the All-Star break to visit Ground Zero with his family.
“My kids were talking about 9/11 in school and they wanted to go see it,” Santana said. “This was my first time, too. I had driven by the site a couple of times, but until you get to actually go down there, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
Santana and his family also got to see a rebuilt firehouse next to the site that was damaged during the attacks.
“While I was there, it was just hard to imagine that so many people died in such a short time,” Santana said. “Being there made me especially glad what my foundation is doing this year.”
The Johan Santana foundation has donated $10,000 to Tuesday’s Children, which assists more than 3,000 kids who lost a parent on 9/11.
“It’s been over a decade,” Santana said. “But so many people need help and I’m glad we are doing our small part.”
Stadium run for cancer research
Over the past three years, 10,000 runners have run more than 31,000 miles inside Yankee Stadium in the Damon Runyon 5K Run/Walk for Cancer Research to raise a combined $1.4 million for cancer research. On Aug. 12, former Yankees Ron Blomberg and Mickey Rivers will serve as the race’s official starters when another 4,000 cancer survivors, supporters and Yankees fans run the fourth annual event while the Bombers are away in Toronto. For more information, visit http://www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium.