Phil Georgeff, Chicago horse racing legend, dead at 85

Phil Georgeff, the legendary voice of horse racing in Illinois, died Monday. He was 85.

Georgeff, whose signature phrase was "Here they come spinning out of the turn," called more than 96,000 races on the Chicago circuit over a career that spanned from 1959 to 1992.

"Phil had a very energetic and unique voice and style, which separated him from the rest," said Howard Sudberry, senior director of marketing and communications at Arlington International race track. "He could make an exciting race even more exciting. I loved hearing 'here they come spinning out of the turn' and remember they used his voice for the M&Ms races on the scoreboard at Bulls games for many years after he retired.

"But I also remember him for being a real gentleman - one of the nicest people you could ever meet."

Born Jan. 1, 1931, Georgeff was a graduate of Austin High School and Northwestern University. As a teenager, he worked as an unlicensed exercise boy at Sportsman Park and later became a publicity intern there in 1953, according to a report by Daily Herald handicapper Joe Kristufek and Scott McMannis.

Georgeff began calling races in 1959 at age 27 at Washington Park. He was the voice of Arlington Park for many years, starting in 1960 and concluding in 1992, and also called races at Sportsman's Park, Balmoral, Maywood Park and Hawthorne Racecourse, where he made his last call on Dec. 31, 1992.

He called the first Arlington Million in 1981, with John Henry nosing out The Bart at the wire. Although now overshadowed by the rise of the Breeder's Cup races, the Arlington Million was the first thoroughbred race to offer a $1 million purse.

"At first I thought, like everyone else, that The Bart had won it," Georgeff said in a Daily Herald interview. "In my thousands of race calls I always give the outside closing horse a nose advantage to make up for watching the finish with your natural eye, and I did that in my mind. So I did think John Henry won it … after the race.

"Following the race, the fella in the booth with me at NBC talked to his people and told them 'Phil thinks it might be John Henry.' They said, 'Tell Phil to mind his own business.' NBC went ahead and flashed The Bart as the winner. And then for maybe 5 seconds they flashed him as the official winner. They never apologized afterward when they had to change the results."

Georgeff also was on the call when a Triple Crown winner, Secretariat, came to Arlington for a match race, the 1973 Arlington Invitational.

"The race was designed not to test him but rather to showcase his talent, Georgeff said. "But getting him to come here was a tremendous coup for Arlington. I was privileged to call that race."

Secretariat cruised to a comfortable lead on the far turn, expanded it down the stretch, and more than 41,000 fans roared as he rolled to an easy 9-length win, just 1/5th a second off the track record.

Georgeff is survived by his wife, Roberta "Bobbi" Georgeff, in Fairhope, Alabama, and a son, Scott.