Lucas Martin "Luke" Kruytbosch ( ; May 27, 1961 – July 14, 2008) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

announcer. He was best known as the on-track public-address voice of

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

and

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

from 1999 until his death. He also called races at

Turf Paradise Turf Paradise is a thoroughbred and quarter horse racetrack located at 19th Avenue and Bell Road, in the Deer Valley section of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States. It opened in 1956. It is owned and operated by local entrepreneur Jerry Simms. ...

Ellis Park Racecourse Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kent ...

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—its su ...

Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to: Places United States * Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California * Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois * Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and m ...

, Sunland Park, Northlands Park and Ruidoso Downs during his career. In 2007, Kruytbosch's call of the Derby was carried live on

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...

. Born in

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...

, Kruytbosch began announcing horse races on the Arizona County Fair circuit while attending the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

Race Track Industry Program. After college he began announcing both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing throughout the southwest. He called the world's richest Quarter Horse race, the

All American Futurity The All American Futurity is a race for two-year-old American Quarter Horse racehorses run at Ruidoso Downs Race Track in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico on Labor Day. It is the last leg of the AQHA Triple Crown that has only been won once, by Special Ef ...

at Ruidoso Downs, six times. In 1996 he was named track announcer at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

, then in 1999 he moved on to Churchill Downs in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. During the winter months, Kruytbosch returned to Arizona to call races at Turf Paradise. During Luke's high school years he was notorious for cutting classes at

McLean High School McLean High School is a public school in McLean, Virginia known for its academic achievement, student publications, and award-winning band program. It is at 1633 Davidson Road and is part of Fairfax County Public Schools. In its 2021 report on th ...

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...

especially on Fridays to attend the pony races at Charlestown Racetrack in West Virginia with several willing friends. It is here where he developed his love for horse racing. Luke was also and excellent offensive lineman on a winning team on junior varsity and varsity football teams at McLean. Kruytbosch did voice-over work on commercials, including a national ad for

Hertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

and also voiced-over racecalls on television shows including CBS's ''

Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

'' and '' The Sentinel''. After calling the day's races at Ellis Park on July 13, 2008, Kruytbosch reportedly told co-workers that he was not feeling well. The following day he was found dead in his

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

apartment after failing to show up for an Ellis Park event. The coroner's office indicated that Kruytbosch likely died of natural causes, possibly heart-related. About 400 guests attended a funeral service for Kruytbosch at Churchill Downs on July 21, 2008. Kruytbosch's remains were cremated, and his ashes were spread in the Churchill Downs winner's circle after the service. Kruytbosch is survived by his father, Carlos, his sister, Carla, and a brother-in-law.

References

1961 births 2008 deaths University of Arizona alumni American male voice actors American sports announcers American horse racing announcers American people of Dutch descent People from Moscow, Idaho {{US-horseracing-bio-stub