Listen for the Call To The Post played by the bugler as the horses for each race enter the racetrack. It is a tradition across the country and readies the crowd for the action just minutes away. Last year during the pandemic, Canterbury used an audio recording and it simply was not the same even though the recording was made by Canterbury’s longtime bugler Lynn Deichert. Absent was his smiling face and interaction with race fans.
“I missed the people, the families, the jockeys, the concessions workers,” Deichert said. “I missed everybody.”
Look to the winners’ circle to find the bugler, also known as Sir Leonard Deichert, dressed in the traditional red coat and black cap, carrying the long horn. He’s had this gig for 26 years.
When he first started at Canterbury, Deichert recalls that he “didn’t know very much about horse racing.” Today however, he is very much intrigued by the sport. “I grew to love horse racing,” he said. “I have found myself becoming more excited about the sport with each season here.” Deichert also says that he has tremendous respect for all of the jockeys and what they do and that he often says “a prayer for them when they go out onto the track.”
Bugling at the track is not the only job Deichert has. He utilizes his creative talents in everything he does. As the creator and owner of Lynn Deichert Music, he can assemble entertainers for any music you may desire. Need a bluegrass band? Call Deichert. In fact, you may also have seen him playing the trumpet in his jazz trio at the Park on special race days.
Last year, the few race fans that were allowed onsite missed out on the live Call To The Post. This season is it is beginning to feel like things are returning to normal. If last Sunday was any indication, it will be a fun-filled and fan-filled season of live racing and Lynn Deichert will be here savoring it all.
“What I learned over the past year is to be thankful every day,” Deichert said, “and to look forward.”
