I must admit, I know the name, but I don’t remember seeing Peter Bromley on TV.
I guess that’s why he was known as the ‘Voice of Horse Racing’ for over 40 years. His career on BBC Radio endured four decades, and he was one of the most recognised broadcasters in the United Kingdom.
Born on 30th April 1929 in Heswall, Wirral.
He was educated at Cheltenham College, a public school, and later at Sandhurst, a military academy and the British Army’s initial officer training centre. Their motto is ‘Serve to Lead’, and their stated aim is ‘the national centre of excellence for leadership’. Alumni include William, Prince of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; and Prince Edward, Duke of York—alongside royalty from across the world and a long list of notable figures from all walks of life.
Bromley’s life was as varied as they come. He served as a lieutenant in the 14th/20th King’s Hussars, won the Bisley Cup for rifle shooting, and almost made it to the 1952 Summer Olympics as part of the Modern Pentathlon team.
He clearly had ambition and talent for horse riding, pistol shooting, and was an all-round sportsman.
He rode as an amateur jockey and became assistant trainer to Frank Pullen. However, he retired after fracturing his skull in an accident involving a horse and a lorry.
At the age of 26, in March 1955, Bromley made his first commentary at Plumpton with the perfect line about one of the horses: “Atom Bomb has fallen!”
Within four years, he had commentated at every British racecourse except Cartmel.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the first Aintree Grand National was televised in 1960, when Merryman II won in style.
Bromley had a brief spell in 1958 commentating on horse racing with ITV, then moved to the BBC.
His big break came a year later when he started working for BBC Radio, making his first commentary at Newmarket on 13th May 1959. By December of that same year, he was appointed as the BBC’s first horse racing correspondent—officially, the first specialist sports reporter. In fact, he became the BBC’s main commentator following the retirement of Raymond Glendenning.
He continued to do occasional TV race commentary until around 1970.
Readers of a certain age may remember the very popular Daily Racing Bulletin (1964), which was initiated by Bromley on BBC Radio. Typically broadcast in the mornings, it detailed all the horse racing news, results, previews, insights, betting markets, tips, and occasional interviews. Previously, horse racing coverage had been limited to major events and often played second fiddle to football and cricket. This programme helped grow the racing audience and raised Bromley’s profile within the media. Interestingly, The Daily Racing Bulletin ran for over 40 years, airing on various stations including Radio 2, Radio 5, and Five Live. Sadly, the show was cancelled in 2007.
Peter Bromley was the voice of radio racing and, alongside TV racing correspondents such as Sir Peter O’Sullevan, called some of the most famous races of his generation, including:
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1973 – Red Rum vs Crisp (“Red Rum wins it, Crisp second and the rest don’t matter…”)
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1981 – Aldaniti and Bob Champion winning the Grand National
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1981 – Shergar wins the Epsom Derby, ridden by Walter Swinburn for Sir Michael Stoute (“It’s Shergar… and you’ll need a telescope to see the rest.”)
A consummate professional, he intended to retire at the age of 70 but continued commentating when he realised he was close to calling his 200th Classic race.
Fittingly, his final broadcast was the 2001 Epsom Derby, with Galileo’s victory—trained by Aidan O’Brien for owners Magnier and Tabor. It spoke volumes of his passion that he ultimately called 202 Classics.
Peter Bromley retired after a 40-year career.
Sadly, less than a year after retiring, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He passed away on 3rd June 2003, aged 74.