The horse racing T-shirt as seen on Amazon. (Amazon screen grab)
The horse racing broadcaster whose signature catchphrase “And down the stretch they come!” has been a staple of his 40-year career is reportedly suing Amazon for selling a T-shirt that uses the quote.
TMZ reported Tuesday that Dave Johnson is not happy with the tech giant and that the “tacky, low quality, over-priced” item is tarnishing his good name. Johnson is the voice behind some of the biggest races in the sport, including the Kentucky Derby, which will stage its 145th running this Saturday.
Listen to Johnson make his signature call during the 2006 Derby in this video (forward to 2:00 mark).
The shirt shows up on Amazon.com under the category “awesome horse racing shirts” and features a silhouette of a jockey on a horse above Johnson’s catchphrase. The shirt is available in a variety of colors, priced at $19.99, and billed as a “cool design for any horse racing fan to wear at the horse track” in the product description.
According to TMZ, Johnson owns the trademark for the phrase and he’s seeking to stop Amazon from selling the shirt, and he wants remaining shirts recalled and destroyed. The celebrity news site also said Johnson wants any profits Amazon has made off the product and additional damages.
GeekWire reached out to Amazon for comment and we’ll update this post when we hear back.