Bugler Brothers Announce Call to Post

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OCEANPORT – John and Joe Luckenbill share a bugler’s dream. They play the large post horn at Monmouth Park, dressed in a fitted red jacket and white pants. It’s a hose racing tradition and they both take pride in their work. John replaced Monmouth Park bugling legend Frank Hughes who retired after the 2013 season.
The Luckenbills, Shrewsbury natives, are Michigan State grads, a family legacy, and come from a music family. Their dad John is a music teacher in Long Branch and their late grandfather was the band director at Red Bank Regional.
John III, 26, is a music teacher in Ridgewood and visits his parents on weekends to attend to Monmouth Park bugler duties. His brother Joe, 23, a recent Michigan State grad with an advertising major stands in, literally, for John as needed. The call to post is played first outside the paddock area and then again as the horses enter the track.
The boys say playing the post horn is a lot like the trumpet that they both have played for years. “The post horn does not have valves,” they say, “so you create the sound without that help.” Luckenbill (John) served as Hughes backup for nine years before getting the call himself in 2014. He enjoys the work and says playing for his first Haskell Invitational last August was a treat.
“It was all scripted,” he says, “and I had to wait for cues from the TV. It was a great experience.” The brothers also get the “call” to play elsewhere for Monmouth Park as part of the track’s outreach program. They have bugled at fundraising events for groups like the Ronald McDonald House or been sent to restaurants to add flair to a big party.
Although they each have their own red jacket, they share the post horn and are pleased that it belonged to their mentor Hughes who worked Monmouth for decades and had thousands of calls to the post. “It is fitting,” Luckenbill says, “that Joe and I can both maintain the tradition and use the horn that itself is a legacy.”
Says John Heims, Monmouth Park’s Director of Public Relations, “They’re great at what they do as they continue a tradition that dates back nearly 200 years. It’s an honor to have them as part of the Monmouth Park team. They are certainly some of the facilities most recognizable faces.”