Announcing!
Track announcer Michael Wrona is taking his signature “Racing!” call to Grants Pass Downs in Oregon when the track will run its inaugural 14-day race meet from Sept. 22-Nov. 4.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Grants Pass Downs.
Wrona is considered one of the world’s most popular race-callers, and has worked at more than a dozen tracks, most recently at the completed meet at Kentucky Downs.
“I was invited to call a few races at Grants Pass Downs in July and was made to feel very welcome by all levels of this quality organization,” said Wrona. “I’m excited to help launch a new era in Oregon racing as Grants Pass Downs acquires the license previously held by Portland Meadows.”
Wrona started calling races in his native Australia at age 17 before coming to the United States in 1990 to take over as Hollywood Park’s track announcer.
Since then, the on-the-move Wrona has called races around the country, including Santa Anita, Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and the Sonoma County Fair in California. He’s also called races at Arlington Park; Retama Park and Lone Star Park in Texas; the Fair Grounds; Turf Paradise in Phoenix and Arizona Downs in Prescott.
“We’re thrilled to welcome one of the best announcers in the sport to Grants Pass to help us kick off a new era of racing in Oregon,” said Travis Boersma, president of TMB Racing, Grants Pass Downs’ parent organization. “Michael is the perfect fit for this moment, and his unique calling style and raw enthusiasm for racing will only mirror the excitement we’re seeing from the Grants Pass community heading into the fall meet.”
Races will be held every Sunday and Monday through Nov. 4, with eight races scheduled per day and post times set for 1 p.m. PT
Website: https://gpdowns.com/