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Tampa Bay’s Veteran Announcer Richard Grunder Retires After 37 Years

For the past 37 years, announcer Richard Grunder's enthusiasm for horse racing has left an enduring impact on countless visitors to Tampa Bay Downs.

“There is no one on the planet who is more passionate about horse racing. Period,” said Pete Aiello, the announcer for Gulfstream Park. “Nobody eats, sleeps and breathes horse racing more than he does.”

Jockey Scott Stevens, the recipient of the 2019 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and Grunder's long-time friend, suggests fans listen to Grunder with their eyes closed to better appreciate his descriptive style of race-calling.

“It's like he is painting a picture. He'll tell you a horse is 3 lengths behind and full of run, or a horse is boxed in with nowhere to go,” Stevens said from his home in Phoenix. “You can visualize how the race is setting up just listening to his call, and I think that is what makes a great announcer. And he brings a lot of excitement to every race, whether it's a cheap claiming race or a graded stakes.”

Sadly, for two generations of Oldsmar oval fans and simulcast bettors who have grown accustomed to Grunder's trademark stretch call “. … in the clear and strictly the one to catch,” the 68-year-old Dodge City, Kan., product is hanging up his binoculars after the May 2 card at Tampa Bay Downs.

Citing health concerns, Grunder has chosen to retire from announcing after a lifetime spent in the sport. He is believed to have called in the vicinity of 37,000 races at Tampa Bay Downs and is currently the longest-tenured announcer at any racetrack in the country.

“My goal a few years back was to try to go until I was 70, but I've got a medical situation I need to stay on top of and some related stress issues that led me to realize it's time,” Grunder said. “I was in the hospital a few weeks ago on a Wednesday and barely got out in time to call the first race, and I don't get up those stairs to the press box as fast as I used to.

“I am going to miss the camaraderie and the people, especially the three stewards who work next door to my booth. It's been a great environment to work in. But I have no regrets at all. My father (the late Dean Grunder, a railroad worker and owner-trainer in Nebraska and New Mexico) told me once I would be a really rich man if I was able to go to a job I liked every day.

“By that account, I'm a millionaire many times over.”

Grunder will remain active in the sport, working as a jockey's agent at Canterbury Park in Minnesota this spring and summer for Alonso Quinonez and Israel Hernandez. He plans to travel extensively with his wife of 48 years, Diana, visit other racetracks and spend more time with son Chad and his wife Erica, who live in El Dorado, Kan.

“I love to fish, and we're 100 miles from Lake Okeechobee. I've never been a bass fisherman, but that's something I plan to get into,” Grunder said. “And I'm looking forward to returning to Oaklawn Park. I haven't been there since I worked rubbing horses for (trainer) Red Payne in 1974.”

Grunder has contacted his close friends, Tampa Bay Downs trainers Bernell Rhone and David Van Winkle, about returning to a favorite summer haunt in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada, where they rent a cabin without electricity, fish for walleye and escape from civilization. Their trip last year was cancelled because of COVID-19.

“We try not to talk horses, but once in a while it comes back to that,” Rhone said. “We'll rib each other, but we've got each other's back. I've been at Richard and Diana's house for Thanksgiving, and they've come over to eat with my family. I know if I ever need help, he'll be there for me, just like I will be for him.”

Grunder's departure will leave a void that will be difficult to fill. He has documented most of the major moments in the history of the track, which had a reputation as a sleepy backwater until current owner Stella F. Thayer gained control at the start of the 1986-1987 meeting and instituted a series of gradual, fan-friendly changes, starting with the introduction of Sunday racing that season and hitting a high note with the debut of the acclaimed turf course on May 2, 1998.

“Tampa Bay Downs has been incredibly fortunate that Richard has spent most of his career with us – an amazing 37 years,” Thayer said. “His voice and his style embody his enthusiasm and love for Thoroughbred racing.

“We will never forget his contributions. Fortunately, his voice will live on through his calls of Tampa's signature races. We are grateful for his many wonderful years at Tampa Bay Downs and wish him the best.”

The thrilling 2007 edition of the Tampa Bay Derby, in which Street Sense and Calvin Borel edged Any Given Saturday and John Velazquez by a nose, stands foremost among Grunder's Oldsmar memories. “When they hit the wire together, I said 'Too close to call, it might have been Street Sense.' Then I said to myself, 'Whoa,' because it was like this,” he recalled, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Fortunately, I got it right.”

Other unforgettable races included the dramatic come-from-behind victory by the Woody Stephens-trained Cefis in the 1988 Tampa Bay Derby and Tepin's victory in the 2016 Hillsborough Stakes, in which she gobbled up an 18-length deficit on the backstretch to defeat pace-setter Isabella Sings in the Grade II turf event.

“Tepin was so far back, I was worried for a moment she might have broken down,” Grunder said. “(Julien) Leparoux rode her with so much confidence. At the quarter pole she still looked hopelessly beaten, and she came on so fast he turned down his stick before they hit the wire. She was a special, special horse.”

Grunder lived to help fans enjoy the sport as much as he does. He was the emcee for the track's “Morning Glory Club,” which invited race-goers to enjoy coffee and donuts on winter Saturday mornings and listen to Grunder interview jockeys, trainers and track officials. His guests over the years included Carl Nafzger, Ken McPeek, Kent Desormeaux, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez and Michael Trombetta, as well as handicapper and author Steve Crist.

Preaching the gospel of racing came naturally to Grunder, who got his first job at a racetrack 60 years ago at the now-defunct La Mesa Park in Raton, N.M., as a photo-finish runner – the guy who would post the developed photographs of a tight finish under glass for spectators to observe.

“People would be shouting 'Here comes photo boy,' and I felt like I was King Tut. I got paid $3 a day, and sometimes people would ask what they did with the old photos after the next race. I said 'They like to file them, but they're for sale for 50 cents,' and that became one of my side gigs,” he said, laughing.

More valuable, though, was the chance to hang around racing officials and the track announcer, absorbing their insights into all the behind-the-scenes workings at a racetrack. “I'd go home at night and run around our living room re-creating races out of the monthly chart books. I couldn't get enough,” he said.

From his first announcing job in 1973 at age 20 at recently-shuttered Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to the present, Grunder has worked at numerous racetracks (see timeline below story). He is quick to credit Diana for her patience and understanding in enabling him to pursue his dream.

“She is the trooper of all troopers. I was rubbing horses at Oaklawn Park when we got married, and we had a two-day honeymoon in Denver before I went to West Virginia to work at Waterford Park (now Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort) while she worked at a soda fountain back home in Dodge City.

“We did a lot of moving in those days. We figured it out and one time we lived in six different apartments in 12 months,” he said.

His years as a jockeys' agent helped him develop a keen appreciation for the skills and courage of the athletes on horseback. “I've gotten aggravated with them just like everybody does,” Grunder said. “But they are unbelievable athletes who have to prove it every day. Football and basketball players sign multi-million dollar contracts, but when it comes to getting paid, jockeys are only as good as what they did last week.”

Stevens, who is recuperating from injuries suffered on Feb. 24 in an accident at Turf Paradise, says jockeys appreciate the depth of knowledge Grunder brings to his calls. “He knows every part of that backside, from the racing office to the trainers to the exercise riders. That kind of understanding is a big thing to bringing new fans in,” Stevens said.

The stories of Grunder's generosity are many. In 2010 at Canterbury, he organized fund-raising efforts to assist Stevens and two other jockeys injured in a multi-horse spill. On New Year's Eve in 2005, he turned the microphone over for one race to an aspiring young announcer whose previous experience consisted of calling races on the Arizona county fair circuit.

“I think about him giving me that shot all the time,” said Aiello. “You make so many connections in this business, but only time will tell how many people Richard has touched over the course of his career.”

Grunder's voice became so recognizable that when Sega Corporation was looking for someone to perform voiceovers for its Derby Owners Club horse racing simulation arcade game in 2010, it hired him to travel to Tokyo for a week to assist in the production.

“It was a lot of fun and an amazing experience. After a couple of days, I thought to myself 'I'm not in Kansas anymore,' ” he said. “They needed me to voice about 150 phrases, and they must have had me do 'And they're off' about 35 or 40 times.

“A few years later, I was driving to Canterbury after Tampa's season had ended, and I saw a bunch of people playing the game at a truck stop in Des Moines. I told a woman sitting there, 'Hey, that's me. I'm the announcer.' She looked at me like I was from outer space and said 'Get out of here. I'm playing this game.' ”

Moving forward, the good news for Grunder is that racing always needs new fans looking in from the outside. It is a major adjustment, but one he is confident he can handle with the cherished support of his family, racetrack friends and the thousands of fans who have welcomed him into their homes.

“He has been such a good ambassador for racing, promoting Tampa Bay Downs and encouraging people to come to the races. Now he wants to slow down and spend more time with his family,” Rhone said.

“I think he will be a little bit lost next year, but he'll be fine because he is so upbeat and great with people. Richard can talk to older folks, little kids and people who know nothing about racing, and find something in common.”

Regardless of where his path is next directed, Richard Grunder – his voice, his kindness, his encyclopedic knowledge of horse racing – will be remembered for a long time.

RICHARD GRUNDER'S JOBS IN HORSE RACING THROUGH THE YEARS

Aug. 4, 1973—Called his first race at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1974—Racing office, backup race-caller, Waterford Park, W.V.

1974—Announcer, Marquis Downs and Regina Exhibition Park (Sept.-Oct.)

1974-77—Placing judge, backup race-caller, Delta Downs, La.

1975—Announcer, Assiniboia Downs, Winnipeg, Manitoba

1976—79—Announcer, Marquis Downs and Regina Exhibition Park (May-Oct.)

1977-84—Announcer, assistant racing secretary, Portland Meadows, Ore.

1980-82—Announcer, Assiniboia Downs (summer)

1983—Racing office, backup race-caller, Ak-Sar-Ben, Neb.

1984—Announcer, Arapahoe Park, Colo.

1984—present—Announcer, Tampa Bay Downs

1990—Announcer, Canterbury Park, Minn.

1991-92—Announcer, Ak-Sar-Ben

1993—Announcer, Prairie Meadows, Iowa

1996-97—Announcer, Ag Park, Nebraska State Fair, Atokad Park, Neb.

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Imbriale Grateful For ‘Extra Special’ Opportunity To Call First Wood Memorial

Six decades working around Aqueduct Racetrack will give anyone a profusion of memories and knowledge of the sport. But when the call to post sounds for the 97th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on Saturday, it will mark something different for long-time New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) employee John Imbriale.

From the time he started working at NYRA in November 1979, Imbriale has handled multiple responsibilities, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, and as a familiar voice as the backup announcer.

His perseverance led to his appointment as the circuit's full-time race-caller and announcer in January 2020, and another milestone will be reached as Imbriale will call his first Wood Memorial; a 1 1/8-mile prep race for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the “Run for the Roses” to the top-four finishers.

Imbriale worked as NYRA's Director of Television Production before replacing Larry Collmus as the full-time announcer last January. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down racing, with the Wood Memorial not being contested for the first time since the race's inaugural running in 1925.

When racing in New York resumed in June, Imbriale got to check off a litany of career firsts: calling his first Belmont Stakes, and American Classic overall, with Tiz the Law's victory in the Belmont Stakes, as well as the New York-bred's victory in the first Travers he called during the Saratoga Race Course summer meet.

After being on the mic for the signature races at Belmont Park and Saratoga, the 66-year-old Imbriale will finally get to call the most well-known race at the track he considers home, and fittingly the Ozone Park-based track will offer up another special moment for a graduate of the Queens-based St. John's University.

“It does make it extra special because I've called more races at Aqueduct than any place else,” Imbriale said. “It just has to do with age and being around forever; I called a lot of races when we ran on the [now defunct] inner track. Now, moving to the Wood Memorial, it's good to add that to the resume and I just hope everything turns out OK.”

The chance to call a Wood Memorial was a long-time coming from a man who paid a lot of dues from the time he won a 1979 New York Daily News contest which gave him the opportunity to call a race and work with the NYRA press office. In 1990, Imbriale became Tom Durkin's backup and has since been part of NYRA's race-calling team at all three tracks.

Imbriale's patience paid off with the opportunity to narrate some historic moments, with the reality of 2020 leading to some unique circumstances, such as his first Belmont Stakes assignment being a 1 1/8 one-turn mile instead of the traditional 1 1/2-mile test. The Belmont also served as the first leg of the Triple Crown series instead of its customary closing race on the trail.

Imbriale has been present for many seminal racing moments, but his knowledge extends even further to his time as a fan, reaching back to the 1973 Wood when Secretariat was outkicked by Angle Light and Sham before going on to craft arguably the most dominant Triple Crown run in the sport's history.

“I never thought I'd call an American Classic, let alone around one turn, two turns or three turns,” Imbriale said with a laugh. “But I always got a kick of looking at the video of the 1973 Wood when Secretariat lost. I think seeing that race and knowing how he turned out, it makes you think that anything is possible. You can't go by one race. A lot of us go back to our roots and I love going through the old videos when I worked in TV production.”

That unpredictability has Imbriale excited for this year's edition of the Wood, which has seen 11 of its winners go on to the capture the Kentucky Derby [with Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 being the last do so].

“The Wood has a tremendous history,” Imbriale said. “The Derby has opened up a little this year, so maybe there's more excitement and possibilities from horses who come from anywhere to use it as a springboard to good things. When they've only run a few times, you don't know which way it'll go.

“I think what you root for in a big race like that is either you get a stretch run like in the Gotham [when Weyburn edged Crowded Trade by a nose on March 6], which doesn't happen too often, or you hope that someone steps up. They're so lightly raced, you don't know who is going to take that next step. To me, the unknown and the anticipation for the Wood makes it so fun.”

The nine-furlong Wood will provide a two-turn test for Triple Crown trail-hopefuls in what is a traditional harbinger for seeing if a 3-year-old can compete at the highest level of his division. Imbriale said two-turns can also be beneficial for the ones calling the action.

“Announcers like two-turn races because it starts right in front of you,” he said. “With the Belmont last year going a mile and an eighth, you're on an angle a little bit and you don't want to miss anything with the break. Here, there's no excuse; the break is right in front. It allows things to play out when it's a mile and an eighth. If you get a horse who is off slow, there's time to recover. You see who is getting position into the first turn after the break and then they settle on the backstretch. Then, you see who makes the move out of the [far] turn, and we have a few closers in the potential field. It looks like a pretty good mix of 3-year-olds that we'll have.”

The Kentucky Derby aspect makes the stakes higher with greater attention paid to what is said on the microphone, and the fact those races will have the endings replayed often in the lead-up to the “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs. Imbriale said the same fundamentals as with any race come in to play, but announcers tend to be mindful that certain races will naturally get the adrenaline flowing.

“You try to make sure your basic stuff is covered, making sure you pick up a horse if he makes a move, just the stuff you do in a normal race,” he said. “But in the back of your mind, you know that the horse who wins the Wood is going to be talked about going into the Derby, and you know your call is going to get played more often than in other races. You try to take care of basic business but with your excitement level, it's just natural that it's going to be higher.”

Imbriale will realize one of his career's biggest dreams in calling the Wood, marking another milestone in a journey that featured working with Harvey Pack on the popular “Inside Racing” program. He also will add his name to a prestigious list of race callers who have called Wood Memorials, with the list of legendary announcers including Collmus, Tom Durkin, Marshall Cassidy, Chic Anderson, Dave Johnson and Fred Caposella.

“It popped into my mind every now and then, but first Marshall Cassidy was here, then Tom Durkin, then Larry Collmus, so my opportunity came late,” Imbriale said. “I had the privilege to watch all of them work and learn from them. Once you get to a certain age, the thought that you are going to get a chance to do this really diminishes. But, it worked out.

“I knew I was the backup announcer and I always thought I was really lucky to be calling as many races as I was primarily here at Aqueduct and a little at Belmont and just a little Saratoga,” he continued. “But it was still calling races in New York, and to me, New York is still the place to be when it comes to year-round racing.”

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‘Rising Star’ Chris Griffin Named New Track Announcer At Parx

Chris Griffin has been named as the new voice of Parx Racing. Following the retirement of venerable announcer Keith Jones in December, Parx launched an extensive search for their next track announcer.

“Keith was here for thirty-four years,” said Joe Wilson, Chief Operating Officer for Parx Racing. “This was a new process for all of us. Chris is a rising star in our industry with a tremendous work ethic. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Parx family.”

“This is my opportunity to enter a booth that saw a legend like Keith Jones call for so many years,” Griffin commented. “I am grateful to the management at Parx for this incredible opportunity. Being able to call two million dollar races as well as several other graded races is very exciting.”

A native of Santa Monica, California, Griffin got his start as an announcer for the National Hot Rod Association. After four years of traveling the country, Chris expanded his travels internationally as the full time announcer for the Harlem Globetrotters.

While at a tour stop in Little Rock, Arkansas, Griffin's talent captured the attention of veteran race caller Frank Mirahmadi, who was calling the races at Oaklawn Park. Mirahmadi mentored Griffin and helped secure him his first full time racing job at the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale in 2015. He ended up calling races at the various California fair meets, Portland Meadows, Los Alamitos and Gulfstream Park West. In the fall of 2018 Griffin was named the track announcer at Sam Houston while pulling double duty as Marketing Manager.

“I appreciated my time at Sam Houston Race Park, as well as the Northern California Fairs, and other racetracks who have treated me so well.” Griffin reflected. “However, the relocation to a new region is something I am ready for. I am very excited to move to the East Coast and become the full time announcer at Parx.”

Parx Racing runs Monday thru Wednesday first with first post at 12:55pm

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‘Your Guess As Good As Mine’: Announcer McNerney Gets Creative During Snowstorm At Turfway

Visibility became an issue during a snowstorm Saturday evening at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Track announcer Jimmy McNerney was unable to see the horses rounding the far turn in the fourth race due to the snow, and got a little bit creative with his race call.

“They continue to race around the turn, and your guess as good as mine with about a quarter mile to go,” McNerney said on the live feed. “Up top it's somebody who just leads somebody there in second, and a couple lengths back somebody is coming after a quarter in 1:13 and four. They run to the top of the stretch, it's absolutely wide open!”

Watch the race from far turn through the stretch run here:

McNerney laughed about the call when reached by phone on Monday, saying he'd received a lot of positive feedback from racing participants and fans.

“You just try to pick them out, relay what you see, and when you can't see you just don't want dead air,” said McNerney. “I've always had some things in my head, especially if it was football or baseball season or something, but obviously there's nothing going on right now because of COVID, so that's just what came out!”

McNerney is also a jockey's agent, representing Turfway-based riders DeShawn Parker and Rafael Hernandez.

Saturday's race reminded McNerney of a similar issue with visibility at Turfway under retired track announcer Mike Battaglia. On Jan. 22, 2012, a dense fog covered the backstretch of the track, and Battaglia used the time to make up an advertisement for the track's gift shop.

Watch Battaglia's call here:

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