Beem Hired as Tampa Announcer

Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 11:43 am

Updated: May 20, 2021 at 1:16 pm

Track Announcer Jason Beem will call the races through June until regular announcer Frank Mirahmadi returns. Beem attended the Opening Day Press Conference & Luncheon at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey on Tuesday May 7, 2019. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

Jason Beem, who has called races at numerous Thoroughbred tracks since 2006, has been hired as the announcer at Tampa Bay Downs. He will begin on June 30, the first day of the track's two-day Summer Festival of Racing.

The 41-year-old University of Washington graduate currently announces at Grants Pass Downs in Oregon and will begin his third season at Colonial Downs July 19. At Tampa Bay Downs, he replaces Richard Grunder, who retired on May 2 after 37 years and more than 37,000 races at the Oldsmar oval.

“I love the racing there and am excited to become a part of it,” said Beem. “From calling races at Colonial Downs and Monmouth Park, I got to know a lot of the horses and horsemen who compete at Tampa, and it really appeals to me as a fan. It's good, quality racing, the turf races are outstanding and it's a very horseplayer-friendly track.”