Frank Mirahmadi
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Smiles, hugs and handshakes--especially the smiles--were the currency Thursday for opening day, the annual lovefest at Saratoga Race Course. While the New York Racing Association (NYRA) served up 10 races on the first of the 40 days of the 155th season at the Spa, the crowd of 29,102 celebrated the past, greeting old friends, as well as the present at the historic track. With a line of thunderstorms approaching from the west on a hot, humid and windy afternoon, NYRA sped up post times and was...
The Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards concluded this afternoon during an awards ceremony at Keeneland Racecourse's Sales Pavilion. Winners were announced in a total of seven categories with a total of $122,000 awarded. Frank Mirahmadi, track announcer at Santa Anita and Saratoga Racecourse, served as the master of ceremonies. The full list of winners and runners-up is as follows: Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA Winner: Johnathan Estrada, Groom, David Donk (Runners-up: Charles Churchill, Ed Brown Society and 1/ST Racing Intern, Stronach Group; Maddie Rowland, Apprentice Jockey Monmouth Park, Elizabeth Merryman nominator)...
Parx track announcer Chris Griffin has been named the new track announcer at Monmouth Park starting with the 2023 meet that gets underway in May. Griffin, the back-up announcer at Monmouth Park since 2020, will replace Frank Mirahmadi, who is taking over as the track announcer at Saratoga next summer after eight years at Monmouth Park. Mirahmadi is also the track announcer at Santa Anita. The 41-year-old Griffin was also recently named the track announcer for the Aqueduct winter meet that runs from January through April. "We're pleased to have...
Another record was set Saturday at Kentucky Downs when $21,065,982 was wagered on the 12-race card. Perhaps even more impressively, Kentucky Downs out-handled Del Mar, where $19,423,928 was bet. Del Mar ran 11 races on Saturday. That a wagering record was set was hardly a surprise considering that the card at Kentucky Downs was also the best ever offered at the sport's most unique racetrack. There were six graded stakes on the card and five of them were worth $1 million. The average field size was 11, the type of...
While retaining announcing duties at Belmont Park, John Imbriale will retire as the full-time announcer at the New York Racing Association at the end of 2022, the organization announced Sunday. Frank Mirahmadi will take over the race calling duties at Saratoga Race Course and Chris Griffin will become the primary track announcer at Aqueduct Racetrack beginning in 2023. Imbriale's 43-year tenure with NYRA dates to 1979 when he won a New York Daily News contest, which gave him the opportunity to call a race and work with the NYRA press...
Santa Anita Park's inaugural "Folds of Honor" Charity Poker Tournament, held Saturday night following the races in the track's Player's Lounge, raised more than $50,000 to help provide scholarships to spouses and children of disabled or fallen American military veterans. A large contingent of Santa Anita fans, jockeys, agents, owners, trainers, employees and other racing industry personalities participated to make the event a success. "We were very gratified with the turnout and the support we were able to provide to Folds of Honor," said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and...
NYRA track announcer John Imbriale received a positive COVID-19 test result after experiencing mild symptoms following the conclusion of the Saratoga meeting, according to NYRA's Senior Director of Communications Patrick McKenna. "As a result of the mandatory 10-day isolation period, Imbriale will miss the opening weekend of the fall meet and is scheduled to return Thursday, Sept. 23," McKenna said. "In his absence, Frank Mirahmadi will handle the race calling duties Thursday, Sept. 16. Chris Griffin, who was named the lead race caller at Parx in March, will call Friday-Sunday....
Chris Griffin will call the races for the remainder of the Monmouth Park meeting as regular announcer Frank Mirahmadi returns to California Sept. 12 to call the upcoming Santa Anita meeting. The Monmouth meet concludes Sept. 27 and will be followed by a nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet in October. Griffin, 39, most recently served as the track announcer at Sam Houston Race Park. "It's a huge opportunity. I'm excited," said Griffin. "I'm looking forward to getting back into the booth and calling races. This has been a strange year, as everyone...