Track ( Horseracing

Position: Track Public Address Announcer ( Horse racing )
Reporting to the Director of Broadcasting, this position’s primary responsibility is to be the voice of Standard bred racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park.  Accountabilities include: delivering the race call of each and every race on a racing card, delivering pertinent and appropriate racing and wagering information required for racing fans on-site and watching our simulcast, hosting of industry events as required, handicapping and analysis of races for the purposes of providing wagering opinions to customers, interviewing subjects as required and participating in feature production where needed.

This position also acts as an additional host on our simulcast broadcast, working with the existing hosts to handicap and provide nightly commentary on our racing cards. This position may be asked to back-fill as a race-caller on our thoroughbred side from time to time if applicable.
KEY

ACCOUNTABILITIES   Live-to-air hosting and calling of live horse racing (includes play-by-play descriptions, official decisions and explanations and general info surrounding all of our racing (post parades, minutes to post, official order of finish, lineage for horses, practice training outcomes etc.))
Live and pre-taped interviews of racing and industry participants for simulcast programming as required
Analysis and handicapping of Woodbine Mohawk Park’s racing and hosting/delivery of that analysis on-air and for websites and social media as required
On cameras and/or voice overs for segments as required (live and pre-produced), hosting of racing events as required, appearances/interviews on radio and social media programs as required
Often required to participate in external broadcast programming (radio shows, podcasts, social media hits) to deliver information to the viewing/listening public
Regularly engage in conversation with members of the betting public and those within the racing and sports industry (in person, via social media and other media platforms)
SKILLS  Knowledge and Education
Advanced knowledge of horse racing
Advanced knowledge of wagering and betting
Advance knowledge of handicapping
General knowledge of television hosting and production techniques
General knowledge of social media usage
University or college degree/diploma in a field related to Broadcasting, Television or the equivalent in education and experience
Expert memorization skills
Memorizing all names of all horses in all races on a live card of racing (this includes memorizing silk colours to recognize horses quickly), there can be over 100 horses on a live card and over 10 races on a live card, all requiring memorization to deliver an accurate, exciting and descriptive race call
Need to have an extremely creative and innovative mindset to take live action as it happens and describe in detail what is happening to the public as it unfolds in an exciting and interesting way
Lived Experience
Previous experience in Standard bred or Thoroughbred racing
Previous experience in a sports environment with a focus on announcing or on-air hosting
Working in horse racing in some capacity with a passion for journalism, communication or broadcasting
Must have the ability to react instantly to a live race, describing that instant action live as it happens and unfolds on-the-fly
Live handicapping – studying wagering data, analytics, past race data, horse body language all to help in their description of the action and help deliver the best information possible
Live-to-air, on-the-fly decision making surrounding information to deliver to the public
Dealing with live-to-air, on-the-fly technical issues with broadcast equipment (microphones, IFB’s etc.)
WORKING CONDITIONS   Normal outdoor racetrack environment where there may be temperatures/weather to adjust to, crowd noise to deal
High stress dealing with live television production and describing the action live-to-air
Regular interruptions, multiple demands and time pressure
Standard bred Product – working all nights with few day shifts
Thoroughbred Product – working both days of the weekend with no weekends off April – December unless requested as vacation
Ability to drive to our other track location
Reason for Vacancy:
Replacement
Salary range:
The target hiring salary range for this position is $102,000 to $112,000 CAD. This range is not a guarantee of compensation. Final placement within the range depends on factors such as internal equity, market conditions, and the candidate’s experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.