ExBay Area announcer Wrona returning to Sonoma County
This year has not been the one that Michael Wrona expected, but calling the races for the 10th time at the Sonoma County Fair — which opened Thursday — represents a welcomed level of stability.
Wrona, widely regarded as one of the world’s best track announcers, was fired in November after two years calling the races at Santa Anita. Track officials cited a desire “to go in a different direction” when replacing Wrona with Frank Mirahmadi.
“It’s great to get back to someplace familiar,” said Wrona, who also was the track announcer for many years at Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows.
The native of Brisbane, Australia, has had a welltraveled 2019, to say the least.
“First of all, it has turned into a series of new adventures and experiences,” Wrona said. “It started in January when I tried my hand at sales announcing at an auction in Florida. In February, I was flown to Dohar, Qatar, to call the races for an afternoon. It was topclass treatment in every respect, but the one exception was that I could see only half of the racetrack.”
Then came a vacation to his homeland, where he got to see the great mare Winx make one of the final starts of a career in which she won her last 33 races.
“Then I was in the Bahamas as an emcee for a horse racingthemed charity event,” he said. “It involved calling a bunch of races with fake names off of a TV screen.”
In late April, Wrona opened the Century Mile as announcer for the Edmonton, Alberta, track that replaced Northlands Park. A month later, he did the same for Arizona Downs in Prescott Valley that replaced Yavapai Downs.
“A few weeks ago, I was invited to call a couple of races at Grants Pass Downs in southern Oregon,” he said. “That was the 26th American track where I’ve called a race. It matches my Aussie total.”
Wrona will return to Arizona Downs after the Sonoma County Fair and then call the races at the twoweek Kentucky Downs meeting.
“It’s complex, but it’s better than having nothing to do,” Wrona said. “I’m just trying to make the most of some new opportunities. There is a certain level of prestige at Santa Anita, but it’s more important to me to work for people who appreciate me.”
Los Alamitos is one such place, as Wrona revealed Wednesday that he would be replacing track announcer Ed Burgart, who is retiring at the end of this year. Wrona will call both evening quarterhorse races and the two thoroughbred meetings.