Battaglia Ready To ‘Ease Out’ Of Racecalling
Racecaller Mike Battaglia told the Daily Racing Form
that he is “starting to ease out” of the post he has held since 1972.
Those listening to Turfway Park on Saturday night might have expected to
hear the veteran's easily recognizable voice over the loudspeakers, but
instead heard Jimmy McNerney, the long-time jockey agent who will begin
to call one or more programs per week at the Northern Kentucky track
this winter.
Battaglia intends to continue making the morning line odds for both
Churchill Downs and Keeneland, but wants to scale down on the announcing
because it has gotten tough for him at 66 years of age. He told DRF
that “You have to stay mentally sharp, with no hesitation. We've been
getting a lot of 12-horse fields here (at Turfway) and they're not easy,
especially at night.”
Over the course of his career, Battaglia called races at Churchill
Downs from 1977 to 1996, the old Miles Park in Kentucky, and did a large
amount of work with television network NBC regarding horse racing. He
said, “It's been a great run, but at some point you have to say it's
time.”