Michael Wrona [born announcer from Brisbane, Australia specializing in thoroughbred horse racing. He is best known for the phrase "Racing!", which he says at the start of every race call.
3 February 1966 ] is anMichael Wrona began calling races in Australia at the age of 17. The first track at which he called was Kilcoy, situated about 40 miles from the Queensland capital, Brisbane. and has worked at race tracks in the United States since 1990. His move to the USA was prompted by an invitation from iconic Australian track announcer John Tapp. The management at now-defunct Hollywood Park were interested in signing Tapp as their full-time announcer. However, Tapp did not want to leave Australia but knew that the very talented Wrona would be an ideal person for Hollywood Park. Wrona thought it was a prankster joke when Tapp called him on the phone with the Hollywood Park proposal. The opportunity for a budding young racecaller to join Tapp was the stepping stone to Wrona's now long time of living and working in the United States.
Wrona was hired as the new voice of Santa Anita Park in March 2016. He replaced the iconic Trevor Denman, who was the voice of Santa Anita since 1983. He has previously called races at Golden Gate Fields, and has also worked at Arlington Park, Fair Grounds, Turf Paradise, Lone Star Park, Retama Park, and the old Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows race tracks. He'll work at Del Mar for the first time in 2017.