Griffin takes a bite out of Big Apple with Big A gig
OZONE PARK, N.Y.– He grew up in Southern California and has traveled the world, but it was always Chris Griffin’s goal to work in New York.
Thursday, that goal becomes officially attained when Griffin starts his stint as the race-caller at Aqueduct, part of a three-announcer crew the New York Racing Association will employ for the foreseeable future. Griffin, 41, will call the races at Aqueduct’s winter, spring, and fall meets. John Imbriale, who announced his semi-retirement earlier this year, will call the Belmont spring and Belmont at the Big A fall meets and Frank Mirahmadi will be the Saratoga announcer starting in 2023.
“I’ve always wanted to be in New York,” Griffin said in a recent phone interview. “Horse racing, or sports, anything. It’s always something that I’ve been drawn to. The energy, the excitement, just the feel when I drive into the city of New York. There’s a different vibe, a different feel for me. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m just ready to go.”
Griffin, who in 2023 also becomes the full-time caller Monmouth Park– taking over for Mirahamdi – has called some in New York before, filling in occasionally for Imbriale. Griffin has been calling races for eight years, starting on the Northern California fair circuit before getting jobs at Gulfstream Park West, Portland Meadows, Sam Houston Racetrack, and, most recently Parx, where in 2021 he took over for longtime announcer Keith Jones.
Griffin said that regardless the size of the venue, the job doesn’t change.
“The technique always stays the same,” Griffin said. “You’re obviously always going to feel a little bit of nervousness or some excitement the first couple of days. It’s still understanding the horses, where they are, being accurate, being able to call the races as you see it. That’s my goal, that’s always been my goal. It’s taking the next step forward as far as a different location and maybe a bigger fan base and a broader audience, but that doesn’t intimidate me. I’m ready for this stage, I’m ready for this next step. I’ve been preparing for this.”
Before he got into calling horse racing, Griffin spent six years as the voice of the Harlem Globetrotters and got to travel the world with the team.
“To be able to get paid and to be able to travel and to just see the world as a younger guy, that was a lucky time for me because I love to travel, I love to see new places and experience different cultures,” Griffin said. “That was a really, really wonderful experience.”
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