Grunder retires from Tampa Bay Downs announcer's booth

Richard Grunder, the track announcer at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida since 1984, will retire from the announcer’s booth at the end of Tampa’s meet on May 2 but will work as a jockey agent in Minnesota, the track said on Friday.

Grunder, 68, who has called more than 37,000 races at Tampa in a career that began in 1973, said in a release from the track that he has decided to retire from announcing to spend more time with his family.

“I am going to miss the camaraderie and the people, especially the three stewards who work next door to my booth,” Grunder said in the release. “It’s been a great environment to work in. But I have no regrets at all. My father told me once I would be a really rich man if I was able to go to a job I liked every day. By that account, I am a millionaire many times over.”

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Grunder began his announcing career by calling races at Marquis Downs in Saskatchewan. He has also called races at Assiniboia Downs, Arapahoe Park, Canterbury Park, Ak-Sar-Ben, and Prairie Meadows.

Grunder will represent jockeys Alonso Quinonez and Israel Hernandez this summer at Canterbury, the release said.