Ken Middleton Jr. has been around Harness Racing since he was young and it currently plays a role in multiple aspects of his life. Publicly known as the voice of Woodbine Mohawk Park, Middleton also participates as a trainer, owner and breeder. With the North America Cup approaching on Saturday, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with Middleton to discuss his career, announcing and much more. Enjoy! How did you get started in harness racing? Like the majority of the people in the industry, I became involved through my family’s roles in the sport.  My mother and father both worked in the industry on many levels and it was their involvement that exposed me and ultimately intrigued me.  I did everything at the track from cut grass, to clean out ship-in barns, to selling mutuel tickets and then later in life announce races and do color commentary.  And then when I needed an additional challenge, I bought a farm and started breeding, raising, training and racing my own horses. Who are some of the people who helped you get to where you are today? The number one person was my father, Ken Middleton, Sr.  He worked at a number of different racetracks in a variety of different positions, and his involvement – and encouragement – helped me fall in love with the sport that was near and dear to his heart.  He was the General Manager at the now defunct Elmira Raceway – the track that gave me my start as a race announcer when I was 16. While many people have come and gone, you are approaching 25 years with Woodbine. Do you envision being there until you retire? This is probably the toughest question on this list.  My honest answer is probably not.  The older we get the quicker our priorities change in life.  I love my job, but there are too many other things in life that I love more.  So if the right opportunity came along I would certainly consider making a change.  Much of your time with Woodbine has been spent behind the mic. Do you still get chills calling so many big races? I get excited just as any other announcer or color commentator would during stakes season.  The star power is deeper and the feats they perform are greater than what we’ve been accustomed to throughout the first half of the year.  My adrenaline always gets pumping this time of year.   How many North America Cups have you called? I’ve called the North America Cup since 2006, so if my math is correct this year’s edition was the 18th time I’ve had the privilege of calling the race. Is it true that you call all of the races off TV rather than looking at the track with binoculars? Guilty as charged.  What made you make that change? When is the last time you called by looking at the track? When I first started calling the races at WEG I used binoculars because it was what I was accustomed to using.  There was a particular race where the odds-on favorite in a stake race got away eighth and made a break around the quarter pole.  Because I was looking through binoculars it limited me to only seeing the top three or four horses at a time and I totally missed the break by the favorite.  So I missed one of the most important aspects of the race.  From that point on I did a combination of using binoculars and going to the TV, and since the introduction of High Definition broadcasts I’ve totally relied on simply using the TV.  I can see every horse crystal clear at all times and I just find I’m in better control of seeing everything as opposed to just pieces of the race.  I see much more detail calling directly from the TV. I can’t recall when I started using just the TV.  It’s an announcer’s job to have a good memory, and then quickly forget. You’ve called races in front of some huge crowds. Does their excitement play into your calls? It absolutely does.  As an announcer you get to feed off of the crowd’s excitement.  The most memorable instance for me personally was Somebeachsomewhere’s win in the North America Cup.  The crowd was absolutely deafening that night and it fueled my excitement and really helped get the juices flowing. What is your favorite track to visit? Why? I’ve always enjoyed going to the Delaware County Fairgrounds during Jug week.  It’s relatively close to home and it’s a quick in and out trip.  It’s a fun road trip for the boys. What is your favorite big event in racing? Why? I would say the Breeders Crown is my favorite event.  It’s the year-end championship with bragging rights and titles on the line.  It’s so great to see the best of each division from all of the stakes jurisdictions in the same place at the same time.   What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing? I’m a foodie, so either cooking or barbequing at home, or going for dinner with friends or family.  What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don’t know? I would say they don’t know how involved I am in breeding, raising and training my own horses.  Most would simply recognize me for my involvement through announcing, but I’m deeply rooted in all of those others aspects of racing, as well. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Lifestyle. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten or given about harness racing? Don’t cut corners. What was your best moment in harness racing? My best moment in racing was winning the $225,000 OSS Super Final at Mohawk Park with one of my homebreds, Bob Loblaw.  It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced in my life.  Was it strange to be the trainer and call Bob Loblaw winning stakes like the Nassagaweya and Ontario Sire Stakes final? Calling any race with one of your own horses in it is an extreme challenge.  Whether it’s a $10,000 claimer or the OSS Super Final, it is extremely difficult to temper your emotions and simply call the race.  Not impossible, but an extreme challenge. Do you remember running down to the winner’s circle after the race? I sure do.  Moments like that you recall every single moment of the celebration.  Moments like that are incredibly difficult to achieve, and if you’re lucky enough to accomplish them you certainly save space in your memory bank to remember them. What made you decide to try training? I have a lot of free time during the day because I worked nights, and I often found myself going to some of the training centers to network with people and along the way I’d jog the odd horse here and there.  So I guess that helped remind me how much I loved working with the horses and it prompted me to get involved on my own. You are fairly active on social media. How important is it for industry types to engage with the general public? It’s paramount to engage with your fans/customers.  Whether you’re answering a question, responding to a critique or acknowledging a compliment – it’s a good business practice to be available for people.    If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? Oh man.  Where does one start?  If changing things pertaining to horse people it would be incorporating uniform medication rules into all jurisdictions.  If talking customers, it would be a more creative betting menu offering a combination of .20-based wagers and the same wager then offering a $1 or $2-based wager. Time for the stretch drive… Best Horse you ever saw: Muscle Hill. Best Driver Ever: John Campbell. Lasix – Yes or No: Yes. Favorite TV Show: Yellowstone. Trotters or Pacers: Pacers.