ESPN’s Kenny Mayne to Call Race at Santa Anita on Sunday

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2016)—Known to millions as an iconic figure on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Kenny Mayne will alter course and step into the role of race caller on Sunday at Santa Anita as he’ll take his unique brand of dry witted humor to the microphone prior to the track’s fifth race, which will be contested at 5 ½ furlongs.

“As sports fans everywhere know, Kenny has a unique sense of humor and having grown up near the old Longacres (Racecourse) in Seattle, he’s also a lifelong horse racing fan,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita’s Vice President, Marketing.  “We think this is going to be a lot of fun and with Santa Anita auditioning announcers for the full-time job, we expect an entertaining race call.

“His appearance here on Sunday will be a featured segment in the days to come on SportsCenter and there’s no-telling how Kenny is going to approach this assignment.  One thing’s for sure, it’ll be memorable and he’ll likely have an easier time fitting into the announcer’s booth than Conan O’Brien did!”

Prior to beginning his broadcast career on local television in Seattle, Mayne was a Junior College All American quarterback at Wenatchee Valley College in 1978 and he went on to play two years as a backup quarterback at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas prior to graduating with a degree in Broadcasting in 1982.

In addition to hosting SportsCenter dating back to 1994, Mayne has appeared in various roles on ESPN, including hosting numerous live horse racing broadcasts on both ABC and ESPN.  In 2011, he traveled to six countries while taping “Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports,” and he’s appeared outside the ESPN umbrella in many other forums, including “The Drew Carey Show,” commercials for Progressive Auto Insurance, and the 1998 movie, “BASEketball.”

Source: Santa Anita Park