Amazing.

No it's not....it's BS and people would do themselves a service if they think about what they post sometimes.

I've said more than a few times how interesting it is to see the difference in people's behavoir on the internet as opposed to in person. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face you should seriously consider whether or not you want to post it here....or anywhere.

That's incorrect. Gus is a stand up guy and will certainly apologize to Wrona for perpetuating a rumor. And I apologize in advance to Michael for not seeing this earlier and questioning its' veracity or source.

And I hope it's a lesson to everybody about how to conduct themselves.

Calm down Andy, I was ONLY giving Micheal's signature racing call.....geez! :(

I think I deserve an apology for your reply, but that statement could go for certain other people that post here and "label" someone as racist!

Calm down? If I was any calmer I would lapse into a coma.

Whether it's his signature call or not, doesn't mean that making jokes about this is appropriate, and that was the point of my post.

More than a few members here have been misled by lies that a former member here has told about me. I don't care, I just consider the source and shake my head that people would listen to what a person like that says, but that doesn't make it right.

I guess I've should have posted that at the beginning of the thread instead of posting it AFTER that statement....sorry if I offended you or anyone else.

More so about Gus, I doubt he says something unless he heard it from a valid source, so maybe this source led him incorrectly OR maybe it is true, it isn't like Wrona is going to come on here and confirm that he wanted to be lazy and get paid a dime a race (not saying the dude is lazy, before people get nuts, I don't know him). I know Gus personally and he is a down ass dude.....

You just can't spread extremely damaging rumors like that on an internet message board, scavs. It could get back to Churchill management about the going rate and they would throw him out of the facility faster than you can say advance deposit wagering.

Gus needs to apologize before Dominic Barbara gets involved.

Did you think about this at all before posting it?

You just proved EXACTLY why people shouldn't post the kind of crap that Gus did. Regardless of what was said by the person who's integrity was called into question, you still suggest that he's lying, and what was posted originally is true?

well, good. i agree with BTW by the way. people tend to think that they can post anything...we've all had occasion to regret something i'm sure.

How do we know that it isn't true? Only person could even confirm this would be someone at Churchill Downs. Gus was trying to convey a story that he obviously had some sort of knowledge on and Wrona comes on here to defend himself. People can believe what they want to believe.

I agree with you 100% on people considering the source....I don't believe a single word that the person that used to post here says at all, but I have no reason to not believe what Gus has to say.

And remember that Australians are descendants of pirates and hookers...

whether true or false, i don't know that a place like this is a good place to mention it-this could blow up in a hurry. more than one message board has dissolved due to just such a thing.

Let me clarify some stuff, I do not think it is the right place to air dirty laundry. This is not the right place for stuff like this, I was just trying to defend Gus, as a person, given that we are friends.

I'm a big fan of Wrona. He's savvy, observant, and when race injuries occur, he shows compassion. His vocabulary and diction are strong, and his voice is compelling and distinctive. He has no annoying verbal tics.

I regularly tune out announcers in order to concentrate on evaluating the visuals of race trips... not so with Wrona. His calls give me info I want as well as commentary I enjoy.

Wrona would be great as the voice of Churchill Downs (no disrespect to the other fine talents auditioning for the spot). If he is hired, I'll go to the track more often.

Did you feel like you were calling Golden Gate yesterday with Leparoux doing his best Russell Baze impression?

Ain't that the truth.

First of all, I would like to personally apologize to Michael Wrona or anyone else that was offended by my post. I never intended it to turn out the way it did, but I understand it was flat out irresponsible on my part. I did receive the information from a source and I did not know what their agenda was at that time. As I mentioned in the post, I consider Michael Wrona a top tier announcer (Top 5) and think he is the most qualified for the Churchill Downs position. No matter what your profession is, no one would like false acquisitions to be made about him/her especially if they are auditioning for such a prestige position.

As a member of this board and a representative of ATR, the last thing I want to do is jeopardize my current standing.

I resent the fact that I posted such a potentially damaging post with allegations about ones work ethic without knowing the person myself.

Sincerely, Gus

Believe me when I say that both Peter Berry and Michael Wrona are my two favorite race callers and I would say that to anybody that asked.

Boy..the jockeys should be lining up with the libel threats...what an over reaction this was. If you can't take the heat..or the false accusations..then you shouldn't be in the limelight

I dunno.... maybe they shouldn't race "wide without cover" so often ;)

i think you, michael wrona, should pack your bags and head for churchill downs. you are one of the best and most exciting callers i have ever heard on the west coast. precise calls, witty, interesting, excellent.

TAKE YOUR SEAT ABOVE THE TWIN SPIRES SIR....................:tro:

Don't forget the trainers.

Australians are just better racecallers in general, Wrona should get the job.

But CDI will likely mess it up

When the hunt for a new announcer came up, I put together a list of the top racecallers down under and got them to the appropriate parties with mobile phone numbers, contact info, etc...

Those guys down under are amazing.

He should get the job

Who's calling at the Fairgrounds?

STOP!! I liked the jew from the first week of the meet. Nueman.

I get tired of hearing hes not gonna get them today. Wrona is more original, I like the cadence of his voice better as well.

I would hardly call the potential hiring of Bobby, Michael, Larry or Mark a "mess up."

I appreciate your input, but Wrona is at the head of the class in my opinion. You did a fine job though, and I wish you the best.

just curious what makes them better in your opinion??

It's like the difference between Kobe Bryant and a high school kid. The huge fields they deal with along with the absence of color coded saddle cloths make the task they accomplish pretty amazing.

Always colorful with their calls and they make it seem like they are just relaxing through the race without getting nervous and trying to "find" horses.

The in-race analysis of how it is setting up is another thing that the antipodean guys are experts at. They really know their racing and circuits.

The announcer today was just awful. Completely botched up the last race calling the wrong horse in front. Alot of uneasy pauses in his call. Watch CD pick this guy....LOL

Who was it?

Alot of the Aussies (and South Africans) seem to be sharp analysts and appear to detect moves from horses and riders. They seem attuned to alot of subtleties that escape alot of US callers. Listen to Terry Spargo's "pre-race" in Dubai. He knows the horses and jockeys and their idiosyncracies very well. He deals with huge fields and rarely stumbles.

I think Michael did a great job last week. If he gets the job I'll be pleased to listen to him calling.

Well I am not sure what exactly happened. The first 8 races were called by Wrona but the 9th and 10th sounded like John Asher. Maybe Wrona had to leave? Or got ill?

Whatever the case go watch and listen to the call of the tenth at CD yesterday. Its a trainwreck.

I wish I could.. but I don't have sound on this p.c :(

I'll take your word for it though :)

Michael W. did not call the last two races yesterday as it was announced the cold/virus he was battling caught-up with him. John Asher, who serves as their VP of Racing Comm. took care of the balance of the card. Churchill is a challenging racetrack to call, much less for someone who doesn't do it everyday!

I don't disagree that Australian, or any race caller overseas, are solid, accurate and top-notch. But to judge American-based callers utilizing field size is a tough go because American field size is quite low. If it were larger, we'd call larger!

Race callers use the silks, not the saddle cloths. I use the colored cloth only in an absolute pinch, but more frequently use my marker colored silks on my program in the "brain cramp" moments of a call.

Race calling is tough... it's like music. Some people like a certain genre and hate others and visa-versa.