Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds on Personality of the Month:
December 2004

Ken Warkentin

Announcer and TV host extraordinaire Ken Warkentin has been a member of The Meadowlands Racetrack media department since May of 1991.

The 45-year-old Toronto, Ontario, Canada native began pursuing his goals after he graduated with high honors from Seneca College in Toronto with a degree in Radio & Television Broadcasting in 1981.

Now a citizen of both Canada and the United States, Ken resides with his wife Jennifer and their two children, Abby, 3 and Andrew, 2, in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

Ken Warkentin

"I started in Top 40 radio and I still follow the music business closely," Ken said. "But I liked racing more at the time, the handicapping, and an opportunity came up (at Flamboro Downs), there was more money in it, and I just ended up following my nose, so to speak."

"I have been lucky, right place, right time, but it's really all about work ethic and the right attitude," Ken noted. "I particular enjoy the excitement of calling the races, especially the major stakes like the Hambletonian, putting together profiles and segments for our Fox Sports Net recap show, the challenge of handicapping, the camaraderie and professionalism of my colleagues."

Ken's first job in harnes racing was a one-day race calling gig at the Sunderland Fair in Ontario.

"I was in my late teens, I still have the program somewhere," Ken recalled. "They gave me forty bucks. Around that time I also did the Markham Fair, and when I got there I asked for a racing program, the judge told me there wasn't one, we had to go see who showed up, draw post positions and write it down. Fun stuff."

"You also had to emcee horse shows in between races," Ken added. "Anyway, when I lined up to get paid, the guy asked me how much I wanted, I said $200 because the judge in front of me said that, and the guy with the checkbook didn't blink. My first night of calling races at an actual track came at the now defunct Elmira Raceway (only $75 that night)."

Ken says his favorite part of his job is talking with the horsemen and the racing fans because " they know a lot and they always have a good story."

"I do barn notes once a week and the people I talk to are wonderful," Ken noted. "I'm instinctively a journalist, I like to know what makes people tick, and I also consider myself a perpetual student of media. If harness racing had a talk show I'd love to host it.

"When I started at the Meadowlands in 1991 there was no simulcasting," Ken said. "That has been a godsend, and then came international simulcasting, more exotic wagering, the explosion of the internet, websites, streaming video, online wagering, and simulcast television, so now my job is obviously more important. However, aside from all that, I think what still intrigues me the most is how trainers manage their stables and try to win races, and why drivers make their decisions."

Ken says that there is nothing like the adrenaline rush he gets from working on live national television.

"Without a doubt my favorite experience in the business was co-hosting the American Championship Harness Series on ESPN in the late nineties, doing the Jug and Breeders Crown telecasts, traveling around and working with Gary Seibel. I really miss it," Ken said.

The multi-dimensional Warkentin also has a soft spot in his heart for harness racing's sister sport of thoroughbred racing.

"I can see myself being a part of a thoroughbred telecast down the road because I'm familiar enough with that side of the sport," Ken noted. "I will probably keep doing what I'm doing for awhile because it's difficult for me to top it right now. I mean, even though it carries a lot of responsibility and requires hours of preparation, it really is the most fun and satisfying job at the track.

Other interests Ken might have pursued?

"Sometimes I wish I had gone into hockey doing play-by-play," Ken mused. "At one time, I had considered running for USTA District Director. I have also driven in some exhibition races and enjoyed it. That's something I'd like to pursue when I have more time, as I really love the horses.

Ken's favorite horse? You guessed it!

"Of course, my favorite horse now is my namesake, Ken Warkentin! He could be the next great trotter and Hambletonian winner. I'm thrilled about him even though he doesn't add any weight to my wallet. I will always have a soft spot for Cam Fella. My one claim to fame is I dubbed him The Pacing Machine when he won the Confederation Cup at Flamboro Downs. 28 in a row, baby!"

Besides all of his responsibilities at The Big M, Ken's other main priority is his family.

"Right now, I have my hands full with two toddlers," Ken said. "I discovered that being a dad is the greatest gift of all!"

You can see and hear Ken nightly when The Meadowlands is racing, and you can also check out the website for his voice overs at www.kenvoice.com.

2004 Archives
November 2004--Sam McKee
October 2004-Del Chupp
September 2004-Carol Longo
August 2004-Billy Perkins
July 2004-Bob Heyden