Frank Salive, often called the voice of Canadian racing, will return to the microphone at Woodbine Racetrack for a few days over the next couple of months.
Salive, who served as Woodbine Entertainment Group’s announcer for 14 years before electing to call races closer to home at Western Fair, will be at Woodbine on February 3 and 18 and March 4, 8, 11 and 18.
Salive will be filling in for vacationing announcer Ken Middleton.
‘I’m deeply grateful to Jamie Martin (WEG's Senior Vice President of Racing) for asking me back and for putting me in his ‘stable’ of winter replacement people. I’ll do the best I can for the patrons, horsepeople, and WEG management. I really look forward to the rush of the TV directors demanding we keep the show tight and on cue,” stated Salive.
“I still recall my final night on October 8, 2005 working for WEG. Nobody noticed but on post parade for the final race at Mohawk that night the drivers filed by with their whips raised in the air in a uniform gesture of thanks and goodwill and to a man they all looked up at the press box to me,” he remembered.
“Prior to that dozens of people called up to the press box and came up in person that night. Mike Hamilton invited me in as a studio guest too. I’m not sure I deserved that kind of salute but it is something I will never forget as long I live. The very least I can do is to give back to everyone the best representation that I can as their spokesman, advocate, and friend.”
