Page 94 - April 2016

“I’ve had the fortune to see many of the modern greats and call many of those races as well.”
DALE DAY
by John Moorehouse
Life is getting hectic for Dale Day. To be fair, a hectic schedule is something he’s used to this time of year. March means the start of another
Quarter Horse racing season at Remington Park, where Day serves as the track announcer, media rela- tions director and marketing director.
The 2016 campaign marks Day’s 13th season as the full-time announcer at Remington Park and con- tinues a stint behind the microphone that has encom- passed nearly his entire adult life. The University of Oklahoma graduate spent seven years as a sports radio host in Norman before making the eventual transi- tion to horse racing.
You can follow Dale on Twitter @thedaleday. Learn more about the voice of Remington Park in this latest installment of The Lighter Side.
Q: Where were you born?
A: I was born in 1962 to Air Force parents at Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona. Dad was a career pilot, mom was a nurse. We moved around quite a bit until dad retired in 1970. We settled in Ohio, where my mom was born and raised. I graduated from Bellefontaine High School before moving to Oklahoma, and then graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: I love rock music, mostly fond of the classic/metal genre. I’m not a big fan of a lot of the newer stuff.
My wife and I both enjoy going to concerts when it fits our schedules. I also enjoy sports and have been a football season ticket holder for OU since 1989. I also still follow the teams I grew up with in Ohio - the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, the Thunder has become a favorite since they arrived in Oklahoma City.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
“Raising Arizona”. The entire movie is full of bizarre catch-phrases that I annoy people with constantly.
Q: Give an interesting fact about your family.
A: My paternal grandmother was from Scotland, making me a quarter Scottish. My kids have my initials, DD.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse?
A: This may not really be a quirk, but Cold Cash 123 could not get out of his own way at the start of a race, yet he would fly once he got a few strides away from the gate. He was fun to see at the top of his career.
Q: If you were not in the horse racing business, what job would you like to have?
A: I would probably be in radio or TV in some capac- ity. I worked in radio, WWLS, for seven years before coming to Remington Park, doing sports talk and play-by-play.
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: Oklahoma City generally has great weather, aside from the spring hail and tornado threats. The atmosphere of a city where everything is eas- ily accessed, great people, a solid economy, and affordable cost of living.
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SPEEDHORSE, April 2016
John Moorehouse
THE LIGHTER SIDE