Wrona Takes Spin on Keeneland Auction Announcers' Stand

On the surface, an auction announcer's rhythms appear to have little in common with a track announcer's call.

While the auction announcer relays decades of vital pedigree information through a marathon day, the track announcer narrates split-second developments that unfold before him in mere minutes. 

Still, both roles require laser-sharp attention to detail, the ability to adjust on the fly, and a cool head in the spotlight. And as Michael Wrona found himself perched high above the sales ring Jan. 8 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, the racecaller leaned upon his experience with one to aid in his exploration of the other.

Unexpectedly replaced as track announcer at Santa Anita Park Nov. 24, 52-year-old Wrona was invited to spend time with the Keeneland sales team by track announcer Kurt Becker, who also works as an auction announcer alongside John Henderson.  

"Kurt reached out to me and has been very supportive; we have tremendous mutual respect for each other," Wrona said. "We're both former announcers at Arlington. He mentioned to me that there was a potential opening for a sales announcer here, and perhaps I would consider coming out and giving it a shot. And I'm grateful to Keeneland for being willing to give me this opportunity."

While Wrona walked barns with members of the Keeneland sales team Jan. 6 and observed the first day of the sale Monday, he rose to the challenge when offered the chance to present a portion of the 309 horses that went through the ring Tuesday (the announcers rotate in shifts throughout the day).

"It's a different animal. It's announcing, yes, but in a completely different style to race calling, with very different preparation," Wrona said. "Just because it was something so new and different, I felt more nervous than I would be before calling a grade 1 horse race. Everything was foreign to me. You can look at the catalog page in advance, but there's a lot of last-minute changes, phone calls, and different updates that are being notified, and to factor all of that in, the whole thing's a blur, actually.

"I just hope I did it justice. I'm sure there's room for improvement, that would be only natural, but everybody's been very helpful. I've received some great advice and support from the people on the auctioneer team here and I'm just so impressed having seen how it comes together from behind the scenes, and what a well-oiled machine it is. I mean, it's a slickly-presented product that Keeneland puts on. And just to keep it moving, it's just entirely different from what I've experienced before in the auctioneer's booth. I'm just extremely appreciative of Keeneland being willing to give me this chance to experience a completely different aspect and facet of the industry. They threw me in the deep end today, and hopefully I kept my head above water."

Henderson felt Wrona more than held his own in his sales debut.

"Like Michael said, it's a whole different thing," he said. "It's like you're a football announcer, so therefore you can call hockey? No. They're two different games. It's a whole different thing. But of all the different people that have come in here, he's certainly got the presence for doing it, he's certainly got the voice, and the recognition for doing it. It's a learning curve. I'm sure his first race call was not as good as his grade 1 stakes at Santa Anita were, but I've been doing it for 30-plus years and I have room for improvement."

Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales, enjoyed seeing Wrona on the stand. 

"Keeneland is not really a trial ground, this is the major leagues, but when you have a professional individual like Michael Wrona who has such a well-established record, somebody like that, you're excited to give him a shot to get up there," he said. "And I thought it was fun today. I thought he enjoyed himself and acquitted himself pretty well, and it was great to have him here. I don't know what happens from here, I don't know what his interests are or our interests are, but it's just nice to have a nice man like him who's been a pro in his discipline come be part of these major leagues."

Wrona said he remains open to career opportunities as he tests the waters during a new chapter in life. He called the Tuesday exercise a "cameo appearance," but one he wouldn't be adverse to repeating in the future.

"It's great to have gone through the experience," he said. "I would say the thought process (on the next career move) is still very scrambled and I'm open to any and all possibilities. I don't know what the next step is, but it's nice to have kicked off 2019 with a new and interesting thing to try."