Foxfield races announcer lives out dream

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Craig Braddick is announcing the Foxfield races for the fourth straight year. Braddick grew up in England and is living out his dream as a race announcer.

“From a young age I wanted to be an announcer,” says Braddick. “I loved seeing the horses when I was a kid. I liked that the jockeys looked like mini adults and just the pagentry of it all. It caught my imagination at a young age.”

Braddick estimates he spends 225 days out of the year announcing horse races, travelling the country working conventional and dirt races, as well as quarter-horse and steeple chase races. This is his fourth year at Foxfield.

“Each venue is different, Foxfield is unique,” says Braddick. “It has a lot of support from the community. It’s all in good causes. It’s a great atmosphere here.”

Preparation is key.

“The night before I look at the horses previous performances. For each race I have an idea of how the race should play out,” says Braddick.

On this day it’s the 44th running of the Foxfield fall races.

“Anything can happen in horse racing,” says Braddick. “You’ve got to be looking at horses making a move. Is a horse moving forward with purpose, or is a horse dropping back because the horse is weakening or the jockey just giving him a breather. You have to able to learn and interpret that. It’s about reading the race and trying to explain what is going on to the folks.”

Braddick is one of the few horse racing announcers in the country that does this as a full-time job.

“Above all I’m grateful I live her in the United States where I have the opportunity to do that, because there’s no other country in the world that would afford me that chance,” says Braddick.

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