Gulfstream Track Announcer Peter Aiello is this week’s The Player’s Edge guest. (Thursday, 9:30 pm eastern on Horse Racing Radar TV) Peter is always a lot of fun and a great ambassador for horse racing. He’s a south Florida guy who is at home at Gulfstream Park. Find out why there was no other way.
Follow Peter on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnouncerPete
HRT: Your horseracing story starts like so many others we’ve heard. I went to the track with my family as a kid. Your grandmother bought you a pink jockey silk from Hialeah Park, and you ran around the Citation statute wearing them. Was your first inspiration to be a jockey?
Peter Aiello: Meh. I suppose so but I think even when I was younger, I realized that my frame was not going to allow me to pursue a career as a jockey. I can vividly remember those formative years and just being totally enthralled by the game. I still get emotional thinking back on just how much Hialeah Park played in not only my zest for the game but also my career…and life to a large degree.
Gulfstream Park Announcer Pete Aiello
HRT: As you got a little older, the horseracing itch remained, so you started calling horse racing video games because the game didn’t have an announcer. How did the people around you react to your calls?
Peter Aiello: Haha! My grandfather was in the living room one floor below. He never told me to shut up or anything but once I got too loud…he would shut the door (and not say a word). My sister always thought it was really funny.
HRT: You switched your love from baseball to horseracing after a winning bet. Tell us about that.
Peter Aiello: I just went to Equibase and pulled up the chart. It was February 20th, 1999, at the “old” Gulfstream. It was the 1st time I actually “handicapped” a race. Rebridled under Richard Migliore was my pick, and I asked my dad to bet him to win for me. At that time, I was just betting to show (just to have rooting interest) but I insisted since I handicapped it, I wanted to bet to win. He wouldn’t do it but bet to place instead. Rebridled won the race at 21-1! After that, I was hooked.
HRT: In high school, you saw an ad in the Daily Racing Form for The University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. It was the only college application you sent. Fortunately, you were accepted, but what was plan B?
Peter Aiello: Honestly, I didn’t have a Plan B. I was so fixated on getting into the U of A RTIP that nothing else mattered. It was that or bust.
HRT: As an intern, you called your first race at Finger Lakes, do you remember that call and what was your immediate reaction afterwards?
Peter Aiello: I actually called my very 1st race at Rillito Park in Tucson, AZ in the early months of 2005. It was a half a mile maiden race for a $1,000 purse. #3 Slumberjack won it at a big price under Anna Barrio. I then worked the AZ County Fair circuit (didn’t get paid) that spring. My 1st “big” call (where there was any meaningful audience) was New Year’s Eve 2005 at Tampa Bay Downs. That is a story all its own. Haha. The only binoculars I owned were broken and you could only see out of 1 eye. This was also the 1st time I ever used binoculars to call a race so there was a LOT of pressure. One of the stewards, Dennis Lima, came over to check on me before the race and saw the crappy binoculars. He gave me a MUCH better pair to use and told me “You’ll be fine, kid.” I am still proud of that call. But as soon as it was over, I went into the bathroom and threw up. That’s how much pressure I felt. Major relief. Haha
HRT: After graduation, you became the track announcer at River Downs, spent one-year at Oaklawn Park and seven-years after graduating from Arizona, took over the job at Gulfstream Park, essentially coming home. Do you ever sit back and think to yourself, this was my destiny and how does that make you feel?
Peter Aiello: It’s weird to think about. It’s never something I thought would happen. Hialeah was closed for years, and I always thought working at Gulfstream was an unattainable goal. So, I never saw myself back in Florida at all, let alone on a year-round basis. I just wanted to work in horse racing and be able to grind out a living doing it. That was it. That was the goal. Nothing lofty. So, to achieve that and so much more is truly surreal. It just goes to show you that if you want something bad enough and you dedicate yourself to it, you can truly achieve it.
HRT: Aside from the big races like the Pegasus, of all the races you’ve called, what’s your favorite race calling memory and why?
Peter Aiello: Well, my favorite race calling memory is the 1st Pegasus, for obvious reasons. That’s a moment and a memory nobody can ever take away from me. BUT! A close 2nd is getting to call the races on Opening Day 2009 at Hialeah. Up until then, that was literally a CAREER highlight for me. There were over 20,000 people there that day and the overall rush of emotions is hard to put into words. It was really special.
HRT: You’ve been in the business for a while. What are your thoughts on how to make horseracing appealing to kids today to inspire the next Peter Aiello?
Peter Aiello: I think one of the biggest ways we as a horse racing community can set ourselves apart from other major sports is through accessibility. You can’t go to the broadcast booth at an NFL stadium. You don’t get regular opportunities to meet the players & the coaches and your heroes at a lot of sports. But I am accessible. You can very easily come visit me. The jockeys are accessible. You can get autographs after every race. Many tracks offer barn tours which means the horses (who are the real stars) themselves are accessible. You can go to Old Friends in Lexington and literally interact with your racing heroes after they’ve retired. That’s a living functioning Hall of Fame that other sports can’t offer. It’s all about letting the fans know that they matter and letting them be part of the sport. After all, that creates ambassadors for the game…and not only do we really need them, but it also creates even more positivity and goodwill. It’s all about immersing people in the sport at a level where other sports cannot.
HRT: Gulfstream recently installed an all-weather Tapeta surface. As the track announcer, what biases have you noticed on the new surface? And what other Gulfstream specific angles should horseplayers be aware of?
Peter Aiello: The thing I like best about it is that it seems to even the playing field in terms of running style. It’s no secret that the GP main track and even turf course at times can really carry speed. And the Tapeta doesn’t carry it at all. You can most certainly win on the lead, but you have to be the best horse to do it…something that isn’t always the case with the other surfaces. Nice to be able to find a closer!
HRT: How does it feel to have fans back in the stands?
Peter Aiello: The thing I notice the most is getting to hear them chant “with” me. When I say certain jockeys’ names in the winner’s circle, like Luca Panici or Luis Saez, I can hear them yell it from up here in the booth. I like that a lot….not gonna lie. Haha
HRT: What’s your favorite off track activity during the Pegasus Invitational festivities?
Peter Aiello: That week is always so busy and stressful, I try to stay away from all the glitz and glamour. One thing I always do though is take the Tuesday before the Pegasus for myself and just “escape”. I’d imagine fishing will be the activity of choice this year.
HRT: If horseplayers come to south Florida for the Pegasus or any other day of racing, what restaurant near the track is an absolute must go and what should they order?
Peter Aiello: For me, if anyone comes from out of state and wants an unforgettable meal, they have to drive a bit from the track but it’s VERY worth it (as many of my out of state friends can attest). The destination is Havana Harry’s in Coral Gables. Ordering dessert is a must but for entrée I’d go with the mango chicken, or the guava pork chops.
HRT: One last thing, you grew up in south Florida, went to school in Arizona, worked in New York, Ohio, Arkansas, and Florida, explain how the Carolina Panthers became your team?
Peter Aiello: Fantasy football was my “gateway drug” to really and truly being a fan of the NFL. So, my first fantasy football QB was Cam Newton. So, I would watch the Carolina games weekly and just feel in love with the team and their dynamic. This was well before the Super Bowl season of 2015/2016 and things have been quite painful since. But they are my squad and I’ve enjoyed a few trips to Charlotte to see them play.
