Mike Battaglia Biography

Mike Battaglia is a Thoroughbred horse racing announcer best known for his forty-plus-year tenure as the morning line oddsmaker at Churchill Downs, including the Kentucky Derby. 

A native of the Bluegrass State, his father, John Battaglia, was an owner and breeder who instilled a passion for horse racing in his son at a young age. Battaglia went to study business at the University of Cincinnati but left to pursue a full-time career in racing. 

He served as Churchill Downs’ morning line oddsmaker from 1974 to 2018, setting odds for 44 Kentucky Derbys, and was the track’s announcer from 1997 to 2016, calling 19 Derbys, including American Pharoah’s 2015 win.

In 1994, he worked as a racing analyst for NBC Sports, covering the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup. 

Battaglia received the 1992 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Media for his NBC work, was honored with the 2009 Jockey Club Gold Medal, and earned induction into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Even though he is retired, he remains close to the sport, supporting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund with his philanthropic efforts. He still handicaps most races and mentors celebrated broadcaster Larry Collmus.

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