Announcer, track voice endearment

HOT SPRINGS -- Pete Aiello has been calling races for 11 years, but on Saturday, Oaklawn Park's first-year track announcer faces his biggest challenge.

"My allergies have been brutal, which is poor timing considering I'm about to call the biggest race in my life in two days," Aiello said of the Arkansas Derby which caps the Racing Festival of the South. "I'll try to cowboy through it."

A native of South Florida, Aiello quickly has acclimated himself to his latest surroundings. The 30-year-old enjoys the track, the people and even the unpredictable weather.

"It's like no other race track I've ever been to," said Aiello, who has called races on the Arizona County Fair Circuit, at River Downs in Cincinnati, and at Gulfstream Park West and Hialeah Park in Florida. "I've never met so many people who are passionate about the game."

Aiello appears to have made a positive impression with Oaklawn's management. David Longinotti, Oaklawn's director of racing, said Aiello has been "a good fit" for the track.

"I think he's got a very unique style of racing calling," Longinotti said. "He's very descriptive. He gets frustrated with himself sometimes, which I've had to talk to him a time or two about. I'm not scolding him. I'm trying to keep his spirits up. Sometimes his brain works too fast, but I'm not going to dwell on that. I think he's done a great job."

Aiello's arrival in Hot Springs came suddenly. Frank Mirahmadi, who served as Oaklawn's track announcer since 2012, resigned in December to audition for the announcer's position at Santa Anita -- a job that eventually went to Michael Wrona on March 24. Aiello was hired by Oaklawn two days after Mirahmadi's departure, only 35 days before the start of the current Oaklawn meet.

"It was completely whirlwind for me," Aiello said. "Especially coming up here without a car. I made it the whole meet, and I still don't have a car."

Before this year, Aiello's biggest race had been the Summit of Speed, a Grade II mile sprint worth $500,000.

"The Rebel [Stakes] took the cake for me, but the Arkansas Derby will be my first Grade I race and my first Triple Crown [prep] race," Aiello said. "I'm hoping not to screw it up. I've seen a lot of those horses, so that's going to be helpful. There's not a lot of new shooters in this race for me."

Aiello can be described as a workaholic. Three days after the Oaklawn meet ends Saturday, he will leave for South Florida to pick up work at both Gulfstream and Hialeah.

"I'll work seven days a week when I go home because I work for two tracks down there," Aiello said. "Being an announcer is like working for a circus. I'll go where the work is. A lot of horsemen still do it that way."

Before Mirahmadi, Terry Wallace served as Oaklawn's track announcer for 37 years. Longinotti said Aiello may have the opportunity to duplicate Wallace's longevity.

"I'm really looking forward to the future here with Pete," Longinotti said. "He's very young. He's only 30 years old, and he's about the same age as Terry Wallace was when he started, so I'm hoping we'll have the same history with him."

Aiello said he eventually would like to trade in South Florida's palm trees and beaches for Garland County's pine trees and hills.

"I'd like to do that. I really would," Aiello said. I don't know what opportunities exist at Oaklawn on a year-round basis, but I'd certainly entertain anything they have to say. My best hope that I can have is that the community and the management of Oaklawn have enjoyed me being here as much as I've enjoyed being here. If there is harmony there, I can say the experience has been perfect."

Sports on 04/15/2016