Dan Loiselle - Builder (Track Announcer) - Class of 2023
Video courtesy of Woodbine Entertainment
It is difficult to quantify passion and heart in sports, but if one were to measure the output of Dan Loiselle’s love for Canadian horse racing, it would surely be off the charts. Proof positive of Dan’s love affair with serving as Canada’s premier announcer in the sport lies in the fact that he called more than 55,000 thoroughbred races, 28 editions of the Queen’s Plate, and was the voice of record for the first million-dollar race in 1988.
It first began to get serious for Dan when he started working for The Ontario Jockey Club in 1967. But he didn’t initially enter the scene with a sense of entitlement, or expecting to come to great heights. It was more a sense of destiny.
Even though his parents and grandparents worked at the track and he essentially grew up trackside, he was his own worst critic when he initially took over the play-by-play reins from the legendary Woodbine announcer Daryl Wells, Sr.
Under the weight of his own self-imposed expectations to not only get it right, but also to develop his own personal style, Dan found his footing on the strength of an incredible memory for detail, which he used to weave a new and enticing narrative for every race, and for each special moment.
Much like a muscle car, Dan used his unique vocal timbre to change gears, even within the body of a race, transporting his listeners to the very edge of their seats, with wit, enthusiasm and even a drop of humour.
Dan recently retired from The Ontario Jockey Club and Woodbine Entertainment after an incredible 48 years in the industry.