by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Laurel, DE — In the summer of 1969, 16-year-old Doug Ballinger was at the Champaign County Fair in Urbana, Ill., to watch 3-year-old pacer Katfish race. Nearly 50 years later, it’s still a race he remembers. Why? Roger Huston’s voice.

It was Huston’s race call Ballinger heard as he replayed the tape of the race over and over. What started as imitating Huston as he called bike races at his hometown fairgrounds quickly turned into a passion. Ballinger is now wrapping up his 48th year announcing harness races.

Doug Ballinger is now wrapping up his 48th year announcing harness races.

“Roger Huston was my big influence,” said Ballinger, a Celina, Ohio resident. “Just hearing his call. I patterned myself after Roger.”

Ballinger says his first real attempt at calling horse races came at Scioto Downs when Dennis Nolan gave him the chance to announce during qualifiers one day. It just so happened Huston was at the track that day.

“One thing led to another and he had me come to some county fairs,” Ballinger said.

In those days, Huston was calling races at more than 16 fairs a summer. As he began to accept announcing jobs throughout the country, however, he found himself unable to fit some of the Ohio fairs into his schedule.

“I got my big break through him,” Ballinger recalled.

Huston asked him to call the races at the Darke County Fair in Greenville in 1974. Ballinger has done it every year since.

“Greenville is a big tradition in Ohio,” he said.

Since taking over the announcing duties at the Darke County Fair, Ballinger has added numerous others to his list of annual racing calling events. These days he calls races 50 nights a year at usually 14 county fairs. He also fills in as needed at Hoosier Park and Hollywood Dayton Raceway.

Photos courtesy of Doug Ballinger

Parshall night at the 1975 Darke County Fair. Doug Ballinger is on the far right; Roger Huston is beside him.

While he enjoys his summers on the fair circuit, Ballinger never wanted to announce full-time.

“I don’t know how these guys do it night in and night out,” he said. “It’s a strain on your mind.”

Since retiring from a career at Reynolds and Reynolds Printing Co. two years ago, however, Ballinger has plenty of time to enjoy his part-time announcing duties. He and his wife Nancy spend their winters in Florida and their summers traveling the fair circuit.

Ballinger says the most enjoyable part of calling races has been forming friendships with people throughout the racing industry. As a young Sam McKee started his career, he’d cover for Ballinger when fairs overlapped. Ballinger also watched Steve Cross and Barry Vicroy, the announcers he helps fill in for, in their first attempts at calling races.

“You meet so many great people,” he said.

He’s also witnessed some exciting races.

Ballinger — who still remembers watching Gene Riegle trainee Jay Time compete in the early 1970s — says the Riegle Memorial in Greenville is always a good show.

This year’s event, which resulted in a 1:53.4 victory by Sports Sinner, occurred the same evening Swing City set a 1:51.4 track record at the Greenville fairgrounds.

This summer Ballinger also had the opportunity to call his first sub-1:50 mile. He was thrilled to be behind the microphone at Hoosier Park July 8 when Au D Lox Bluegrass stopped the timer in 1:49.2 in the Fillies and Mares Invitational.

“I feel fortunate Steve Cross gave me that opportunity and fortunate for Roger Huston giving me my start,” Ballinger said.