Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Personality of the Month
for September 2010

Gary Seibel

New York City native Gary Seibel has been invovled in horse racing nearly his entire life.

Having grown up near metropolitan New York's major day and nighttime racing facilities which he frequently visited, Seibel gained a great appreciatiobn for the majesty of the horse and the thrill of the sport at an eary age.

But he hardly expected to find himself deeply entrenched in the business some thirty plus years later.

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A graduate of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, Seibel planned on a career in broadcasting after college. Instead, he would send the next 30 years working in the horse racing industry, with a constantly-developing "minor" in TV broadcasting.

In a varied and exciting career, Gary spent several of his early years as a radio disc jockey in upstate New York and in 1991, go this chance to best Bert Parks impression when he hosted the Miss North Carolina Pageant.

At Pompano Park Racetrack in Pompano Beach, Florida, Gary served as track announcer for 18 years. In addition to working stints there as publicity director, in-house simulcast TV host and public handicapper, Seibel was Pompano Park's assistant general manager for two years.

During his career, Gary has covered nearly all of the major events in the sport of harness racing at the major television networks for two decades. Hew as either the host or co-host of the Breeders Crown Series since 1991, and was part of the Crown broadcast team since 1989.

Gary has had a similar role with the American Championship Harness Series during its three-year run on ESPN. From 1990 through 1993, he was host of the Gulstream Park's daily racing show on Sports Channel America, and for 14 consecutive years was host or co-host on CBS Sports' coverage of harenss racing's biggest and most prestigious event, the Hambletonian.   When telecasting of the Hambletonian moved from CBS to NBC Sports in 2007, Gary moved to NBC with the race and is still part of the network's national coverage to this day.

In 1998 and 1999, Gary had the distinction of being the person who took over for legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Chris Schenkel to handle the play-by-play for CBS Sports of their network telecasts of the Pro Bowlers Tour.

In 1999, Gary moved to Los Angeles, California, where he continues to be one of the lead broadcasters and handicappers for the Television Games Network (TVG), the largest horse racing and on-line wagering television network in the United States.