About Travis

It was Coronado’s Quest hanging-on by a diminishing nose. It was Cigar driving towards perfection. It was Tiznow out-gaming Sakhee. It was Corporate Report holding-off Hansel. It was Awesome Again, Dehere, Favorite Trick and Hidden Lake.

Horse racing was Travis’ calling from a young age. He vividly recalls his first racetrack visit: On A Roll, Mike Smith, $2 to place and he was hooked.

It was not uncommon for Travis to rattle off race results and star horses quicker than the Presidents of the United States or other key historical facts. Statistic projects in school were horse racing related. His fourth grade teacher once inquired why every writing assignment had a racing focus.

His enthusiasm and drive to reach the announcers booth turned countless heads. Many, including his parents, felt it was a temporary fad and that he would eventually find himself a “legitimate career.”

Travis’ pursuit of the announcer booth took him through the Missouri Auction School. He returned home and began selling real estate at auction the next day. Later in the year he was named New York State Rookie Auctioneer of the Year. The training and experience gained with the gavel helped accelerate his quest for the booth.

He attended the State University of New York College at Oneonta, majoring in Communication Arts, gaining valuable experience in interpersonal communication, social development and other various communicative skills. His summers were spent at Saratoga, writing for The Saratoga Special before he graduated a semester early due to a college course program in high school, allowing him to hit the road for Cajun Country.

Now Travis is the track announcer for Louisiana Downs, home of the Super Derby, a race which hosted such greats as Alysheba, Sunday Silence and Tiznow.

Now it's Strong Contender over-powering Lawyer Ron, and Going Ballistic coming from last-to-first in less than two furlong and My Pal Charlie rocket to victory along the rail. His lifelong dream is to "call the big races" and wherever that may lead him. Until then, he continues to hone is craft, share his passion for the game and enjoy life.