Mark Johnson (announcer)

Mark Johnson
Born	(1966-02-07)7 February 1966 Skegness, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Alma mater	King Alfred's College, Winchester
Known for	Horse racing announcer
Partner	Katherine Heptonstall
Parent(s)	Derek and Joy Johnson

Mark Johnson (born 7 February 1966) is a British thoroughbred horse racing announcer in both the United States and United Kingdom.

Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Johnson attended King Alfred's College in Winchester, Hampshire and London College of Printing in Elephant and Castle, London receiving a bachelor's degree in television, film, and theatre studies, and a postgraduate diploma in radio journalism. His first race commentary was in 1986 at Tweseldown Racecourse in Fleet, Hampshire. In 1995, he called his first Classic, the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire, and as of May 2009, had announced eleven St. Legers, and five Epsom Derbies. He has also announced multiple Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National steeplechase races.

Following the unexpected death of announcer, Luke Kruytbosch, Johnson became the track announcer at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky in January 2009, calling his first Kentucky Derby later that year. He also does paddock commentary with Jill Byrne at Churchill Downs.

References

• {{cite news|url=http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s7t3p
• "Britain's Mark Johnson Named Churchill Downs Track Announcer" (Press release). Churchill Downs. January 15, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
• Brown, C.L. (May 2, 2009). "Johnson will put a little English on it". Louisville, Kentucky: Courier Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Hamilton, Keith (April 4, 2009). "Mark Johnson gearing up for the Grand National". Southampton, Hampshire: Daily Echo. Retrieved May 2, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• "Mark Johnson Biography". Churchill Downs. 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.

External links

• Meet Mark Johnson (Churchill Downs)