The late Daryl Wells of Victoria, who became a legend as an announcer and promoter of horse racing in Ontario, was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame on Wednesday in Toronto.
Wells was born Daryl Wille but changed his last name because Daryl Wells sounded better than Daryl Wille for broadcasting, according to his son, Daryl Wells Jr.
Wells was born in Victoria in 1922 and graduated from Vic High. The family owned the old Wille Bakery in Victoria. Wells began his radio broadcasting career as a DJ at CJVI in Victoria in 1945. He went on to call races, from 1956 to 1986, and gained a profile at Woodbine, Fort Erie and Greenwood tracks with his deep and distinctive voice. Career highlights for Wells included calling Northern Dancer鈥檚 Queen鈥檚 Plate victory in 1964 and Secretariat鈥檚 final race at Woodbine in 1973.
Wells died in 2003 at age 81.
鈥淢y dad鈥檚 professionalism in broadcasting, and in announcing horse racing, always shone through because he loved it so much,鈥� said Wells Jr., who also went on to become a horse-race announcer.
鈥淗e became one of the greatest horse-racing announcers in North America. He was also a great promoter of horse racing, and in many ways, that is what he is most recognized for in the sport.鈥�
