He came, he saw, he conquered. Brian West, Afternoon Drive host on Y108, was the overwhelming winner in the 1st Annual Media Announcer Idol competition at Flamboro Downs.

Every Sunday night, from January through March 23, local broadcast media personalities were invited to Flamboro's announcers booth to call a race. At the completion of the schedule, the public would decide their favourite, with the winner receiving the coveted Announcer Idol trophy and a donation to the charity of their choice.

Over 130,000 votes were cast over the past week, with West garnering nearly 75 percent of the votes. KX 94.7's morning show host, Melissa Forsythe was second, and Y108's midday host, Scott Penfold was third.

"Anytime we can draw this kind of exposure and excitement to the industry is a huge win," suggests John Stolte, General Manager at Flamboro Downs. Stolte added, "130,000 votes is fantastic, and to be able to get local media personalities exposed to, and excited about harness racing opens the door for more opportunities and greater awareness of the sport across the board."

West's charity of choice is the Y108 Children's Fund which supports children's programming, health, and support systems in the Greater Hamilton area.

(Flamboro)