Living for the Track

FanDuel host Michael Joyce has been in love with horse racing since he was a boy

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Cigar lover Michael Joyce is a horse racing analyst, on-air host and reporter for FanDuel TV. The 46-year-old has spent his entire career in racing and grew up in the business, initially working for his father at Wyoming Downs at the tender age of 12. He began working at TVG in 2001, a company that recently rebranded as FanDuel TV, and has covered races all over the United States and beyond, including the Kentucky Derby, his busiest day of the year. He'll be on site at the race this year for FanDuel, which became an official partner of Churchill Downs in 2023.

Joyce was interviewed about his love of horse racing and cigars by CIGAR AFICIONADO executive editor David Savona.

SAVONA: How long have you been smoking cigars?
JOYCE: I really got into cigars right out of college. I'm the youngest of 13. My brother John is a legendary cigar smoker and a legendary dish doer. [After dinner] all the brothers would go into the kitchen. They would close the door, put on music and light up cigars while we did all the dishes and put away all the food. It was this smoke chamber of seven Joyce males all smoking cigars. I started smoking them right out of college when I first moved to L.A. When I'm on remote, I can smoke three a day.

Q: Do you smoke at the racetrack?

A: The racetrack is one of the last refuges for cigar smokers. You can walk around virtually the entire racetrack and smoke a cigar. It's one of the few places where you can walk around and smoke. It's totally acceptable and normal, and I kind of love it. Today, I go on the air around two o'clock, so I'll get to the track at noon, and I'll have a smoke while I'm prepping. I'll have the racing form, I'll have my cigar and it's just part of my routine.

Q: What makes the Kentucky Derby such a special event in the world of horse racing?