Tributes have been pouring in Monday following news of the sudden death of longtime Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher.
Asher passed away following an apparent heart attack while on vacation with his family in Florida. He was 62.
Asher also had a long career as an award-winning radio journalist.
His death comes days before the storied track opens its September meet. Churchill will host the season-ending Breeders' Cup World Championships in November.
Asher joined Churchill Downs in 1997 and had served as the track's vice president of racing communications since 1999.
He was often the public face of the racetrack and the Kentucky Derby.
WFPL’s Rick Howlett has this remembrance.