John Asher, one of the most recognizable faces and voices associated with Churchill Downs and horse racing at large, died suddenly Monday morning of a heart attack while vacationing with his family in Orlando. Asher was 62-years-old.
Asher had served as a spokesperson for Churchill Downs since 1997, most recently holding the title of the track’s vice president of racing communications. The Associated Press named Asher the “Best Reporter” for large market radio in Kentucky seven times. He received the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners’ Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year award in 2006, and as a radio personality before working for Churchill, he won the Eclipse Award for audio presentation five times — 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994.