Longtime Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher dies at 62
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John Asher, the longtime spokesman for the racetrack that's home to the Kentucky Derby, has died. He was 62.
Churchill Downs said Asher died Monday after suffering a heart attack while on vacation with his family in Florida. 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.
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Asher joined Churchill Downs in 1997 and had served as the track's vice president of racing communications since 1999. Before that he worked at WHAS-AM and WAVE-AM in Louisville and won five Eclipse Awards for his radio reports on horse racing.
Asher was a native of Leitchfield, Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Dee, and three daughters.