The grounds of historic Churchill Downs are dwelling to statues of people who find themselves integral to the racetrack and its signature race, the Kentucky Derby. Barbaro, a fan favourite. Then two males sat on a bench, one speaking and the opposite listening, beckoning guests to snoop on the dialog. The bronze statue is engraved with the names of two people who find themselves synonymous with orchids for roses. Col. Matt Winn, the person who made the Derby larger than Kentucky, and John Asher, the person whose love for each resonated with Winn and touched these round him.
Greater than seven years after his sudden dying, John Asher lives on together with his love of the game he cherished, his household and buddies, and his lasting legacy on the Kentucky Derby and its dwelling.
bluegrass, completely
Born in Leitchfield, Kentucky, about 120 miles south of Churchill Downs, Asher grew up on his household’s farm, the place the closest he obtained to racing was watching it on tv. His first high-profile derby was a come-from-behind victory for Proud Clarion in 1967. From there, Asher listened to race calls on the radio and watched the game extra carefully whereas having fun with the races. day by day racing typeOne thing his uncle and aunt gave him. At age 13, he begged his mother and father for permission to go to the monitor for a day, using a Greyhound bus to go to the historic house. This expertise sealed his ardour for racing.
Asher introduced that zeal to his broadcasting profession. After graduating from Western Kentucky College with a level in journalism, he started working at radio stations in Bowling Inexperienced after which Louisville, the place his data of the Derby made him a pure match to cowl the race annually. When a place opened up in Churchill Downs’ communications division, Asher moved from radio to company communications to trace public relations, turning into the face and voice of the Kentucky Derby and sharing the enjoyment of America’s best race.
Along with his surprising dying in August 2018, the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs misplaced a beloved Derby ambassador, and plenty of who knew him misplaced a pal.
everybody’s pal
Those that knew him greatest, together with Churchill Downs public relations director Darren Rogers and monitor announcer Travis Stone, keep in mind Asher’s booming voice and cheerful persona.
“I believe the very best phrase to explain John is contagious. He at all times had a smile on his face,” Rogers mentioned. “When John walked into the room, he simply had a presence, and also you could not assist however be drawn to him.”
Stone recalled that the previous announcer “had a really distinctive voice. He had a extremely radio-friendly voice. It was only a massive voice, however it was nice on the identical time. He had a manner of sounding very clever, particularly about Churchill and Darby. It felt pure, such as you’d been speaking to him for years.”
As a spokesperson for the historic racetrack, Asher labored not solely with the media but additionally with these behind the scenes. His relationship with these closest to the horse earned him respect.
Corridor of Fame journalist Steve Haskin recalled, “They (the trainers) did not pull any punches, they did not mislead him or disguise the reality in any manner, and he simply laid all of it on the market.”
“It was all out of respect,” Haskin continued. “They knew John, they knew his place, they’d identified him personally over time, and he at all times gave all of the trainers a break each time. They by no means did something controversial with John, as a result of they have been at all times on equal footing with John.”
Asher was additionally beneficiant to these round him and helped out in any manner he might.
“I interned at Churchill Downs for the 1994 Breeders’ Cup. I had a possibility to work as a broadcast outcomes coordinator (in Los Angeles),” Rodgers recalled. “On the time, John was working at WHAS Radio. John invited me into one of many radio station’s studios and lower a demo tape (for the job). He helped me write an audition tape, and I obtained the job.”
For 20 years, Asher devoted his time and vitality to the individuals he knew and made this nation’s best race his life’s work.
dedication to derby
Churchill’s attribute love of race influenced Usher’s strategy to his work.
“(John) at all times had such an amazing respect for racing and the historical past of racing and what it meant and what it meant to Louisville. And that simply got here out of his pores. You may really feel it from him,” sportswriter and pal Tom Roe recalled.
Not solely did he love racing, however he additionally appreciated the Thoroughbreds on the coronary heart of racing. “He beloved all of the tales. He beloved the backstories and he beloved the horses. At first, he at all times preached, ‘Do the proper factor and shield the horses,'” Rogers mentioned of his beloved colleague.
His dedication has led Usher to be in comparison with Col. Matt Winn, the legendary promoter who helped make the derby what it’s at the moment. Asher accepted the similarities. “Col. Matt Wynn was his idol, and what an amazing promoter he was,” Rogers mentioned of his pal. “He noticed himself as an extension of that and sometimes requested himself what Col. Matt Wynn would do. I believe Col. Wynn could be very happy with what this derby is.”
In that spirit of dedication, Churchill Downs commissioned bronze statues of those two large figures to protect the rose’s historical past. Each time somebody walks by, “I see[John]and Matt Wynn having a dialog. It is so effectively carried out, as a result of like all artwork, it makes you assume and ponder, proper?” Stone noticed. “So that you assume, ‘What are they saying?'”
Maybe they’re going to be swapping tales about one another’s derbies, sharing their favourite horses, and perpetually watching the races and locations they love.
