The 2018 Big Sport of Turfdom award, which recognizes a person or group of people who enhance coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists, will be presented posthumously to John Asher, the late vice president of Racing Communications at Churchill Downs and former president of the TURF Publicists of America, the TPA announced Friday.
“The TPA's tagline is 'telling great stories since 1951,' and no one told horse racing's stories better than John Asher,” said TPA President Rhonda Norby. “The Big Sport of Turfdom award is about honoring a person who promotes the sport in cooperation with the media, and there is no one more deserving for this award than John.”
The Big Sport of Turfdom will be presented to John's wife, Dee, at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's annual awards luncheon Dec. 4, emceed by Santa Anita Park track announcer Michael Wrona. The luncheon is part of the 2018 Symposium on Racing & Gaming at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ.
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