LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs dedicated and unveiled new statues to honor the late John Asher and Colonel Matt Winn Thursday.
For more than 40 years, Asher was the voice of horse racing and radio broadcasting in Kentucky. He joined Churchill Downs in 1997 and served as Vice President of Racing Communications until his death in 2018.
Winn served as general manager and later president of Churchill Downs from 1914 until his passing at age 88 in 1949. The racetrack credits him as the driving force in the development and a tireless promoter of the Kentucky Derby.
The statues, sculpted by local artist Raymond Graf, depict Asher sitting on a horse shoe bench talking to Winn and are positioned on the north side of the saddling paddock in the Plaza area and guests will be able to take photos on the bench in the shadow of the twin spires.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.