Luke Kruytbosch

Churchill Downs and Turf Paradise announcer Luke Kruytbosch passed away on Monday. Luke was my mentor as an announcer and, even more importantly, a dear friend of mine. I usually tried to contact him once a month or so and always made sure I stopped in to see him whenever I went home to Phoenix. This spring I had the honor of substituting for him at Turf for three weeks while he made his way to Churchill Downs to call his 10th Kentucky Derby. He was a masterful race caller and there is not one person in horse racing that could speak ill of Luke. His loss will be felt throughout the industry and since I pretty much owe him my entire announcing career, his loss has especially hit me hard. I will miss you, my friend.