Horse Racing News Update: Memorial Service for Longtime Asmussen Assistant Toby Sheets
The horse racing community mourns the loss of Toby Sheets, a former longtime assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. According to a tweet by New York Racing Association paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale, a memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 7 at the Belmont Chaplaincy Center from 5:30 – 9 p.m., with a service at 7:30 p.m. The service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.
Sheets, who was 55 years old, passed away on June 17 while vacationing on the Greek island of Mathraki. The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was drowning.
For many years, Sheets had run Asmussen’s New York division until the trainer ended his year-round presence in the state during the summer of 2023. Prior to his untimely death, Sheets continued to assist several other New York-based trainers. He was closely associated with the success of Asmussen’s 2016 Belmont Stakes winner Creator and top New York-bred Haynesfield.
The memorial service aims to celebrate Sheets’ contributions to the sport and the lives he touched within the horse racing industry. Colleagues, friends, and all those who knew and worked with Toby Sheets are invited to attend the service or join the livestream to pay their respects and honor his legacy.
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