The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced Aug. 30 that Tom Leach will host the 27th Annual National Awards Dinner to be held Sept. 7 at the Keeneland Entertainment Center in Lexington.
Leach is a two time Eclipse Award winner for excellence in coverage of Thoroughbred racing. He is also known as the voice of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, calling the play-by-play for the basketball and football teams. Leach has been named the Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year four times.
"We are honored to have Tom Leach as our Awards Dinner host," said Dan Metzger, president of TOBA. "Tom's charisma and his deep knowledge of horse racing make him a slam dunk as our host."
The TOBA National Awards Dinner honors the achievements of Thoroughbred owners in the four major North American racing regions and breeders in 23 states and Canada. In addition, the Rood & Riddle Thoroughbred Sport Horse of the Year Award is presented to the owner of the ex-Thoroughbred racehorse that excelled in sport horse competitions tracked by the United States Equestrian Federation. TOBA also honors a National Broodmare of the Year.
National Awards Dinner sponsors include OCD Pellets, Xpressbet, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, AmWest Entertainment, Woodford Reserve, Grey Goose Vodka, John Deere, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, Keeneland, Daily Racing Form, and Blood-Horse Publications. Tickets for the National Awards Dinner may be purchased at www.toba.org.