Steve Asmussen

Saturday Insights: Stacked Maiden Field Opens Pegasus Day At Gulfstream

2nd-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 11:30 a.m. The inside four horses, all first-time starters, headline Pegasus World Cup day at Gulfstream Park Saturday. BATTEN DOWN (Tapit) kicks things off for Bill Mott who looks to capitalize on a huge Eclipse Awards night with this Juddmonte homebred. A son of champion older mare Close Hatches, this colt is out of a full-sister to MGISP Lockdown, herself the dam of newly-crowned champion 3-year-old filly Idiomatic (Curlin). He is also a full-brother to MGSW/MGISP Tacitus and from the family of G1 Tattersalls Irish...

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The Week in Review: Remarkable Streak Connects Ouzts to Pre-Secretariat Era

When Perry Ouzts wired the field aboard an 8-1 maiden filly named Caberneigh (Munnings) at Turfway Park last Wednesday night, the 69-year-old jockey established a milestone that garnered little notice in the racing world. The victory extended Ouzts's remarkable streak of having ridden at least one winner in a calendar year to 52 consecutive seasons. Think about the scope of that accomplishment for a moment. On Apr. 2, 1973, Ouzts, then 18, rode his first lifetime winner on just his second day as a licensed apprentice, guiding home an Ohio-bred...

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Asmussen Eyes Risen Star for Track Phantom, Hall of Fame

A day after Track Phantom (Quality Road)'s win in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds Saturday, trainer Steve Asmussen was already looking forward to starting the 3-year-old colt in the Feb. 17 GII Risen Star S. The sophomore, who ended 2023 with a win in the Gun Runner S., will be following the same New Orleans path to the GI Kentucky Derby that Asmussen used for Epicenter (Not This Time) two years ago. Epicenter won the Gun Runner in 2021 and finished second in the Lecomte to begin his...

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Quality Road's Track Phantom Runs Away in Lecomte

Favored in the betting right up until the final bit of money poured into the pools, Track Phantom (Quality Road) took control of Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at a chilly Fair Grounds Racecourse right from the opening bell and never looked like losing, leading past every pole to pick up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Having earned 10 points for his victory in the local Gun Runner S. at the tail end of 2023, Track Phantom now sits atop the leaderboard with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile...

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Gun Runner Colt Hall of Fame Romps to 'TDN Rising Stardom' at Fair Grounds

Hall of Fame (c, 3, Gun Runner--Flag Day, by Giant's Causeway), a $1.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, ran to his lofty purchase price with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen at second asking at Fair Grounds Saturday. The 4-5 favorite was ridden early while passing the stands for the first time and secured a tracking trip in a joint second through a quarter mile in :23.30. He turned up the heat beneath Joel Rosario while racing on the inside of the leader heading into the...

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Travers Runner-Up Disarm Reloading for 2024

Disarm (c, 4, Gun Runner--Easy Tap, by Tapit), sidelined since finishing a closing second behind Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 26, has returned to training with Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen at the Fair Grounds. A respectable fourth at 27-1 in the GI Kentucky Derby, last term's GIII Matt Winn S. winner and GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby runner-up exited his second-place finish in the Travers with bone bruising, per David Fiske, longtime advisor to owner/breeder Ron Winchell. "He was walking visibly off after the Travers,"...

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'Rising Star' Nash Faces Track Phantom In Lecomte Rematch Headlining Saturday Graded Races

Like one of those old split-flap mechanical signs at train stations, everyone knows that in the new year the 'Run for the Roses' leaderboard will fluctuate. Week-to-week, the top points begin to compound--from 20 to the winner Saturday and going as high as 100 to the winner come April. The trail to Derby 150 begins a much steeper ascent on Saturday at Fair Grounds in New Orleans as the GIII Lecomte S. offers 3-year-old colts 20-10-6-4-2 that can be applied to Bank of Churchill. This year's edition pits a field...

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Mitole 'Rising Star' Makes it Two in a Row at Oaklawn

8th-Oaklawn, $140,000, Alw (NW2L)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 12-31, 2yo, 1m, 1:38.63, ft, 4 lengths. CARBONE (c, 2, Mitole--Treasure in Heaven, by Street Sense) was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following a front-running eight-length debut romp going six furlongs at Churchill Downs Nov. 19. Stretching out to a mile for this second start, the 3-5 favorite sprinted right out to the early lead and was unchallenged while loping along through fractions of :23.40 and :47.76. He was let loose approaching the stretch and bound clear to score by four lengths. Lightline (City...

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Imperial Gun Hits The Mark In Second Start At Oaklawn

5th-Oaklawn, $115,000, Msw, 12-31, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.96, ft, 5 3/4 lengths. IMPERIAL GUN (c, 2, Gun Runner--Take a Memo, by Empire Maker) made an emboldened move through traffic from the back of the pack to wind up fourth when debuted over course at a mile Dec. 9. Away cleaner for his second start, the 4-1 shot sat off the pace only briefly around the first turn before cruising up under his own power to hit the front as the half went in :47.83. Easily the best into the lane,...

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Sunday Insights: Well-Bred Son Of Tapit And Lady Take Charge Debuts At Oaklawn

5th-OP, $115K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 3:22 p.m. ET. A $700,000 Keeneland September purchase by Willis Horton Racing and trained by Eddie Milligan Jr., WILL TAKE IT (Tapit) is the first to the post out of unraced Lady Take Charge (War Front). The latter was the top-priced foal at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale when she was hammered down to Whisper Hill Farm for $3.2 million. Eclipse Award winner Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), a daughter of Lady Take Charge's half-sister Charming (Seeking the Gold), was the overall topper when...

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Asmussen, Elliott Top Remington Standings

Steve Asmussen captured an unprecedented 18th training title at Remington Park, while Stewart Elliott won his first riding title at the Oklahoma track which concluded its 2023 meeting Saturday. "All the credit goes to [assistant trainer at Remington Park] Pablo [Ocampo]," Asmussen said Friday night when he was on hand as Otto the Conqueror earned 10 Kentucky Derby points with his by win in the Springboard Mile. Asmussen also won the GIII Oklahoma Derby with How Did He Do That earlier in the meet. "Pablo deserves it for all 18...

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Street Sense's Otto the Conqueror Game in Springboard Mile

Otto the Conqueror (Street Sense) picked up a black-type feather for his cap with this gutsy victory in the Remington Springboard Mile S., and picked up 10 points for the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A dominating four-length winner last out over a Churchill allowance optional claiming group which included next out GII Kentucky Jockey Club winner Honor Marie (Honor Code) and SW Just Steel (Justify), he'd broken his maiden two back over that track by a neck and ran a length second on unveiling Aug. 13 at Ellis Park...

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