Young jockeys Keith and Erik Asmussen, both sons of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, were each injured Saturday in separate races at Churchill Downs and Lone Star Park, respectively.
Keith Asmussen was injured at about 12:47 p.m. ET in the 1st race at Churchill, a $10,000 claimer for fillies and mares three and up. The Equibase chart said his mount, Singsational (Audible) “was jostled between horses and squeezed back at the start, clipped a rival's hind heels and fell at the eleven sixteenths pole, then walked off.” Singsational, who was caught by outriders and widely reported as uninjured, is trained by Steve Asmussen.
Keith Asmussen was transported to the hospital with extensive injuries, including a fractured right femur and three broken ribs, and is scheduled to have surgery Sunday morning. He updated his X account Saturday evening, saying: “Singsational and I clipped heels and fell this afternoon at CD. I fractured my left femur, 3 ribs, and have right lower lung contusions + hemopneumothorax. Surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning, thank you to everyone that has reached out with love and well wishes!”
Just under three hours later, Erik Asmussen was involved in an incident just past the wire in the 1st race at Lone Star. He had the early lead in the $10,000 starter optional claiming race, but gave way late to finish sixth and had crossed the wire when his mount, Good Heart (Good Samaritan) fell. Mary Ramellini of Daily Racing Form later reported on X, “Apprentice jockey Erik #Asmussen is being evaluated at a local hospital after being thrown past the wire in the first race Saturday at #LoneStarPark and appears to have escaped serious injury, according to his agent, Travis Church.”
Good Heart, trained by Steve Roubion, was vanned off.
According to official statistics, Keith Asmussen has been riding since 2020 and has 131 wins from 946 starts. He got his first graded stakes win earlier this year aboard Lemon Muffin (Collected) for trainer D. Wayne Lukas in the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park. He had his first GI Kentucky Derby mount last month with the Lukas-trained Just Steel (Justify), who finished 17th.
Erik Asmussen has been riding since 2023 and has 42 wins from 307 mounts. He won his first black-type race earlier this year in the San Jacinto Turf S. with No Mas Tequila (Northern Afleet).
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