Steve Asmussen

Nyquist's Studlydoright Upsets Touchy In Tremont

The wagering public had their money on a son of Nyquist, it just happened to be the wrong one. The "other Nyquist", 13-1 longshot Studlydoright, kept his perfect record intact and picked up his first stakes win Thursday taking the Tremont S. on the opening day of the Belmont at Saratoga Racing Festival. A come-from-behind winner in the slop at first asking at Laurel Park, the Maryland-bred Studydoright added an extra furlong of distance Thursday and was one of only three runners in the 8-horse field with any prior experience....

[ Read More ]
June 6 Insights: Bass Into Mischief Fillies Debut at Saratoga

6th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 3:35 p.m. ET Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a pair of debuting 3-year-old fillies by Into Mischief for Bass Stables as the 6-5 morning-line favorite entry. The homebred CHANTEUSE is a half-sister to GI Arkansas Derby winner Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon), while AUDACIOUS, a $700,000 Keeneland September purchase, is a granddaughter of multiple graded winner Yell (A.P. Indy). Yell also produced the dams of multiple graded winner Tax (Arch) and multiple Grade I winner Elate (Medaglia d'Oro). TJCIS PPs 1st-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5...

[ Read More ]
The Week in Review: Improbable Headlines Fueled by Winds of Change

The span between Memorial Day and the third leg of the Triple Crown is often a quiet one in the racing world. Not this year, though. Here's a shaking-out of a reporter's notebook from a week that generated some unexpected headlines. Louisiana's move to more lenient medication rules: TDN's survey of seven trainers--Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Michael Stidham, Tom Amoss, Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Cherie DeVaux--spoke volumes about the announcement by the Louisiana Racing Commission that it would be implementing "emergency" standards that softened a number of drug-regulating standards as...

[ Read More ]
Both Asmussen Jockey Sons Injured Saturday

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...

[ Read More ]
Authentic Gets First Winner As Adeera Impresses At Churchill Downs

1st-Churchill Downs, $116,625, Msw, 5-31, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.95, ft, 3 3/4 lengths. ADEERA (f, 2, Authentic--Majestic Presence {GSP-USA, MSP-Can, $227,896}, by Majestic Warrior) became the first winner for her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) Friday. The second choice at 8-5 behind fellow first-timer Salted (Tapit) at 4-5, the half-sister to GISW Newgate (Into Mischief) took it right to the favorite from the jump and the top pair quickly opened up a sizeable gap back to the rest of the field. Neck and neck off the far turn, it...

[ Read More ]
'Rising Star' Extra Anejo Cruises To Win In Churchill Return

7th-Churchill Downs, $138,210, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-30, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:21.54, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. EXTRA ANEJO (c, 4, Into Mischief--Superioritycomplex {Ire}, by Hard Spun), unseen since a well-beaten fourth in last year's GI Haskell S., returned to the races with authority Thursday night for trainer Steve Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds. Dubbed a 'TDN Rising Star' first out, the $1.35m Keeneland September yearling buy won two of his first three, yielding the win only once behind another Grade I-runner in Federal Judge (Constitution) in his 3-year-old unveiling at Churchill last...

[ Read More ]
`Concerned' and `Embarrassed': Ship-In Trainers React to Louisiana Medication Rules Changes

Thursday's TDN contains a story by Bill Finley discussing the set of more lenient medication rules that the Louisiana Racing Commission has recently enacted. Louisiana is not a state governed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, and the new rules, which replace the ARCI model rules previously used, are scheduled to go into effect on June 8.  In Thursday's story, HISA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus suggested that there might have to be additional scrutiny on horses coming out of Louisiana races in the spring because of the more...

[ Read More ]
Friday's Insights: Daughter of GISW Salty Debuts at Churchill

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:45p.m. SALTED (Tapit) debuts for Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Casse. A $760,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the Don Alberto Corp.- bred filly is out of GI La Troienne S. scorer Salty (Quality Road), who brought $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2018. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the mount. Also marking her career bow, Adeera (Authentic), a $300,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for L and N Racing and Jerry Caroom, is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be...

[ Read More ]
Clearly Unhinged Brings Up 150 Stakes Winners For Into Mischief in Winning Colors

Showing Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin's filly might be sitting on a big 4-year-old season, Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief) blazed her way to a first black-type success in Louisville in the GIII Winning Colors S. Monday. B G Warrior (Run Away and Hide) shot to the front from post 2 while to her immediate outside, Clearly Unhinged, dragged Joel Rosario to the fore through a nifty quarter in :21.02. Still under a snug hold as Happy Am I (Runhappy) and Leeloo (Practical Joke) loomed on her outer...

[ Read More ]
Echo Town's Three Echoes is Sire's First Winner in Churchill Graduation

2nd-Churchill Downs, $117,525, Msw, 5-24, 2yo, 5f, :58.09, gd, 3/4 length. THREE ECHOES (c, 2, Echo Town--Bayou Miss, by Dixie Union) broke outwardly and had to overcome a brief round of bumper cars but recovered well to track from third in this unveiling. Set on the inland route as the early leaders stayed together entering the home stretch, Three Echoes scraped the paint as he squeezed through a narrow opening passing the furlong pole, and had to muscle his way to racing room when brushing with Charlie Tolu (Cinco Charlie)....

[ Read More ]
Saturday Insights: Pricey Quality Road Filly Makes The Races Under Twin Spires

6th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 3:18 p.m. ET. PRIDES CROSSING (Quality Road) was the seventh highest priced yearling when the filly went to OXO Equine for $1.3-million during the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. The Paulo Lobo trainee is out of Irish SW Key To My Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who Summer Wind Equine acquired for $1.75-million at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale while Man Among Men (War Front) was in-utero. Hailing from a well-related family, the first time starter's second dam is GISW A Z Warrior (Bernardini). Also on...

[ Read More ]
$1.25M Bolt d'Oro Filly Leads Lively Midlantic May Finale

TIMONIUM, MD - The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day run at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Tuesday with a lively session of bidding led by a $1.25-million daughter of Bolt d'Oro. Through two sessions, 343 horses sold for $32,766,500. The average of $95,485--up 2.9% from a year ago--just ticked up from the sale's previous record average of $95,391 set in 2022, while the median of $50,000 tied the sale record set in 2021 and equaled again in 2023. "I thought we had two very...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.