Jockey Keith Asmussen recorded his 64th career victory in Saturday's opener at Oaklawn, eclipsing the total of his father, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, during his short-lived riding career.
Keith Asmussen, fittingly, reached the milestone on a horse trained by his father, Hern ($10.20), who won the 1 1/16-mile claiming race by 2¼ lengths.
“Couldn't be more excited for today and the rest of the meet,” Keith Asmussen said.
Steve Asmussen rode 63 winners in 1982-1984, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Asmussen turned to training after he became too heavy to ride.
Keith Asmussen, 25, launched his full-time riding career in late 2022 after earning a master's degree in professional accounting earlier in the year from the University of Texas' McCombs School of Business.
Hern represented Keith Asmussen's 57th victory this year. He rode six winners in 2020 and one in 2022. Keith Asmussen rode 25 winners to finish ninth in the 2022-2023 Oaklawn standings. Asmussen's younger brother, Erik, 21, made his Oaklawn riding debut in Saturday's first race and finished sixth aboard What a Country for his father. It was his fifth career mount.
“It was awesome to get to ride with my brother,” Keith Asmussen.
Steve Asmussen, Oaklawn's all-time leading trainer, conditions Hern for Oklahoma-based L & N Racing (Lee Levinson, et. al).
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