Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Outwork Filly Stays Unbeaten at Oaklawn

8th-Oaklawn, $84,000, Alw, 1-24, (NW1X), 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.89, my, 1 1/2 lengths.
ABROGATE (f, 3, Outwork–Hot Coffee, by Burning Roma) became the third winner on Oaklawn's Sunday card for her owners, trainer and jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. A six-length debut winner at Churchill Nov. 12, she'd been flattered when the runner-up from that heat returned to take her next two starts and was backed down to 4-5 favoritism facing a promising group. Away well, the dark bay was content to press from second through an opening quarter of :22.78 before poking her nose in front while flanked by rivals through a :46.62 half. Southern Grayce (Liam's Map) mounted a stiff challenge in the lane, but Abrogate turned her back to get the job done by 1 1/2 lengths. The winner, who hails from the family of Grade I winners Big Drama and Sheer Drama, has a 2-year-old half-sister by Daredevil and yearling half-brother by Good Samaritan. Her dam visited Hard Spun for 2021. Sales history: $75,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $270,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $99,492. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Alex & JoAnn Lieblong; B-Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Another Milestone For Asmussen: 700 Career Wins At Oaklawn

Steve Asmussen became the second trainer to reach 700 career victories at Oaklawn when even-money favorite Swiftsure captured Saturday's seventh race at under Ricardo Santana Jr.

Asmussen entered the 2021 Oaklawn meeting that began Friday with 696 career victories at the Hot Springs, Ark., track. He saddled one winner Friday and added victories in Saturday's fourth race with favored Jalen Journey ($4.40) and sixth race, the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes, with favored Silver State ($3.80) before reaching the career milestone with Swiftsure ($4).

A two-time Eclipse Award winner (2008 and 2009) as the nation's outstanding trainer, Asmussen, 55, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016. He is seeking his record-tying 11^th Oaklawn training title.

“Oaklawn's been unbelievably good to us,” Asmussen said. “I think it's propelled us to where we're at. The opportunity to run this quality of horse for a good amount of money – there's a lot of good people we work for to go out and continue to improve their stock. Everything feels like it's headed in the right direction.”

Asmussen started his first horse at Oaklawn in 1989 and saddled his first winner in Hot Springs Feb. 9, 1996 (Honest J). Asmussen recorded his first Oaklawn stakes victory the following day with Valid Expectations in the $50,000 Mountain Valley for 3-year-old sprinters. Valid Expectations, Asmussen's first nationally prominent runner, was ridden by older brother Cash Asmussen, an Eclipse Award-winning apprentice and champion jockey in France.

Steve Asmussen has at least one stakes victory every year in Hot Springs since 1996 and Silver State marked his Oaklawn-record 90^thoverall. He set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings in 2019 ($5,644,609). Asmussen, through Saturday, had started 3,408 horses in his Oaklawn career.

Some of Asmussen's top horses to run at Oaklawn include champions Curlin, Untapable, Gun Runner, Mitole and Midnight Bisou – all stakes winners in Hot Springs.

The late Bob Holthus is the only other trainer in Oaklawn history with 700 career victories. Holthus, a nine-time Oaklawn training champion, recorded more than 850 in Hot Springs.

“Am I second? Dang, I'm second in a lot of categories, aren't I?” Asmussen joked. “Second all-time in wins, second at Oaklawn in wins, second in money earned.”

Asmussen entered Sunday second in North American history career in purse earnings (more than $344 million), according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, and second in career victories (9,159), including two with Curlin in the United Arab Emirates in 2008. Asmussen is projected to surpass the late Dale Baird (9,445) for career victories this fall. A former jockey, Asmussen had his first starter, and victory, in 1986.

“I promise you this,” Asmussen said. “I don't plan on stopping right on it (9,445), if that matters at all.”

Hall of Famer Henry Forrest (11) holds the record for most career Oaklawn training titles. Asmussen was Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. His 64 victories in 2019 is the second-highest single-season total in Oaklawn history.

Saturday's triple left Asmussen and Brad Cox (four victories) tied for the early lead in this year's Oaklawn standings. Both are finalists for an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding trainer of 2020.

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Getridofwhatailesu, Silver State Victorious In Oaklawn Stakes

The Elkstone Group LLC's Getridofwhatailesu, making her first start since a winning effort at Oaklawn last March, took advantage of her favored stablemate's bad break and came flying late from 10th place to win her first career stakes by 1 ½ lengths in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes on Saturday's opening weekend at the Hot Springs, Ark., track.

Several horses vied for the lead throughout the one-mile race with Wicked Whisper leading for the first quarter in :23 2/5 and Graysonsmacho Girl leading to the half mile mark in :47, but in the end they were no match for the winner, who won the race in 1:38 2/5 over a fast track under jockey Joe Rocco Jr. Our Super Freak, who stalked the pace throughout, took second, and Istan Council was third.

Getridofwhatailesu was the second Oaklawn stakes winner in two days for trainer Brad Cox, who also won the opening day Smarty Jones with Caddo River. Shortly before the Pippin he won the $3-million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park with 2020 Oaklawn allowance winner Knicks Go.

Getridofwhatailesu, a 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare, improved her record to four wins from seven starts and has now earned $259,197. She returned $19.20, $8.60 and $5.60 at odds of 8-1.

Silver State Noses Out Hunka Burning Love In Fifth Season Stakes
Two races earlier, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton Racing LLC's Silver State became a stakes winner in his 4-year-old debut when he edged pacesetter Hunka Burning Love by a nose in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes.

Silver State, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., was the last out of the gate and was unhurried early as Hunka Burning Love led through early fractions of :23 3/5 and :47 2/5. The winner caught up to the front runner entering the stretch and wore him down late for the victory in 1:37 3/5 for one mile over a fast track. Night Ops was third.

Silver State is trained by Steve Asmussen, who one race later won his 700^th race at Oaklawn. The Hard Spun colt has now won four of eight career starts and has earned $330,094. The 4-5 favorite returned $3.80, $2.60 and $2.10.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first post. The meet continues through Saturday, May 1.

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Uncle Mo Colts Stays Perfect in Hot Springs

7th-Oaklawn, $84,000, Alw, 1-23, (NW1X), 3yo, 6f, 1:10.29, ft, 3 1/2 lengths.

SWIFTSURE (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Island Saint {GSP, $133,860}, by Speightstown) wired the field to take his debut by 3 1/4 lengths in his career bow at the Fair Grounds Nov. 27 and was hammered down to even-money to repeat here. Hustled out of the gate, the dark bay was overtaken by longshot Lock Up (Maclean's Music) and kept a watchful eye from second through a swift first quarter in :21.51. Closing the gap on the backstretch, Swiftsure took control at the top of the lane and skipped clear for a 3 1/2-length score, providing trainer Steve Asmussen with his 700th victory at Oaklawn. Sir Wellington (Palace) filled the place spot. Swiftsure is the first foal out of Island Saint, who has since produced a yearling filly by Into Mischief. She was bred back to that red hot Spendthrift stallion. Sales history: $95,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $78,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

O-Siena Farms, LLC and Asmussenequine.com; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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