Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Godolphin Repeats as Top-Earning Owner, with Ortiz and Brown Also on Top in 2022

Godolphin, LLC, which campaigned 14 North American graded stakes winners, was the country's leading owner by earnings for the second year in a row, while jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. established single-season earnings and stakes wins records and Chad Brown was the leading trainer by earnings for the first time since 2019, according to figures released Tuesday by Equibase Company LLC.

Godolphin had 88 North American wins from 438 starts for earnings of $16,343,067, down from its single-season earnings record of $17.4 million set in 2021.

The operation was followed on the leading owner's list by: Klaravich Stables, Inc., $9,438,582 (84 wins/336 starts); Peter M. Brant, $7,772,253 (54/183); Winchell Thoroughbreds, $5,661,750 (33/147); and Juddmonte, $5,633,762 (38/144).

Ortiz reached the winner's circle 325 times from 1,363 mounts in 2022, establishing a single-season earnings record of $37,075,772, eclipsing the previous record of $34.1 million he set in 2019.

Ortiz also set a single-season record for stakes wins with 80 trips to the winner's circle, breaking the former mark of 76 victories set in 2007 by the late Garret Gomez. Ortiz was the leading jockey by earnings for three consecutive years (2018, 2019, and 2020) before finishing second in 2021.

Following Ortiz on the leading jockey's list was: Flavien Prat, $29,832,252 (236 wins/1,013 starts); Joel Rosario, $29,250,139 (185/915); Tyler Gaffalione, $27,360,825 (1,491/266); and Luis Saez, $24,339,905 (272/1,540).

Brown sent out the winners of 244 races from 309 starters with 922 starts for earnings of $31,057,362 in 2022. Todd Pletcher was second on the leading trainer's list with 2022 earnings of $30,482,937 (223 wins/342 starters/1,020 starts); followed by Steve Asmussen, $28,579,134 (382/594/2,155); and Brad Cox, $23,851,590 (222/326/916).

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Spendthrift Newcomers Feature Pair of Juvenile Stakes Winners

Spendthrift Farm has added four new stallions to their extensive roster for 2023. Of those, two carry the weighty distinction of winning a graded stake at two. Both precocious horses furthered their success on the racetrack after their juvenile campaigns.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo – Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit) took home a hard-fought win in the 2021 GII Remsen S. and went on to claim a Classic victory this year. His new studmate Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music – Unicorn Girl, by A.P. Five Hundred) came close to an undefeated season at two, but upped his game at three to be named Eclipse Champion Sprinter in 2021.

Jackie's Warrior's remarkable career highlighted by five Grade I scores started off with his domination of New York's juvenile division in 2020. Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker admits that ahead of the colt's stakes debut in the GII Saratoga Special S., their stallion nominations team was eyeing a different race contender. But after a call in to Steve Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi, who said that Jackie's Warrior was the one they needed to look out for, they turned their attention to the bay son of Maclean's Music.

“The next thing you know, the horse does just what Scott said he was going to do and I'm on a plane headed up there trying to get a deal done,” Toothaker recalled with a laugh. “We were very fortunate to be able to get involved with him early.”

After his three-length win in the Saratoga Special, Jackie's Warrior established a new stakes record in the Hopeful and then earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure in his 5 1/2-length Champagne win.

“It takes a special 2-year-old to be able to do what he did,” Toothaker explained. “What was amazing was how big and strong he was. He is a heavily-muscled horse with a lot of bone. When you first saw him as a 2-year-old, you're thinking that this is the biggest kid on the playground.”

During his Eclipse-worthy sophomore season, Jackie's Warrior reeled off four graded stakes wins highlighted by the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., where he went head-to-head with MGISW Life Is Good (Into Mischief). His four graded stakes wins at four included his fifth straight win at Saratoga in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H., where he became the first horse in the storied track's 159-year history to win a Grade I in three consecutive seasons.

Toothaker recalled visiting Jackie's Warrior one morning during Derby week ahead of the sprinter's win in the GI Churchill Downs S. The backside was hectic and the Asmussen team had several high-profile contenders entered for that weekend, but the quietly composed Steve Asmussen spent over half an hour talking about his superstar trainee.

“He was so proud that he had bought the horse for $95,000 at the Keeneland Sale,” Toothaker said. “He said, 'Tooth, where were all the experts? Did they all go to lunch when he sold?' He was very proud that he had picked out the horse for the Robisons, who are wonderful people. Getting to meet Kirk and Judy Robison and develop a friendship with them and their children and grandchildren over the last three years has just been amazing.”

Jackie's Warrior, the highest-earning son of Maclean's Music, will stand for $50,000 in 2023. The champion has been in high demand with breeders and has already amassed a high-quality book to kick off his stud career.

“I've had so many people come out to the farm and say that he might be the best one they've seen of all the new [stallions],” Toothaker said. “Almost every mare that he got was a stakes winner or a stakes producer, so he's going to get every opportunity.”

Spendthrift's Mo Donegal has been received by breeders with similar enthusiasm.

“We love to have sons of Uncle Mo because that is what our breeders want,” Toothaker explained. “Last year [Spendthrift sire] Yaupon was the second most-popular horse in North America. Mo Donegal is a big, stretchy horse. What I love about him is that even though he stands over a lot of ground at 16'2 and a half, he's got a beautiful frame on him and a really nice hip.”

Going two for three as a juvenile, Mo Donegal claimed an exciting edition of the GII Remsen S. when he battled future Grade I winner Zandon (Upstart) down the stretch and survived a stewards' inquiry to get the win by a nose. The Todd Pletcher pupil ran third in this year's GIII Holy Bull S. before adding a win in the GII Wood Memorial S. over eventual GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner). In the GI Kentucky Derby, he drew the rail and raced 10 wide in the stretch to get up for fifth.

Mike Repole obtained a minority interest in Mo Donegal shortly before his Kentucky Derby bid and was rewarded in the colt's next and final start in the GI Belmont S., where he finished three length ahead of the runner-up, fellow Ashview Farm/Colts Neck Stables-bred Nest (Curlin), who is also co-owned by Repole Stables.

“I know that was a very special day for Mike and his family, the Lyster family and for Todd,” said Toothaker. “With Mo Donegal, one of the biggest factors for us has been that Mike Repole is our partner. Mike brings so much energy and when you've got a guy that buys 71 yearlings at the Keeneland Sale, that was a huge thing for us to know that we had his support like we have on Vino Rosso.”

One of Uncle Mo's top three leading earners along with fellow Classic winner Nyquist, a top third-crop sire this year, as well as champion Golden Pal, who is also set to begin his stud career in 2023, Mo Donegal will stand for $20,000. His dam Callingmissbrown, a daughter of GI Acorn S. victress and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), has produced two others winners including her 2-year-old daughter Prank (Into Mischief), who was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after her 9 3/4-length debut win at Saratoga this summer.

“For Mo Donegal to win a graded stake at two in the Remsen, which is a tough, grueling race at a mile and an eighth, but yet be able to do what he did as a 3-year-old in the Wood Memorial and top it off in the Belmont, it takes a very good horse to be able to do that,” Toothaker noted. “Mo Donegal was one of the absolute best of his class. It's a lot to offer breeders, especially for $20,000.”

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Torres Off to Sizzling Start at Oaklawn

Last year's meet at Oaklawn Park was not a particularly good one for jockey Cristian Torres. Largely unknown on the circuit when he came in and sidelined for the last five weeks of the meet when fracturing his right ankle in a spill, he won just 19 races, ending up 15th in the standings. Fast forward some eight months later and Torres is tearing the place apart. Two weeks into the meet, he's the leading rider with 11 wins and is winning with 33% of his mounts.

“We've started off on the right foot and it's been a great two weeks,” Torres said. “We're just trying to keep the momentum going and I just want to keep winning races. I'm riding for Robertino Diodoro and he has a good barn, a good team behind him and has his horses ready. He's doing an unbelievable job and so is Karl Broberg, who I'm riding for. It's a tough meet. There are a lot of good riders here so you have to be at your best.”

Torres is staying humble and maybe that's because the 25-year-old remembers where he came from. Too heavy to be accepted into the jockey academy in his native Puerto Rico, he trained to be en exercise rider after graduating from high school.

“I was in the exercise riders program at the school,” he said. “The weight in Puerto Rico is lower than here for bug boys. To be in the school, you have to weigh around 103, 105. That was too low for me. So I decided to go into exercise riders' program because you can be heavier. We basically learn the same thing, except the exercise riders are in the school for one year and the jockeys are in it for two years. In the second year, the jockeys ride in practice races. The exercise riders don't need that.”

Torres came to the U.S. in 2017 and galloped horses for two years before he decided to give being a jockey a try. He went on a crash diet, lost over 20 pounds in three months and started off at Gulfstream as an apprentice in 2019. In Florida, he cracked the top 10 in the standings but showed no signs of becoming the budding star he is today.

“I did pretty good as bug boy, but after I lost my bug the business went down,” Torres said. “I wanted to go somewhere else where I could get a fresh start.”

On the advice of agent Ruben Munoz, Torres came to Oaklawn at the start of the 2021-2022 meet and while he didn't win a lot of races, he began to make connections and lay down roots. From there, he went to Lone Star Park, but missed the first four weeks of the meet because of the broken ankle. Once healthy, he began to start riding winners and finished the Lone Star meet with 19 wins, good for eighth place in the standings.

The next stop was Remington Park.

“I had high expectations at Remington because of the way we finished up at Lone Star,” Torres said.

But never could he have expected what was to come. With 71 wins, he was the leading rider at Remington and won with 25% of his mounts. A key was connecting with Broberg, Remington's leading trainer, and Diodoro, who finished fifth in the Remington standings.

“He has quite a few things going for him,” Diodoro said. “He's got no issues behind the scenes. He's just a hardworking kid and is only 25 years old. He's a very patient rider, especially for being as young as he is. He's very grateful for things. He stays even. He can walk out of that jocks room having won three races or going 0-for-6 and nothing changes. When things don't rattle a rider, they are very patient, their weight is good and they have the right attitude that adds up to being a successful rider. At Remington, he got some live mounts from us, he got some from Broberg and some from other guys and he took full advantage of it. It's carried on to Oaklawn. A rider can work as hard as they want if you don't have the stock that makes things pretty difficult. He got some live mounts and took full advantage of it. He's on his way now.”

Staying on top at Oaklawn won't be easy. David Cabrera, Francisco Arrieta and Ricardo Santana Jr. were the top riders at last year's meet and all three are back and in position to have strong campaigns. He also doesn't ride regularly for Steve Asmussen, the dominant trainer at Oaklawn. Torres says he's ready for the challenge.

“I feel I'm a better, more confident rider than I was a few years ago,” he said. “But I still have lot to learn. I've been riding for just 3 1/2 years. But since I moved to Oaklawn last year I feel that I am a better rider. I'm feeling more confident and am getting more opportunities.”

After Oaklawn, he will return to Lone Star and then to Remington. That's the plan for now, but he admits he has an eye on trying to break in on one of the major circuits, New York, Kentucky or California.

“We're just trying to keep building our business,” he said. “My agent [Cody Autrey] and I are working together and hope to keep building so that we're in a good position if I decide to make a move. But riding at the top tracks, that's definitely a goal.”

At Oaklawn, he's already proving he can win at a top-tier track. And the best may be yet to come.

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Snapper Sinclair to Enter Stud at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds

Snapper Sinclair (City Zip–True Addiction, by Yes It's True) will retire to stud at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds for the 2023 breeding season. He will stand for $5,000 live foal, stands and nurses.

Raced by Jeff Bloom's Bloom Racing Stable and trained by Steve Asmussen, the popular bay was known for his durability, posting a career record of 39-7-9-4 and earnings of over $1.8 million. The three-time stakes winner on grass was also second in the 2020 GI Cigar Mile H.

The $30,000 KEESEP yearling and $180,000 OBS April 2-year-old was bred in Kentucky by K & G Stables.

“I love this horse because he showed up every time, whether dirt or turf, sprinting or two turns,” Bloom said. “He raced in the toughest company throughout his career and always tried.”

Asmussen had equal praise.

“What a cool horse, he's so versatile–could run on any surface and would run against anyone,” Asmussen said. “I love him and believe he deserves a chance at stud.”

John McMahon added that, “his combination of race record, pedigree and high regard for connections of Jeff Bloom and Steve Asmussen convinced us. You never know from where a stallion might come and his sire City Zip started in New York at $7,500 before he moved to Lane's End and became a leading sire. You think about iconic stallions like Storm Cat, Tapit, War Front and Into Mischief and they all stood for $10,000 at one time, and we believe Snapper Sinclair has enough of the right ingredients to become a successful stallion.”

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