Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup Buzz: Trainers Discuss The Event’s Greatest Training Feats

It takes an incredible amount of work to get a horse to the starting gate in any race, much less the Breeders' Cup, but some efforts take a little something extra.

In this installment of Breeders' Cup Buzz, we asked current and former trainers for their opinions on the most impressive training feats in the event's history. For some, the answer lied in an individual horse's performance, while others looked at dominance over the course of a card.

Kenny McPeek

“Dick Mandella winning four in a day (at the 2003 Breeders' Cup). I was there that day, and I think even Dick was in shock.”

Mandella's quartet of winners during the 2003 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park were Halfbridled in the Juvenile Fillies, Action This Day in the Juvenile, Johar in the turf, and Pleasantly Perfect in the Classic.

Elliott Walden

“Da Hoss and Michael Dickinson (in the 1998 Mile). He had a long, long time off, and it was a heck of a performance to come off that layoff.”

After winning the 1996 Breeders' Cup Mile at Woodbine, Da Hoss didn't race for 715 days, hampered by recurring injuries that kept halting his progress on the comeback trail. Dickinson finally got the horse right for a return start in a Colonial Downs allowance less than a month before the 1998 Mile at Churchill Downs. He won the race at Colonial Downs, then won by a head in the Breeders Cup; an effort billed by announcer Tom Durkin “the greatest comeback since Lazarus.”

Steve Asmussen

“Wild Again, because he was the first one (to win the Classic).”

Wild Again, trained by Vincent Timphony, made history as the first Breeders' Cup Classic winner in 1984 at Hollywood Park. He raced 16 times that season, winning six, including the G1 Meadowlands Cup, the G2 New Orleans Handicap, and the G2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Chad Summers

“Da Hoss. Training horses is always stressful – training good horses is many sleepless nights – to take a horse who won the Breeders' Cup and not make it back to the races for almost one year – prep in an allowance at Colonial Downs in his only start in a year, and have the confidence off that race to go on to the Breeders' Cup and win it again – I can't imagine what the day-to-day thoughts were and training job Michael Dickinson did to have him ready to go.

“All connections who have run well in Breeders' Cup should be commended but that was the most impressive one to me.”

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Caramel Swirl Returns To Churchill Downs After Raven Run Win

Godolphin's Caramel Swirl, narrow winner of Saturday's Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run over Joy's Rocket, returned to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Saturday night to trainer Bill Mott's barn.

The victory kept Caramel Swirl's record at Keeneland perfect as she had posted a 10¼-length maiden-breaking score at the Lexington, Ky., track in April.

The Lexus Raven Run also featured another bang-up effort by Team Hanley and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Joy's Rocket, who in her other Keeneland start posted a three-length victory in the Songbird Stakes on the Breeders' Cup undercard last November.

“It was a head bob; her head was up and the other filly had her head down at the wire,” said Ronny Werner, assistant to Joy's Rocket's trainer, Steve Asmussen. “She is fine this morning. She ran hard. She loves this track and she showed it when she won that stakes last year.”

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Concept Headlines Field Of Nine For Clever Trevor At Remington

The nation's leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, has entered two of the six 2-year-olds he nominated for the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes to be run at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Friday, Oct. 29, including morning-line favorite Concept.

Concept, a 2-year-old Gun Runner colt out of the Cindago mare Majestic Jewel, broke his maiden while winning the Kip Deville at Remington Park on Sept. 26 at six furlongs. He will be asked to go an extra furlong for the Clever Trevor at seven furlongs and has favored status at 5-2 odds.

Concept had previously finished third in a maiden race at Lone Star Park on July 2 in Grand Prairie, Texas, and fifth in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on Aug. 14. He is owned by Tony Holmes and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell) of Las Vegas. The Gun Runner colt took them wire to wire in the Kip Deville at 9-5 odds.

Gun Runner is the top sire in the country for 2-year-old runners this year. Asmussen campaigned Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner. The Clever Trevor Stakes is a prep race for the $400,000 Springboard Mile on closing night, Dec. 17.

At the top of the heap of the national trainer standings, Asmussen's horses have earned in excess of $25 million this year. His $25,847,214 is tops in the country.

Asmussen's other entry in the Clever Trevor is a maiden winner, Hern, 10-1 on the morning line. He is another 2-year-old Gun Runner colt, out of a Distorted Humor mare, Sweet Opportunity. He has raced only three times, breaking his maiden at Remington Park on Sept. 8.

Feel the Fear and El Pando were made co-second morning-line favorites for the Clever Trevor, one coming off a stakes win in Iowa and the other an extremely impressive maiden win in his career debut. Both horses were set at 3-1 odds in the morning line.

Feel the Fear is 2-for-2 lifetime out of trainer Austin Gustafson's barn for owner Forge Ahead Stables (Kevin Kuta) of Ashland, Neb. Ramon Vazquez will be the third jockey to get aboard and try to extend that streak to three wins. Lane Luzzi rode him to a maiden win at Lone Star Park and then Kevin Roman got in the irons for the colt's win in the $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. Feel the Fear is a son of Honor Code, out of the Kitten's Joy mare Fresh Feline. He was bred in Kentucky by Lazy F Ranch. Feel the Fear is the top money-earner in the field with $79,140 in his bankroll.

El Pando won at first asking in a maiden race at Remington Park by 8-3/4 lengths with three-time defending champion jockey David Cabrera up, and is trained by rookie trainer Jaylan Clary. She has been impressive in her first official year of training with 12 starters and seven of them running in the money. This colt by Outwork, from the Speightstown mare Queen Negwer, covered five furlongs in a swift :57.74 in the maiden victory on Sept. 15. He is owned by the trainer, Clary of Brock, Texas, and was bred in Kentucky by Mike Abraham.

Chrome Baby (6-1), a Kentucky-bred by 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, showed major improvement in his second start, winning by 5-1/4 lengths in open maiden company. He is lightly raced with only two starts against Remington Park maidens for owners Levings Racing (Brian Levings) of Edmond, Okla. He was bred in Kentucky by Taylor Brothers Properties and George Saufley, et. al. He not only was sired by a Kentucky Derby winner but Chrome Baby's dam (mom), Star Super, is by Super Saver, who won the run for the roses in 2010.

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Here's the field from the rail out with post, horse, jockey, trainer, and odds.

Malibu Thunder, Obed Sanchez, Terry Eoff, 20-1
Feel the Fear, Ramon Vazquez, Austin Gustafson, 3-1
Revenir, Danny Sorenson, Danny Pish, 20-1
El Pando, David Cabrera, Jaylan Clary, 3-1
Hern, Leandro Goncalves, Steve Asmussen, 10-1
Kentucky Bourbon, Jose Alvarez, Dallas Keen, 15-1
Chrome Baby, Richard Eramia, Bret Calhoun, 6-1
Speightsville, Carlos Montalvo, C.R. Trout, 8-1
Concept, Stewart Elliott, Steve Asmussen, 5-2

Remington Park racing continues, Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:07 pm Central.

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Asmussen, Cox Horses Lead List Of Nominations For Clever Trevor At Remington

The nation's leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, has nominated six 2-year-olds for the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint to be contested at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Friday, Oct. 29.

The Clever Trevor serves as the last local prep event for the $400,000 Springboard Mile, run on the final night of the season, Dec. 17.

Asmussen's horses have earned in excess of $25 million this year. His $25,667,467 is tops in the country with Brad Cox second at $24,149,520. Cox has nominated two juveniles to the Clever Trevor.

There were 34 total nominations to the Clever Trevor with Asmussen leading the way. Other trainers with multiple noms include Dallas Stewart with five; Austin Gustafson, three, and Scott Young, Terry Eoff, Michael Biehler, Bret Calhoun, and Ronnie Cravens III with two each.

Asmussen's six nominees are Kip Deville Stakes winner Concept, Chattalot, Hern, Royal Tap, Down Cold, and Briar. Concept and Chattalot appear to be Asmussen's top two nominated here.

Concept, a 2-year-old Gun Runner colt out of the Cindago mare Majestic Jewel, broke his maiden while winning the Kip Deville at Remington Park on Sept. 26, on the undercard of Oklahoma Derby Day. He had previously finished third in a maiden race at Lone Star Park on July 2 in Grand Prairie, Texas, and fifth in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on Aug. 14. He is owned by Tony Holmes and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell). Concept took them wire to wire in the Kip Deville at 9-5 odds.

Gun Runner is the top sire in the country for 2-year-old runners this year. Asmussen campaigned Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner. Gun Runner's top 2-year-old in training is Echo Zulu, who has won the Frizette Stakes and Spinaway Stakes, both Grade 1 events. She will likely be the favorite in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race and is owned by L&N Racing of Tulsa, Okla.

Chattalot is an undefeated colt by Midnight Lute, out of the Kingmambo mare Mamboalot. He has won both of his career races, one at Saratoga in upstate New York and the other at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Neither of those races came against stakes company.

Hern is another 2-year-old Gun Runner colt, this one out of a Distorted Humor mare, Sweet Opportunity. He has raced only three times, breaking his maiden at Remington Park on Sept. 8, his last race. Five of Asmussen's six noms are Kentucky-breds. The only one that is not is Royal Tap, who was bred in Texas.

These horses figure to be strong contenders to win the Clever Trevor if they are entered (trainers in parenthesis) – Rowdy Rascal (Boyd “Jobe” Caster), Chrome Baby (Calhoun), Feel the Fear (Gustafson), Kaely's Brother (Cox), Keep Your Promise (Donnie Von Hemel), Stan's Miracle Man (Gustafson), Tejano Twist (Calhoun), and Unified Report (Stewart).

Rowdy Rascal, a gelding by Den's Legacy, out of the Affirmatif mare Dancing Diva, just won the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile at Remington Park on Oct. 15 after breaking his maiden here on Sept. 18. He is owned by JT Stables (Theresa Moore) and was bred in Oklahoma.

Chrome Baby, a Kentucky-bred by 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, showed major improvement in his second start, winning by 5 1/4 lengths in open maiden company. He is lightly raced with only those two starts for owners Levings Racing (Brian Levings) of Edmond, Okla.

Feel the Fear, a Kentucky-bred Honor Code colt out of the Kitten Joy's mare Fresh Feline, won the Prairie Gold Juvenile on Aug. 14 at Prairie Meadows. He is owned by Forge Ahead Stables (Kevin Kuta).

Kaely's Brother is a colt by Twirling Candy, out of the Yes It's True mare Policy of Truth, that races for Cox. The Kentucky-bred broke his maiden at Keeneland on Oct. 9 as the 3-2 favorite.

Keep Your Promise is a filly who broke her maiden by five lengths on Sept. 3 from trainer Donnie Von Hemel's barn here at Remington Park. She is a Kentucky-bred by Broken Vow, out of the Geri mare Bedanken. She is owned by Pin Oak Stud.

Stan's Miracle Man is on a three-race win streak out of Gustafson's barn, but none of the three wins was against stakes horses. The Texas-bred son of Run Away and Hide, out of the Mineshaft mare Platinum Blue, is owned by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Tejano Twist ran second to Concept in the Kip Deville as the even-money favorite. Calhoun trains this Kentucky-bred gelding by Practical Joke. He has been the runner-up in stakes events in his last two starts. He also ran second at Colonial Downs near Richmond, Va., in the $100,000 Rosie's Stakes. He is owned by Tom Durant of Grapevine, Texas.

Unified Report, a Louisiana-bred by Unified, out of the Closing Argument mare Closing Report, won his only start by one length in a maiden race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Remington Park racing continues next week with a Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 20-23, schedule. First post time is 7:07 p.m. each night.

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