Hall of Fame Rescinds Asmussen Nomination

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has taken Steve Asmussen’s nomination off the table, according to a one-sentence statement released Friday morning by the organization. The news comes in the wake of a story published in Thursday’s New York Times, which detailed an undercover investigation carried out in Asmussen’s barn in 2013 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Two of the story’s revelations came via videotaped conversations of assistant trainer Scott Blasi discussing the poor condition of the Zayat-owned Nehro’s feet with a blacksmith, and a profanity-laced tirade in which Blasi blamed owner Ahmed Zayat for keeping the horse in training. 

“Based on pending investigations by the New York State Gaming Commission and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission into allegations made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and reported by various media outlets, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has decided it is in the best interests of the institution and the sport of Thoroughbred racing in general to table the 2014 Hall of Fame nomination of trainer Steve Asmussen,” the statement read.