Steve Asmussen

Smidgeon (f, 2, Jack Christopher), overlooked at 7-1 in her five-furlong unveiling at Churchill Downs Saturday, shot out to the front beneath Keith Asmussen and kicked for home as the one to catch. She let it out a notch in the stretch and kept on finding down the lane to graduate by 1 3/4 lengths. Energy Flows (Constitution) was a narrow second over favored House Boat Party (Flightline). Smidgeon, a $20,000 Keeneland November weanling, $60,000 Keeneland September yearling and $300,000 OBS March breezer, is the second winner for her freshman...

5th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 2:45 p.m. ET. As TDN's Bill Finley reported earlier this week, Horse of the Year Flightline (by Tapit) has his first foal ready to hit the track at Churchill Downs on Friday. GREENWELL was a $500,000 buy for Greg Tramontin during the 2025 Keeneland September Sale. Sent to trainer Mark Casse, the Flightline colt is out of MGSW Cambodia (War Front), who is a half-sister to the dam of GSW Danse Macabre (Army Mule). Also set for a start is another Keeneland grad in Grand...

Magnitude (Not This Time) continued preparations for the upcoming GI Stephen Foster S. with a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.80 (12/16) at Churchill Downs Sunday. The Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer has now posted five workouts for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen--all beneath the Twin Spires--since defeating the globe-trotting 2025 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) by a length in front-running fashion in the G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Mar. 28. "Very impressive horse, continues to train forwardly," Asmussen said. "Have two more scheduled workouts between now...

3rd-CD, 120K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:43 p.m. After bringing just $125,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2024, PRESIDE (Tiz the Law) impressed the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds enough at the 2025 OBS April Sale to inspire a $1.5-million bid after working in :10 flat. Out of a stakes-placed half-sister to Canadian champion female sprinter River Maid (Where's the Ring), the 9-2 morning-line shot debuts for trainer Steve Asmussen and enters off a solid gate drill May 31 (four furlongs in :47...

With June around the corner, the graded stakes calendar heats back up as Churchill Downs hosts its Stephen Foster Preview on Saturday. The local prep for the June 28 running of the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, the GIII Blame Stakes is one of six higher-level races on the card and could be deemed as wide-open. Wathnan Racing's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has the class edge though. The 2025 winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup returned to Meydan back in late March, but was unable to duplicate the feat....

The June 6 GI Belmont Stakes has lost two potential starters as the trainers of Potente (Into Mischief) and Chip Honcho (Connect) have declared their horses out of the race. The news was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's David Grening. Trainer Steve Asmussen told Grening he is not sure where Chip Honcho will run next. Trained by Bob Baffert, Potente will run next in the GIII Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 7. Potente, winner of the GII San Felipe earlier this season, was last seen...

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Dubai World Cup Magnitude (Not This Time) continued his preparation toward the GI Stephen Foster on June 27 with a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.60 Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Magnitude worked just after 6 a.m. ET on a fast track. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.80, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. "He worked great this morning," the Hall of Famer said. "I'm very happy with how he's doing and really looking forward to the matchup in the Stephen Foster." Magnitude began...

A son of Corniche (hip 473) became the third juvenile to reach seven figures at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale when Susan Montanye signed the ticket at $1 million to acquire the colt on behalf of Lee Ackerley Tuesday. The juvenile will be trained by Steve Asmussen. "Steve Asmussen was here and he watched the breeze and picked this horse out for Mr. Ackerley," Montanye said. "He went back to the track today and called and asked if I would bid on the horse on behalf of them." The bay...

In his first race back since a runner-up effort in the mid-February running of the G3 Saudi Derby, Obliteration (Violence) gave another strong performance in the Chick Lang Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday. Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', last year at Churchill Downs when his connections unveiled him June 12, the Steve Asmussen trainee has only been out of the money once in his career. That single miss came in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, where he finished a respectable fourth behind fellow 'Rising...

LAUREL, MD--With the first two finishers in this season's Kentucky Derby opting to bypass the Preakness Stakes, something that hasn't happened in a quarter of a century, a full field of 14 readies to earn Classic glory in Saturday's second jewel of the Triple Crown, which will be staged at Laurel Park for the first, and quite likely, the only time. Despite the absence of what looks like the divisional leaders at this point, the 151 renewal of the Preakness Stakes offers a competitive group of 3-year-olds. One of this...

Chip Honcho (Connect) had his final major tune-up for the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes when he worked four furlongs in :50.20 (39/47) at Churchill Downs Sunday. Exercise rider Luiyi Ortiz was aboard for the work, which was one of trainer Steve Asmussen's typical easy half-mile moves the week of a race. Chip Honcho's big work came May 2, when he worked five furlongs in 1:00.00 (1/14). "I think we're in a very good place with him right now," said Asmussen, who won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and...

Undefeated Taj Mahal (Nyquist) has been all the rage in the lead up to the GI Preakness Stakes, and his move Saturday morning will have done nothing to cool those feelings as the Brittany Russell trainee posted his fourth consecutive bullet move. Sent out to work five furlongs with exercise rider Alex Beitia aboard, he went in company with stakes winner Regalo (Maximus Mischief) early in the morning at 6:15am. Taj Mahal cruised through splits of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, :36 2/5, and :48 flat while leading his workmate throughout....