Steve Asmussen

Back in the States and resurfacing on the worktab for the first time since his G1 Dubai World Cup heroics, Winchell Thoroughbreds's Magnitude (Not This Time) breezed at Churchill Downs Saturday morning. Out to work an easy half-mile, the Steve Asmussen trainee was clocked in :51.20, the 86th fastest move of 96 at the distance. It was his first published workout in North America since returning from Meydan. Also working four furlongs, among others from the barn, was MSW Braken Poppa (Aurelius Maximus), who is undefeated in 2026 from four...

With the announcement that Golden Tempo (Curlin) will be skipping the GI Preakness Stakes, the GI Kentucky Derby winner's jockey Jose Ortiz has picked up the mount on Chip Honcho (Connect) in the May 16 Classic. Ortiz rode the Steve Asmussen-trained colt to his maiden win at Churchill Downs last November. Paco Lopez rode the colt to victory in the Dec. 20 Gun Runner Stakes and Luis Saez was aboard for his runner-up effort in the Feb. 14 GII Risen Star Stakes and fifth-place finish in the Mar. 21 GII...

The 2025-2026 Oaklawn Park racing season concluded Saturday with across-the-board gains, the track announced Tuesday. Across 62 race days, Oaklawn conducted 627 races, an increase from 621 races last season, while distributing $54,477,160 in purses with a daily average purse of $878,663. With an average of just over 10 races per day, Oaklawn put an average of 8.81 starters in the gate per race. The average daily handle rose to $6,938,183, an increase over last year's $6,737,332, generating a total meet handle of $430,167,353--surpassing last season's total of $417,714,571. On-track...

Corporate Power (Curlin) out-finished the veteran Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and a closing Baeza (McKinzie) to earn his first graded stakes win in Friday's GII Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs. The 5-1 shot, making his third start here for trainer Steve Asmussen, was last second by just a half-length to classy Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar (Star Guitar) in the GII New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds March 21. As a 3-year with Shug McGaughey, he tried his hand on the Triple Crown trail with a narrow win in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico....

8th-OP, 110K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 5:32 p.m. Windancer Farm went to $1.05 million to acquire SKYFORGE (Gun Runner), the full-sister to MGISW and young sire Cyberknife, at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Dam Awesome Flower, herself an earner of over $556k on track, sold for $1.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2022 with Skyforge in utero. She's also responsible for another stakes horse in Bath House Row runner up Tapit Shoes (Tapit). Steve Asmussen will leg up son Erik for the debut. TJCIS PPS

3rd-CD, 120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, 1:45 p.m. A deep field of juvenile fillies headlines Wednesday's action at Churchill Downs with trainer Steve Asmussen and owner/breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds debuting a pair of daughters by their champion Epicenter. Drawn side by side, JUST EPIC is the more well-bred of the two, being a daughter of GSW Just Wicked and therefore a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP Wicked Halo (Gun Runner). She breaks inside of Epicure who is out of a winning half-sister to GSW/GISP Great Stuff (Quality Road) and GSW Coffee In...

Chip Honcho (Connect), winner of the Gun Runner Stakes and a close second in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds will bypass the GI Kentucky Derby in favor of the May 16 running of the GI Preakness Stakes, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. With the defection of Chip Honcho, GSW Litmus Test (Nyquist) will now drawn in for the big race. The colt's Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was asked early on Saturday morning what "Plan B" was if...

3rd-GP, $68k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:54 p.m. ET Godolphin homebred Delightfully (Tapit), a full-sister to two-time champion and promising young sire Essential Quality, kicks off her career for Brad Cox. She is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Cox will also saddle second-time starter Nahla (Authentic), a half-sister to GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. winner Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator). The Shadwell Stable colorbearer and $550,000 KEESEP yearling finished second on debut going two turns at Tampa Feb. 28. TJCIS PPs 6th-KEE, $110k, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:40 p.m. ET The rail-drawn Mashallah...

Maybe a touch earlier than expected, the rematch that the horse racing world pined for has arrived as reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will once again square off against the 2025 GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday. Both colts will be making their much-anticipated 4-year-old debuts in Hot Springs. Sovereignty turned in a spectacular season last year when he won the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GI DK Travers Stakes. The Bill Mott trainee came down with a...

Last year's OBS June topper Feminism (Curlin) became the latest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for her super-sire with a professional debut at Oaklawn Park Thursday. A $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling grad turned $975,000 OBS 2-year-old after breezing in :10, Feminism drew outside in a field of nine and broke nicely with the frontrunners to establish position as the pack sorted themselves out through the opening furlong. Sandwiched in a three-wide charge down the backstretch wtih Muskoka Katt (Vekoma) to her inside and Blondie'sincharge (Global Campaign) on the...

6th-OP, $110K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 4:25 p.m. ET. FEMINISM (Curlin) makes her first start for trainer Steve Asmussen. Initially a $200,000 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling buy, the filly posted a 10 flat breeze during OBS June, then sailed through the ring to become the sales topper when Gus King took her home for $975,000. The first-time starter is out Mufajaah (Tapit), who had a fair amount of success visiting the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle at Oaklawn where she won, among other races, the GIII Bayakoa Stakes. The dam of eight...

Golden Tempo (Curlin), third in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star S. Feb. 14, will race with first-time blinkers in Saturday's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. The Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' was an eye-catching, come-from-behind winner of his first two career starts, including the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 17. He rallied from seventh to complete the trifecta in the Risen Star, finishing six lengths behind Paladin (Gun Runner). "He made a really nice run in the Risen Star and...