Steve Asmussen

Morello obliged as the 7-5 favorite in Sunday's Jimmy Winkfield S. to become the third black-type winner from his sire (by Pioneerof the Nile)'s first crop. A $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile off a good-looking :10 1/5 breeze, the chestnut opened his account with a clear-cut victory going a furlong shorter here Nov. 27 and was flattered when the runner-up came back to win well himself while improving by 17 Beyer points. With an upbeat interim worktab on display, Morello broke alertly from the outermost five post before being allowed to...

Represented by a pair of flashy 3-year-old maiden winners at Oaklawn Park, owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong have been on quite a nice run at their hometown track the past two weekends. Favorite Outlaw (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Coco Belle, by Storm Boot) earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure--the highest rating of any sophomore so far this season--after airing at second asking by 3 1/2 lengths for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen going six furlongs Jan. 29 (video). "We're very pleased," said Alex Lieblong, who heads his own investment firm in...

9th-Fair Grounds, $58,000, Msw, 1-22, 3yo, 6f, 1:11.65, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. FEROCIOUSLY (c, 3, Violence--Brinkley {SP}, by City Zip), sent off the 5-2 choice while facing a pair of seven-figure purchases, settled in a close-up second behind 9-1 chance Vintage Vinyl (Maclean's Music), who led through :22.15. Meanwhile, $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton grad Vincoe (Quality Road), sent off at 7-2, tried to make a grab for the lead along the inside but had the door slammed in his face, and soon found himself in last, about six lengths off the front....

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-OP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:51 p.m. ET The first of two strong-looking groups of sophomore fillies line up here in Hot Springs. Brad Cox-trained second timer Firewolves (Practical Joke) gets the tepid morning-line nod coming off a runner-up outing over track and trip Dec. 3 that earned her a 75 Beyer Speed Figure. The $140,000 Keeneland September yearling is half to MGSP Tap for Luck (Tapit) and to the dam of GSW/GISP Jeltrin (Tapizar). Peace Peddler (Gun Runner) set a solid pace in...

Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Winchell Thoroughbreds' hard-knocking Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) face each other for the fifth time in their career, each using Saturday's GIII Louisiana S. at a possible steppingstone to the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh Feb. 26. Mandaloun makes his first start since a late-season injury derailed any hopes of making the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Winner of half of his six starts at three, the bay was upset by Midnight Bourbon in the GIII Lecomte S. on this program last year...

Much to the delight of owner/breeder Rustlewood Farm and trainer Mark Casse, Pappacap (Gun Runner) will face nothing of the quality of the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' and likely Eclipse Award winner Corniche (Quality Road) when he makes his sophomore debut in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at the Fair Grounds. The homebred was off the board just once from five runs in 2021, winning the GII Best Pal S. by open lengths at second asking before completing the exacta underneath the OBS April topper when beaten 3 1/4 lengths...

8th-TAM, $31K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 4:22 p.m. WinStar Farm, CHC Inc. and Siena Farm's SHINNECOCK HILLS (Quality Road) debuts for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Out of Princess Aspen (Birdstone), the colt realized $600,000 at the Keeneland November sale in 2019. Getting first time Lasix while stretching out, Giant's Fire (Gun Runner) finished third in his career debut going six panels here Dec. 23. Trained by John Terranova II, the chestnut was a $510,000 KEEESEP buy for Robert Baker and William Mack. TJCIS PPs 6th-TAM, $31K, Msw, 3yo, 1m...

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley The announcement from Equibase that handle on U.S. racing in 2021 set a nine-year high with over $12 billion bet was understandably well received. During a year where an awful lot went wrong for the sport, at least the wagering numbers were healthy. But, and sorry to rain on the parade, we need more information before we can celebrate. How much was bet is only part of the story. We need to know where the bets were made and by whom. If the...

The favorite to land an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey of 2021 will begin his 2022 push at Oaklawn. Joel Rosario is named on seven horses Friday, which will mark his first day as a regular in Hot Springs and first action since suffering a hairline fracture of a rib when he was unseated shortly after the finish of a Dec. 2 race at Aqueduct. Rosario ($32,944,478) was eyeing a single-season North American record for purse earnings before the injury. Now healthy, Rosario's return to the saddle will...

Eleven significant events from the last 12 months of Thoroughbred racing in North America are up for the 2021 FanDuel Racing NTRA Moment of the Year, a distinction determined by fan voting and recognized at the Eclipse Awards. Voting is now open on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website, NTRA.com, and via Twitter, where every retweet or use of the official hashtag for the moments as presented on the @NTRA account will be counted as one vote. Votes for the poll must be submitted by Feb. 2 at 11:59...

Steve Asmussen captured his 17th Remington Park training title--and sixth in a row--while Danny Caldwell won the owner's title for the second consecutive time and 12th time overall when the Oklahoma track concluded its season last Friday. "I'm obviously very blessed to have had all the opportunities I've had a Remington Park and I'm very thankful," Asmussen said. "Pablo [Ocampo] has been with me to handle all the horses and he deserves a lot of the credit." Caldwell is Remington Park's all-time winningest owner. "I'm proud to say this is...

8th-OP, $102K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($80K), 3yo/up, 5 1/2f, 4:46 p.m. ET Nearly a year after suffering his first defeat in last winter's GI Runhappy Malibu S., China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's NASHVILLE (Speightstown) will return to the races as a likely prohibitive favorite in this sprint at Oaklawn. Starting his career with a devastating 11 1/2-length romp as a 3-10 favorite in the Saratoga slop last September--easily good enough for 'TDN Rising Star' honors--the $460,000 Keeneland September proved that was no fluke with an effortless 9 3/4-length allowance score...