Steve Asmussen

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out double-digit year-on-year gains as its second Book 2 session concluded Thursday night with yet another son of Gun Runner leading the way. Through four sessions of the 12-day auction, 671 yearlings have grossed $307,639,000. At this same point a year ago, 640 head had sold for $252,528,000. Asked about the gross surpassing the $300-million mark after day four, Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach laughed and said, "It's...

Standing out in the back of Keeneland's pavilion, agent Cash Asmussen signed the ticket on a colt by Not This Time at the second Book 2 session of the September sale. Acting on behalf of Texan Richard Drake, the former European champion rider extended to $1.4 million for the Taylor Made Sales consigned colt. The first foal out of the Tapit mare Definitive, hip 1066 was bred Summer Wind Equine.

5th-CD, 120k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:45 p.m. ET Our Forefathers (Constitution), a $1.2-million KEESEP yearling purchase by the Searing family's C R K Stable, makes his career debut for trainer Peter Eurton. The chestnut was produced by the Street Sense mare Via Veritas, who hails from the extended female family of GISWs Magnum Moon, Harmony Lodge, et al. Luis Saez rides. The deep field of 12 also includes: Tiz Authority (Tiz the Law), an $825,000 OBS April breezer debuting for Flatland Racing Stable and trainer Chris Hartman; and fellow firster...

In a day good for the runners who made the pace, Johnny's Red Storm (Twirling Candy) made every pole a winning one and took home the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Stakes Sunday afternoon. The George Weaver charge came into this race off a sterling debut Aug. 3 at Saratoga, where he similarly took a field of auction-price restricted maidens gate-to-wire by four lengths. Training well in New York since then and shipped down for the race, the betting public liked him to the tune of 8-5 odds, and he was...

The GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes is carded as the anchor for Monday's Labor Day festivities, which marks the last set of races for the season upstate. A scan through the past winners of the top-level affair over the past 25 years include a strong list of future sires. How about for starters Sky Mesa (2002), First Samurai (2005), Shanghai Bobby (2012) and Competitive Edge (2014)? More recently Practical Joke (2016), Mind Control (2018), Basin (2019), Jackie's Warrior (2020), Gunite (2021) and Forte (2022) got their picture taken before heading...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- When a barn is lucky enough to have a horse like Dornoch (Good Magic), the goal, naturally, is to find another one. A year ago, trainer Danny Gargan won the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes with the talented 3-year-old. After Saturday's sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old colts, Gargan was not about to proclaim he has found the second coming of Dornoch, but, hey, a guy and his partners can dream, can't they? At the end of the seven-furlong...

Snow Face Princess (Midshipman), Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton August Digital sales topper for Winchell Thoroughbreds, will head to Kentucky Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed to the TDN Wednesday. The recent winner of the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 17 will stretch out just a bit and target the $1-million Untapable Stakes Sept. 7 going 6 1/2 furlongs for her new connections. Winchell Thoroughbreds, whose Ron Winchell co-owns the unique track in Franklin, KY, bought the 2-year-old daughter of Crusin Alone (Honor Code) for $775,000 Tuesday. Snow Face Princess, who...

Ellis Park Racing & Gaming closed its 25-day summer season Sunday on a high note, generating $77 million in all-sources handle, a 6% increase over last year's record. "All of us at Ellis Park are truly grateful to both our local community and the broader horse racing community for their incredible support this summer," said Steve Roof, general manager of Ellis Park Racing & Gaming and Owensboro Racing & Gaming. "This shared enthusiasm drives our momentum forward and reinforces Ellis Park as one of the premier summer tracks in the...

4th-ELP, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:16 p.m. ET. Peter Blum homebred ELITE (Into Mischief) makes her first start for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Out of Flawless (Mr. Greeley), the 2-year-old is a full-sister to current sire Authentic. Also drawn in the same race is Gary & Mary West homebred Fashion Designer (Into Mischief), who is trained by Brad Cox. Her dam Beach Walk produced current sire Life Is Good and GSW Most Wanted (Candy Ride {Arg}). Woodslane bred Sister Troienne (Munnings) is a Brian Lynch trainee whose own dam is...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Stradale (c, 2, Yaupon) lost just about any chance in the opening furlongs of his highly anticipated debut at Saratoga July 19 and still ran a remarkable race to finish third. The word was out on the $285,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling turned $1.3-million OBS April breezer (:9 4/5*) and he was hammered down to 4-5 favoritism in his unveiling for owner Kaleem Shah and Hall of Fame...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 08/18/2025 Licensee: Anna Meah, trainer Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Admission. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (Gastrogard)—a Class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Trouble Ahead on 7/9/25. Date: 08/15/2025 Licensee: Agustin Gonzalez Jr., trainer Penalty: 7-day...

Like an everlasting gobstopper, Swamp King (Silver State--El Piba, by Lookin At Lucky) kept going to best his opponents at second asking in a Pea Patch maiden on Sunday. Getting his picture taken was the signal that his freshman sire celebrated his first winner. Owned by Claiborne Farm, the dark bay made his first start over the grass at Ellis and was well-beaten July 21. Fitted with blinkers and off as a 5-1 shot here, the 2-year-old bided his time along the rail as a scramble for supremacy between longshots...