Saratoga Steve Asmussen Breaks Record, Becomes All-Time Winningest North American Trainer August 7, 2021 Credit: NYRA / Chelsea Durand Saratoga Steve Asmussen Breaks Record, Becomes All-Time Winningest North American Trainer August 7, 2021 By: Press Release email Share: share on facebook share on twitter share on linkedin email this article SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen became the all-time winningest thoroughbred trainer in North America when he won the 9,446th race of his career on Whitney Day at Saratoga Race Course, eclipsing the mark of 9,445 victories held by the late Dale Baird since 2007. Del Mar Full Card Plays Available Now There’s a reason we’re the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. Find Out Why Asmussen, who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016 and won the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer in 2008 and 2009, broke the long-standing record when Stellar Tap won the day’s fifth race, a 7-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds. “To be surrounded by people you love and who love you, and you have a common goal, it’s impossible to put into words what horse racing means to me and my whole family and to all the employees. They’re family and they know so and are treated as such,” said an emotional Asmussen in a winner’s circle ceremony.” L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Stellar Tap, a first-time starter with Ricardo Santana Jr. in the irons, tracked the early speed of Brigadier General through the opening 1/4-mile before taking command and extending his lead to 5 1/4 lengths at the finish. Stellar Tap winning at Saratoga (Credit: NYRA / Susie Raisher) “How fitting to do this with a 2-year-old owned by the Winchells and who came through Mom and Dad’s farm in Laredo and on Whitney Day. I was definitely blessed,” Asmussen said. “I’m very proud of where I came from and don’t ever want to forget it. It makes you who you are. I love to be able to share this with my parents.” Bred in Kentucky by Moyglare Stud Farm, Stellar Tap was purchased for $250,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Sent to post at odds of 5/1, Stellar Tap returned $13 for a $2 win bet. “I’m very grateful to be the one who helped him break the record. He’s a part of the family. He took me in since I was a little kid and he’s really shown me a lot of support throughout my career,” Santana Jr. said. “I was really happy with that baby. I went by the barn this morning and I told Steve how much I liked the horse. He was working crazy good.” Steve Asmussen leads Stellar Tap and Ricardo Santana Jr. into the Saratoga winner’s circle (Credit: NYRA / Chelsea Durand) Asmussen has trained the Horse of the Year 4 times (Curlin in 2007-08, Rachel Alexandra in 2009, and Gun Runner in 2017), and conditioned 7 Eclipse Award winners in Curlin, Rachel Alexandra, Gun Runner, Untapable, Mitole, Midnight Bisou, and My Miss Aurelia. His record-setting 9,446 victories include 7 Breeders’ Cup wins, encompassing 2 in the Classic with Curlin in 2007 and Gun Runner a decade later in 2017; 2 Preakness wins with Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009; and 1 Belmont Stakes win with Creator in 2016. Asmussen, 55, took out his jockey’s license at age 16, and after growing out of the saddle, he became a trainer in 1986. He won his first race that year at New Mexico’s Ruidoso Downs with Victory’s Halo and earned his first stakes score in 1987 with Scout Command in the Bessemer Stakes at the now-defunct Birmingham Race Course in Alabama. His first graded stakes victory was with Valid Expectations in the 1996 Derby Trial (G3) at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. His first Grade 1 score came with Dreams Gallore in the 1999 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park. Steve Asmussen poses with Stellar Tap and Ricardo Santana Jr. in the Saratoga winner’s circle (Credit: NYRA / Chelsea Durand) Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, he has recorded almost 46,000 starts for purse earnings of more than $361 million at tracks across the country. Asmussen and his wife, Julie, are the parents of sons Keith, Darren, and Eric. He is the son of Keith and Marilyn Asmussen, who own and operate the El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas, and is the younger brother of the 1979 Eclipse Award-winning Apprentice Jockey Cash Asmussen.
Kentucky Downs and Del Mar Picks & Previews | Blinkers Off 683 The Racing Dudes preview and give picks for this weekend’s… Read More
Kentucky Downs Pick 5 Preview | The Magic Mike Show 565 The Magic Mike Show guys preview & give their tickets… Read More
College Football Picks & NFL Tips | Dudes Who Bet Sports 205 Aaron & Papa Dude give their College Football picks for… Read More
Pacific Classic 2024 Picks and Rapid-Fire | Blinkers Off 682 The Racing Dudes preview and give picks for Saturday’s $1… Read More
Del Mar Pick 5 Preview | The Magic Mike Show 564 The Magic Mike Show guys preview & give their tickets… Read More
Kentucky Downs Picks | Turf Sprint Stakes 2024 [Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint] Aaron previews the 2024 Turf Sprint Stakes (G2) at Kentucky… Read More
Kentucky Downs FREE Win Picks | September 7, 2024 Get our FREE win picks at Kentucky Downs on September… Read More
Del Mar FREE Win Picks | September 7, 2024 Get our FREE win picks at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club… Read More
Kentucky Downs Exacta Picks & Plays | Turf Cup Stakes 2024 [Breeders’ Cup Turf] Dr. Miranda gives her exacta picks & plays from the… Read More
Rocket Picks 🚀: Del Mar, Kentucky Downs, & Gulfstream Park for September 7, 2024 Let’s kick off another big day of horse racing with… Read More