2022 Eclipse Awards: Steve Asmussen

At 57, Steve Asmussen is slowing down.

During 2022, his far-flung racing stable started a mere 2,155 horses. Sure, that’s about 350 more than the next-highest total for a North American trainer and about 750 more than the third highest, but it’s also 272 fewer than Asmussen ran during 2021, and a pittance compared to Asmussen’s busiest year, 2008, when he had 3,002 starters. In 2008, Asmussen had 650 winners. During 2022? Just 382.

Imagine it – more than one winner a day all year and it works out to be 268 fewer than your high-water mark. But that’s Steve Asmussen, Hall of Famer, win machine. As of Jan. 5, he was closing hard on 10,000 career winners, with 9,966 already in the books.

Asmussen won 10 more races during 2022 than Karl Broberg, the second-leading trainer. Broberg’s stock banked $7.8 million, Asmussen’s $28.6 million. That’s called playing on a different level. And that’s Asmussen’s uniqueness: He plays on all levels. Asmussen won 98 claiming races, along with 95 maiden special weights, 90 allowance races, 34 ungraded stakes, and 22 graded races.

:: Full list of 2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

The totals are astronomical, the stable performance metronomical. He has an 18 percent strike rate during 2022, which is right in line with the last 17 years: Since 2005, Asmussen’s win rate has been from 17 percent to 22 percent.

And this percentage – 50. There exist Eclipse Awards in eight dirt categories and Asmussen trained finalists in half of them: Clairiere, Echo Zulu, Epicenter, and Jackie’s Warrior.

No wonder the man himself is one of three who could be 2022’s champion trainer.

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