Asmussen, at 50, focused on future

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Horse trainers are forever taking stock. It’s a professional prerequisite given the transitive nature of the job.

Steve Asmussen, as much as anyone, lives in a perpetual state of analysis, primarily as it relates to how his horses are doing and what they’ll be doing next. But on the occasion of his 50th birthday Wednesday, just moments after dropping off his three sons at school in their suburban Dallas neighborhood, Asmussen was asked by phone to stop for a moment and take stock of his own life.

“I’ve been amazingly blessed,” he said.

Indeed, he has. With 7,154 winners through Tuesday, Asmussen is the leading active trainer in North America in that category, with only the late Dale Baird (9,445) having won more races in North American history. Even considering his low points – a six-month suspension in 2006 and the infamous PETA scandal of 2014 – his career, on balance, has been nothing short of phenomenal, as he has become a man of wealth and fame.

What motivates Asmussen, however, is not what he has done but what he still has to do. The opening of the long Fair Grounds meet this week and the waning days of the Churchill Downs fall meet should ensure that Asmussen will have plenty of opportunities to keep his skills honed.

“We’ve got quite a few to run at Churchill before we ship out” to Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park, he said.

Asmussen has a particularly strong group of 2-year-olds in his barn, including Stageplay and Gun Runner. Both are unbeaten after two starts apiece and figure as strong contenders in their respective races on the Nov. 28 Stars of Tomorrow card, the Golden Rod and Kentucky Jockey Club.

“It’s a pretty good step up for both of them, but I think they’re up to it,” said Asmussen. “We should have two very good chances.”

Asmussen said Nickname, Whence, and Terra Promessa are among those being prepared for 3-year-old campaigns, while Union Jackson, a 3-year-old colt scratched from an allowance during Breeders’ Cup week at Keeneland, will show up in the entries again soon.

Untapable, a 2014 champion, is currently at the Kesmarc facility near Lexington, Ky., and whether or not she races next year at 5 “is something to be decided by” owner Ron Winchell and racing manager David Fiske, said Asmussen.

In the meantime, Asmussen was hoping to take a deep breath until putting the hamster back on the proverbial wheel. He was planning to celebrate his major milestone with a quiet evening at home.

“The perfect birthday – a family dinner,” he said.