Asmussen hopes to continue Juvenile Mile trend with Jas
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FRANKLIN, Ky. – The 2-year-old colt Jas lost his career debut, won second time out on opening weekend at Kentucky Downs, and is entered right back Wednesday in the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile.
That should ring a bell.
In 2023, Aspenite lost his career debut, won for the first time at the start of the Kentucky Downs meet, and won the Juvenile Mile at the end of it.
In 2024, Tiztastic lost his debut, won at the beginning of the Kentucky Downs meet, then captured the Juvenile Mile.
Steve Asmussen trained both those horses, and he also trains Jas. A pattern is starting to emerge.
The Kentucky Downs morning line lists Jas at 6-1 facing a dozen foes in the Juvenile Mile, and he’d be worth a bet in that price range.
The Juvenile Mile drew no standouts. Eleven intended runners have no more than a maiden win to their credit, and Ireland shipper Otherworldly enters as a three-start maiden. Only How’s Al Today, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, has two wins to his credit – and he’s a clear contender, too.
How’s Al Today won his debut racing 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt June 4 at Churchill, but he spun his wheels to some extent finishing a distant third Aug. 1 in the Saratoga Special. Trainer Riley Mott worked the colt on turf at Saratoga, sent him here to Kentucky Downs, and How’s Al Today dominated a 6 1/2-furlong contest restricted to horses that passed through the Keeneland September yearling sale of 2025. He looks like a decent candidate to get a mile, but that’s mere speculation at this point.
Asmussen’s two recent Juvenile Mile winners came out of the same sales-restricted race that How’s Al Today won, but Jas is different.
Asmussen started Jas out going 1 1/16 miles in an Aug. 1 Ellis Park maiden turf race, where Jas finished a chilly sixth. The colt, by Justify, might not have loved a yielding course, but Asmussen said Jas was going to need that first race regardless of conditions. Asmussen ran Jas over one mile here Aug. 29. Jas showed speed from the rail and, traveling like a winner from the start, drew clear to score by four lengths. Keith Asmussen has a return call, and Jas does not need the lead to be effective.
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Joseph O’Brien trains Otherworldly as well as the second horse from Ireland, One Number, and neither horse looks especially competitive. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought Otherworldly after the first of his three races, but the colt has failed to progress since a promising debut. One Number has run against a couple group stakes types but needed four tries to win a maiden race, doing so in modest company going wire to wire over the all-weather surface at Lingfield Park. One Number wore cheek pieces for the first time in his Lingfield win and will add blinkers for his American debut.
Culpable got a favorable trip pressing a slow pace winning his debut in a Saratoga maiden turf route, and three horses come out of Ellis Park wins in the same kind of race. Caribbean Warrior set an easy pace and made the most of it, his lead dwindling at the finish. Sir Hansen looked more impressive, a long-striding colt who dead-heated in his July 19 debut with Good to Be King, who returned to be second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint on Aug. 29. Public workout video from Sir Hansen’s breeze Aug. 21 at Churchill might discourage support, but in his defense, Sir Hansen, a turf horse, was working on dirt.
Agate is the third Ellis turf route winner and might be the best of them. His trainer, Kelsey Danner, said Agate’s castration in late April went amiss, that the horse lost a lot of blood in a scary episode, and still was putting weight back on when he debuted in a turf sprint short of his best trip on May 21. Agate got away slowly, raced near the tail of the field, but mounted a good stretch rally and galloped out in front. Stretched to one mile, Agate settled nicely just off the pace and galloped home a 4 1/2-length winner July 5. Danner said jockey Umberto Rispoli jumped off the horse impressed and asked to ride him back.
Wish granted, but Agate still has Jas to handle, and Jas is on that proven Asmussen pattern.
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