Asmussen pointing three horses to Lecomte Stakes

Since Steve Asmussen trains a full barn of horses through late autumn, winter, and early spring at Fair Grounds, and the Asmussen stable is heavily populated by talented young stock, you might guess that Asmussen has found plenty of success in the Lecomte Stakes, Fair Grounds’ first dirt-route stakes for 3-year-olds.

That would be incorrect. Asmussen hasn’t won the Lecomte since Z Fortune captured the 2008 renewal, but he plans to start three horses in the 2020 Lecomte, the anchor of Fair Grounds’ multi-stakes card on Jan. 18.

Asmussen said in a text message early this week he plans to enter Excession, Halo Again, and Silver Slate in the Lecomte, which will be contested over 1 1/16 miles. Asmussen also has Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club winner Silver Prospector working at Fair Grounds, but the Lecomte’s not the spot for him or for sharp Sugar Bowl Stakes winner Gold Street.

Excession, a Calumet Farm-owned colt by Union Rags, is a one-time winner from six starts and most recently finished third in a Jan. 21 two-turn, sloppy-track allowance race behind Lynn’s Map and Mr. Monomoy, both of whom are being pointed to the Lecomte.

Halo Again won his debut over seven furlongs on dirt at Churchill Downs before scoring a neck victory in the $225,000 Coronation Futurity for Canadian-foaled 2-year-olds over nine furlongs at Woodbine.

Silver State probably was the most advanced of the trio as a 2-year-old, dead-heating for first place in his Sept. 27 career debut with Relentless Dancer, that pair more than nine lengths clear of the third-place horse. Relentless Dancer, trained by Mike Maker, returned to crush Louisiana-bred stakes horses at Delta Downs. Silver State, a Hard Spun colt owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, came back in a Nov. 30 one-turn mile allowance race at Churchill Downs and, though he lost by a nose to Necker Island, gained a wealth of experience racing inside and behind horses before coming between rivals in upper stretch and just missing a second win.

Finite returns in Silverbulletday

Finite, who enters 2020 near the head of the 3-year-old filly class based on her 2-year-old form, will get her season started Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds in the Silverbulletday Stakes, Asmussen said.

Finite, a Winchell Farms homebred by Munnings out of Remit, finished second in a pair of Saratoga maiden sprints on dirt, cleared the maiden ranks in a Kentucky Downs 6 1/2-furlong sprint, then won the one-turn-mile Rags to Riches at Churchill by six lengths and the Grade 2 Golden Rod there by three-quarters of a length to cap her 2-year-old season.

Finite won’t face British Idiom, who will be named 2-year-old filly champion of 2019 later this month, since trainer Brad Cox is aiming her at the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds. Cox also trains the very promising Taraz, whose next-race goal hasn’t been publicly revealed but who seems unlikely to start in the Silverbulletday since Cox plans to run the filly Portrait there.