Asmussen practically a part of Volatile's family

Volatile, by Violence, has an explosive name – and he exploded onto the scene with a victory in the Aristides Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs. But trainer Steve Asmussen has a long and harmonious history with the family of the rising star, having conditioned his dam and granddam to sprint stakes victories as well.

:: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales

Volatile won the Aristides, his stakes debut, by eight lengths, finishing the six furlongs in 1:07.57, just .02 of a second off the track record of 1:07.55, established by Indian Chant in an allowance race in July 2007. Volatile earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 112, the top number of 2020 to date.

“He is a tremendous talent,” Asmussen said. “His family means a lot to me with his second dam, Lady Tak, who we trained and won the Test. We’re hoping this horse shows the same kind of affinity toward races like that as she did.”

Volatile’s granddam, the millionaire Lady Tak, won 10 of her 19 starts. She was trained by Asmussen for Heligbrodt Racing Stable, an outfit Asmussen has a long association with. In recent years, he has trained champion Mitole and Grade 1 winner Mia Mischief for Bill and Corinne Heligbrodt.

The speedy Lady Tak won seven stakes, including the Grade 1 Test Stakes over Kentucky Oaks winner Bird Town in 2003. She ran the seven furlongs in 1:20.83, less than a half-second off Darby Creek Road’s track record of 1:20.40, established in 1978. Lady Tak, a four-time graded stakes winner, added another Grade 1 at Saratoga the following year, when she won the Ballerina.

The Heligbrodts and Hill ‘n’ Dale bred Lady Tak’s daughter Melody Lady, by Unbridled’s Song, and offered her for sale as a Keeneland September yearling. Hill ‘n’ Dale purchased her for $150,000 to buy out the partnership and formed a new partnership to race her with Edward McGhee. Asmussen saddled Melody Lady to wins in 2 of 6 starts, highlighted by the 2013 El Paso Times Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Melody Lady has now produced two stakes winners, both by Hill ‘n’ Dale stallion Violence, and both trained by Asmussen. Hill ‘n’ Dale and co-breeder Stretch Run Ventures sold the mare’s filly Buy Sell Hold to Kirk and Judy Robison as a yearling. She went on to win the 2017 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes and finished third in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes the following year. Now, along comes full brother Volatile, who was purchased from the breeding partnership for a lofty $850,000 by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys at Keeneland September. The colt won three of his first four starts before the Aristides, each time with increasing Beyers. A 7 1/2-length allowance win in April at Oaklawn, earning a 101 Beyer in his 2020 debut, punched his ticket into stakes company in the Aristides.