Asmussen still riding high over Belmont win
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The whirlwind existence of Steve Asmussen brought him from New York to Louisville on Sunday, and contrary to his usual itinerary, there won’t be any quick trips home to Texas this week.
“School’s out, so Julie and the boys will be here Friday on their way to Saratoga,” said Asmussen, referring to his wife and three sons.
Fresh from his exhilarating victory Saturday with Creator in the Belmont Stakes, Asmussen was still accepting congratulations early Monday at Churchill Downs while tending to normal training business. He watched two of his other stable stars, Untapable and Gun Runner, go through final breezes toward their respective races on the big Stephen Foster Handicap card that will help kick off the unofficial second half of the racing season here Saturday night.
Both horses went an easy half-mile, with Untapable going in 50 seconds and Gun Runner just a tick slower. Untapable likely will be odds-on in the Fleur de Lis Handicap, and Gun Runner will be an overwhelming favorite when he preps for the July 31 Haskell in the Matt Winn Stakes.
“We’re spot on with both of them, absolutely,” said Asmussen. “I feel very fortunate about how everything’s going, very blessed.”
In the postrace euphoria on the NBC Sports broadcast of the Belmont, Asmussen made a point of using the first names of several of the assistant trainers in his far-flung operation in expressing his gratitude for his stable’s phenomenal success. On Monday, he reiterated the importance of their help in getting Creator into the Belmont winner’s circle. Their names are Scott Blasi, Darren Fleming, Toby Sheets, and Galen Pruitt.
“Creator touched all of them,” he said. “I left him in the care of each one of them at one time or another. I’m very proud of the whole team and how this came together.”
Creator is getting a brief freshening at WinStar Farm and will rejoin the stable at Saratoga, where Asmussen and his best horses will be heading shortly after the Churchill spring meet ends July 2.