Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will be looking to close out a memorable Remington Park meet on Saturday night when he sends out three horses, led by Grade 3 winner Spice Runner, against the unbeaten Arctic Beast in the $300,000 Springboard Mile. The race offers Kentucky Derby points, and Spice Runner already has 11 by virtue of his win in the Grade 3 Iroquois in September at Churchill Downs and his fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity in October at Keeneland. The first five finishers from the 12-horse Springboard Mile earn Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1. The race is the centerpiece of a card that features six stakes worth a total of $625,000. First post for the meet’s final program is 5 p.m. Central, with the Springboard to be run under the lights as the 12th race at 10:26 p.m. Asmussen, the runaway leader in the local trainer standings, registered his 11,000th career win earlier in the meet and has had multiple-win days with his son, jockey Erik Asmussen, in the saddle, including a four-bagger last Thursday. Erik will be aboard Time for Music for his father in the Springboard, while Ramon Vazquez has the mount on Asmussen trainee Way Beyond and Stewart Elliott will ride Spice Runner. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Arctic Beast could go favored after winning his three career starts by a combined margin of more than 13 lengths. His victories include the Aspirant and New York Breeders’ Futurity, both at Finger Lakes. Those races came against New York-breds, as did his debut victory at Saratoga. Arctic Beast will be making his first start at two turns Saturday. “I thought the mile was a good distance to start him out,” said trainer Mike Maker. “And it’s a nice purse to get started outside of statebred company.” Arctic Beast, a son of Yaupon, was a 5 3/4-length winner of the New York Breeders’ Futurity in his last start on Oct. 13. “The last few races, he beat the same horses twice in a row,” Maker said. “Those races carried nice purses. He was heavily favored. Now, he’s got to face open company and a two-turn mile. We’ll see what he’s made of.” Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount from the rail for Paradise Farms Corp. and JP Racing Stable. “He’s got the inside and I would expect him to be forwardly placed,” Maker said of Arctic Beast. Spice Runner will start from post 7 as he seeks his second stakes win after taking the Iroquois by a head. “I love the mile for him,” Asmussen said. “He’s a Grade 3 winner at a mile already. The Springboard is obviously a very important race on our calendar, and I think he’s a very nice horse to have to run in it.” In his last race on Nov. 29, Spice Runner finished a troubled seventh in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill. “He needs to get away from the gates cleanly, which he hasn’t in his last two races,” said Asmussen. Spice Runner is a son of Gun Runner who races for his breeder, Winchell Thoroughbreds. Way Beyond made his two-turn debut last out and was fourth in the $100,000 Jean Lafitte on Nov. 26 at Delta Downs. “I thought he finished up fairly nicely and earned a chance here,” said Asmussen. Way Beyond, who drew post 8, is a son of Twirling Candy who races for Ed and Susie Orr. Time for Music will start from post 2. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “This is his first two-turn race,” Asmussen said. “He did run second going a mile last out, but it was a one-turn mile at Churchill in a [first-level allowance]. He’s a great big horse that has run considerably better every time he’s started.” Time for Music earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 74 for his effort in the mile race. The figure is the second-best last-race number in the Springboard behind Arctic Beast’s 79. “I thought his race was encouraging,” Asmussen said. “We felt if he could represent well there, the timing of the Springboard would be good for him. Trainer Kenny McPeek will start Supreme Good off an 8 1/2-length maiden win in a mile race Sept. 25 at Aqueduct. “He’s doing super,” McPeek said. “I think that’s a good spot for him.” Christopher Elliott, the son of Stewart Elliott, has the mount in what sets up as a father-son showdown within the Springboard. Royalamerican enters off back-to-back wins in statebred stakes at Remington, one at six furlongs and the other at a mile. David Cabrera has the mount for trainer C.R. Trout. Essential Time won the local prep, the $150,000 Clever Trevor, in September. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.