Asmussen to try for fifth Mother Goose win with Clairiere
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen’s first Grade 1 stakes victory came in the 1999 Mother Goose Stakes with Dreams Gallore. The Hall of Fame trainer has since won the race three more times with the likes of Rachel Alexandra (2009), Untapable (2014), and Midnight Bisou (2018).
Saturday, he’ll go for a fifth victory in the Mother Goose – downgraded to a Grade 2 beginning in 2017 – with Clairiere. A daughter of Curlin out of the Grade 1 winner mare Cavorting, Clairiere won the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds in March. Most recently, she finished fourth behind Malathaat in the Kentucky Oaks, beaten three lengths.
“I was actually a little disappointed in it,” Asmussen said. “When you’re around her, you expect her to win.”
Clairiere has made all of her starts around two turns. The Mother Goose is run at 1 1/16 miles around one turn.
“I think she’ll love it,” Asmussen said.
Others expected for the Mother Goose include Always Carina, Illiogami, Maracuja, and Zaajel.
Meanwhile, Silver State worked a half-mile in 50.20 seconds on Sunday at Churchill Downs. It was his first work since winning the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont. Asmussen said Silver State would work again Sunday at Churchill before vanning on Monday to Saratoga, where he is under consideration for the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7.
Max Player, sixth in the Pimlico Special last month, worked five furlongs in a sharp 1:00.36 over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban, Asmussen said.