Steven Mark Asmussen (born November 18, 1965) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing coach. He is a two-time Eclipse Award Winner for Extraordinary Coach and sworn in to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016. His horses have won the Breeders 'Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Nuted' Cup Distaff, Kentucky Oaks, and Dubai World Cup.
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Asmussen was born in Gettysburg, South Dakota, then moved to Laredo, Texas at the age of two. His father, Keith, is a retired jockey and his mother Marilyn was a coach who became the first woman to win a big horse race race with Vespero in 1978 Kansas Futurity. They now operate the El Primero Training Center and Asmussen Horse Center, breeding and selling operations, both in Laredo. The family is close; Asmussen's grandmother, Helen M. Asmussen, died at the age of eighty-three, on Mother's Day, 2007, and Asmussen attended her funeral instead of going to an interesting postal position for Preakness Stakes which she later won with Curlin. She follows every race her grandchild has entered. Keith Asmussen told Tricia Cortez, formerly of Laredo Morning Times, that his Laredoans did not "have a clue as to how big Laredo is and have been in the horse industry, and after today, it will be four horses. Some of the best horses have been trained and conditioned in Laredo. "
Steve Asmussen's elder brother, Cash Asmussen, currently coach himself, is an Eclipse Award-winning jockey with a championship in Europe.
Asmussen began riding a jockey at the age of sixteen, competing for two years at the racetracks in New Mexico, California, and New York until his height and weight ended his riding career. "Nobody will believe if I do not have a photo to prove it," he said later, after growing up to more than six feet. "My parents are 5'5" and 5'2 "I do not know what happened."
Asmussen graduated from United High School in Laredo in 1985. He and his wife, Julie Marie Asmussen, have three sons.
Maps Steve Asmussen
Career training
Asmussen won his first race as coach in 1986 at Ruidoso Downs. In 1987, he won his first betting with Scout Command at Bessemer Stakes at the Birmingham Race Course. His first tiered victory did not come until 1996 when he took the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs with Valid Expectations. In 1999, he recorded his first Grade I win at Mother Goose with Dreams Gallore.
Some of Asmussen's top horses emerged as a result of his partnership with the late Jess Jackson, a wine businessman who also owns horses and ranchers; Jackson's racing operation is Stonestreet Stables. The couple are campaigning for Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. The other major clients are Winchell Thoroughbreds, who have champions Untapable and Gun Runner.
The three horses that Asmussen trained have won the American Triple Crown race. The first was Curlin owned by Stonestreet, who finished third at Kentucky Derby 2007 but then beat Derby-winner Street Sense to win Preakness Stakes 2007. Curlin then took second place in 2007 Belmont Stakes to nudge Rags to Riches, and went on to take Breeders' Cup Classic in the same year. Curlin will win more Class and Group 1 races in 2008, including the Dubai World Cup, Stephen Foster Handicap and Woodward Stakes. For his achievements, he was crowned as the American Horse of 2007 and 2008.
Rachel Alexandra won Kentucky Oaks 2009 with another coach. He was acquired by Stonestreet after his victory and transferred to Asmussen's barn. Under the new partnership, Rachel Alexandra with jockey Calvin Borel became the first foal in 85 years to win Pitchness Stakes. He will beat the horses again at Haskell Invitational and win over the older men at Woodward Stakes on the way to America's Horse of the Year honors for 2009.
Asmussen also trains the Creator, who won the 2016 Belmont Stake. The Creator's owner chose Asmussen to train the horse because they were impressed by his handling of other children by leading the great Tapit. These include Untapable champions (Kentucky Oaks, Nuted 'Cup Distaff) and Tapizar (Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile).
In 2002, Asmussen was the leading North American coach with a total of 407 victories, a title he has repeated eight times. In 2004, he set a single season record for victory by a coach with 555, exceeding the previous 496 standard held since 1976 by Jack Van Berg. He broke that record in 2008 with 622 wins, then broke it again in 2009 with 650.
In 2008, Asmussen received the Eclipse Award as an Extraordinary Trainer. Not only does he set up a single season for winning numbers, he is also the main coach in North America with an income. His horses won 81 black races, including 19 storied bets.
In 2009, Asmussen received the second Eclipse Award after returning to lead the earnings list and setting a record for the number of wins. "It's very rewarding to have a great run," he said. "It's not like proving anything - it's just fun to win."
On March 28, 2013, Asmussen became the number two coach in North American history with a career victory of 6,418 behind Dale Baird, who earned 9,445 career victories. Asmussen rewarded his assistant coaches, Scott Blasi, Darren Fleming, and Toby Sheets, allowing him to defend divisions in Arkansas, Louisiana, New York and Texas.
Asmussen's candidacy to the rigorous American Race Hall of Fame was presented in 2014 because of allegations by PETA he has committed animal cruelty. Following the conclusion of two state investigations, Asmussen was returned to eligibility for Hall of Fame consideration in 2016, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame that year along with Rachel Alexandra's foal.
Gun Runner is a contender for the American classic race as a three-year-old horse in 2016 and evolved into the oldest horse in 2017 when he won five of six starts including the Breeders' Classic Cup. He also won Stephen Foster, Whitney and Woodward.
On May 5, 2018, Asmussen won an 8,000 with Lookin At Lee at Churchill Downs. Lookin At Lee was second in the Kentucky Derby a year earlier.
PETA controversy
In March 2014, Asmussen and his assistant coach, Scott Blasi, were accused by the Society for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for subjugating horses with cruel treatment and wounding, giving them drugs for nontherapeutic purposes, and having jockeys using electrical devices to shake horses to run faster. PETA filed a complaint with the New York State Games Commission, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and several other local, state and federal agencies. Asmussen told a New Orleans Advocate reporter on March 27 that he should "... respect the process and show patience." Following this report, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame gave the title Asmussen 2014 Hall of Fame nomination. One of his clients, owner and breeder Ahmed Zayat, moved 12 horses he had placed with Asmussen to another coach.
At the weekend of Kentucky Derby 2014 in early May, Asmussen responded to the allegations in an interview with Bob Costas of NBC. In the interview he denied all allegations, noting that it was not in a PETA video suspected of violation of rules or illegal drug use, and stated that Scott Blasi's assistant had been dismissed for his "disrespectful" comments about Ahmed Zayat. Asmussen said, "May I have a chance [to go to court] - and not just defend myself." In response to Costas's follow-up request, he acknowledges that it is possible that he will consider some form of retaliation against PETA. Blasi was rehired by Asmussen a few months later.
On May 22, 2014, the Honey Magazine magazine reported that they had obtained copies of PETA's complaints to the Kentucky Race Commission and a 22-minute video submitted to investigators through a Freedom of Information Act request.. The publication notes that when there is no apparent violation of the "smoking ban" in the video, it is likely that investigators will eventually find something in the recording. However, it was also reported that previously, a nine-minute video titled "Affected Horse Race: Drug and Death" released by PETA on its website has been widely edited. Blood-Horse notes specifically that PETA has moved the audio segment, especially the blast blast from profanity, to run with a completely unrelated video clip.
The Kentucky Race Commission cleared Asmussen and Blasi on January 15, 2015, based on the results of its investigation into PETA allegations. The Commission found that no Kentucky horse racing rules were violated, and no further action was taken. The Kentucky report states that PETA's allegations "have no factual or scientific basis."
The New York State Game Committee reviewed the seven-hour video provided by PETA in addition to other investigations, and announced its findings to Asmussen in a 176-page report released on November 23, 2015. Of the 14 special allegations made by PETA, four minor offenses were sustained, three based on illegal use of synthetic hormones, thyroxine as a feed supplement, and one document offense - yielded a $ 10,000 fine. Another "more serious" charge was dismissed.
References
- Steve Asmussen at NTRA
- Tricia Cortez, "Winner with Nose: Trainer Steve Asmussen Curlin Takes Preakness", Laredo Morning Times , May 20, 2007
- Joe Drape, New York Times News Service, "The Way of Horse Asmussen Powers Being a Horse of the Year", Laredo Morning Times , 30 October 2007
- Asmussen Has a Positive Drug
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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