One of the newbies to watch out for is Steven Asmussen as one of the promising horse race trainers today who wants to make it big in horse racing tournaments. He will start with the Kentucky Derby, which will take place in May and possibly complete the Triple Crown Series, joining the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
He will send three entries to the 2020 Kentucky Derby, and all of them will take their debut runs. If one of them will win, then Steven might have one of the most significant achievements when it comes to his horse racing career.
Can he and his entries pull-off an excellent derby performance? Let's get to know more of him and his three thoroughbreds that will saddle up in Churchill Downs this May.
Steven Asmussen Profile
Steven Asmussen is an American horse race trainer and a former jockey who's based in Laredo, Texas. He won two times in the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer, and his notable achievement was a recognition he got from the National Museum of Racing, where he became a Hall of Famer.
Throughout his racing career, his horses have won several racing shows, including the Preakness Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic, Belmont Stakes, Dubai World Cup, and Kentucky Oaks. The only racing tournament where he had not won any placements was the Kentucky Derby.
As of today, he tallied a total of 8,000 career wins, which is already an excellent record for a horse trainer. Asmussen is one of the highest-paid horse race trainers in history. That's why a lot of farms want to hire him in training their horses.
While Steven has achieved a lot of horse racing recognitions, his goal right now is to bag a win from the Kentucky Derby to complete his Triple Crown records. It is why he sent three entries to the Derby to make sure that one of them might end up winning, which will give him that honor.
Hence, let us get to know more about these three racers who are part of the recent Kentucky Derby 2020 expert picks that might help Asmussen clinch his first Kentucky Derby accomplishment.
Shoplifted
Shoplifted is Asmussen's first entry in the upcoming Kentucky Derby. He is bred by Machmer Hall, Carrie Brogden & Craig Brogden, who tallied total earnings of $400,500 in his entire racing career.
On July 27, 2019, he joined the Maiden Special Weight in Saratoga, where he won the first place. After that, he then proceeded to Runhappy Hopeful Stakes, where he got second place. Things were looking good for Shoplifted and won the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park. All these achievements have helped Asmussen to send Shoplifted to the Derby.
Halo Again
Halo Again will take a debut run in the 2020 Kentucky as the second entry of Steven Asmussen. He is bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton Racing LLC, who tallied total earnings of $139, 725. He had joined three races in the past, two of which were championship titles.
Halo Again took part in Maiden Special Weight at Churchill Downs on October 27, 2019, where he placed first. He successfully heads on to Woodbine, joining the Coronation Futurity and took home the first prize. After that, he joined the Lecomte Stakes but only placed 8th.
Silver Prospector
Silver Prospector completes Asmussen's list of entries to compete in the 2020 Kentucky. This horse racer is bred by Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm, LLC, and has total earnings of $263, 051. He had a colorful seven racing starts, which comprises of two first places and third places.
He got his first achievement after winning the Maiden Special Weight on October 13, 2019, at Kneeland. He then attended the Street Sense Stakes and placed third. After that, he joined the Smarty Jones Stakes, where he ended up in fourth place. His last award was a title he got after joining the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
Takeaway
The race is finally on for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, and each horse race trainer is already preparing their horses to saddle up in Churchill Down this May. Besides, the Kentucky Derby this year hopes to bounce back and offer better results compared to last year that ended in controversy.
Therefore, as Steve Asmussen sends three Kentucky Derby hopefuls this year, can he complete his U.S. Triple Crown achievements seamlessly? We'll look forward to that.