Columnist Ralph Siraco: Steve Asmussen breaks win total for trainers

Ralph Siraco

Monday, Nov. 22, 2004 | 12:42 p.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

With the Breeders' Cup championship races in the history books, attention is now concentrated on the annual records as the year-round horse racing season makes it into the final month.

Although there are still some important graded stakes races yet to be run, most unfinished business for 2004 lies in the stat race. With the exception of the Hollywood Futurity that is scheduled to bring together Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko and a field of foes waiting to knock off the juvenile favorite, most award-winning equine accomplishments have already been decided.

And, it seems at least one statistical award was wrapped up over the weekend, as well.

Steve Asmussen broke the all-time single-year record for victories by a trainer. The 39-year-old conditioner broke the 28-year-old record of Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, who saddled 496 winners in 1976.

Asmussen is the Wal-Mart of horse race trainers. He is a volume dealer.

On Saturday, he started a career-high 30 horses. In one day!

The Asmussen stable -- which currently has 180 horses ready to race --stretches the contiguous 48 states from coast to coast. His record-setting day started around noon Central time when he started runners at the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs. Although his typical day consists of about 15 to 20 starters, Asmussen, who also started runners at Aqueduct in New York and Hawthorne in Illinois, shipped 13 horses to Sam Houston Park for the Saturday night Texas Champions Day card. The racing program was highlighted by nine state-bred stakes races.

Asmussen won five races on Saturday. His record-equaling victory came in the third race at Sam Houston when Expect Will won the $50,000 Groovy Stakes. But the record-setting victory did not come until about 10:15 p.m. Central time. The milestone victory came at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

Asmussen sent Coronado Rose to compete in the $50,00 Delta Belle at the unassuming southern race track. She prevailed by a neck to give her trainer the new record of 497 victories.

On Sunday, Asmussen won the $100,000 Valley Stream at Aqueduct with a promising 2-year-old filly named Megascape. Number 498 ... and counting.

In a late October interview, trackside at Lone Star Park during their Breeders' Cup meeting, Asmussen was asked about the record and his personal goal. Taking the picture after another victory in the winner's circle, Asmussen said his year-end goal was 500 wins. Obviously, he knew that would bypass the old record on the way to his benchmark.

Asmussen started his personal quest for the record after a nip-and-tuck year in 2002. That year the title came down to the final days when he topped trainer Scott Lake 407 to 399 wins. Lake -- who is trailing Asmussen this year by more than 50 wins -- took last year's races-won title, again in the final days, edging Asmussen 454 to 452.

When Asmussen realized that the record held by Van Berg was 496 wins, he thought, "We can do that."

The "we" he referred to is a crack staff of assistants and owners that have given him the opportunities to reach the goal. Although Asmussen owns many of the horses in his operation, the Asmussen success story is a family affair. Back at the sprawling Texas ranch are generations of Asmussens that include his father and brother, former jockey Cash Asmussen.

Steve was not on hand at Delta Downs for the record victory. Instead, he watched on television at Sam Houston Park. While he allowed a moment to bask in the accomplishment, Asmussen immediately reflected on Van Berg's career beyond the record. He counted 11 years between the time Van Berg set the record and his victory with Alysheba in the 1987 Kentucky Derby.

When Van Berg set the 1976 record he saddled 2,362 horses; Asmussen sent 2,043 to the track through Saturday to break the record. Asmussen hopes he can also cut down on the eleven years between his record this year and a first Kentucky Derby win.