The memory is now nearly 45 years old but still vivid. As he awaits his son Keith’s Kentucky Derby (G1) debut on May 4, Steve Asmussen recalls the excitement surrounding his brother Cash’s first running of the rose in 1979.
“At that point in my life, playing on this stage was a dream,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “And that’s what I’ve been pursuing ever since.”
Then 13 years old, Asmussen eventually outgrew the jockeys and became the first American trainer to win 10,000 races. His career earnings of more than $440 million are second only to Todd Pletcher on the lifetime list. Yet Asmussen’s pursuit of the prize of preeminence in American racing has proved both elusive and painful. In 25 attempts, his closest call was a painful one, caught from behind, losing by three-quarters of a length. Epicenter to the impossible Rich attacks in 2022.
During the 150th Derby on Saturday, he said, “I’m hoping for a killer heat wave.”
Asmussen will rest assured Follow the ghost , 20-1 at the light line, for jockey Joel Rosario. His 25-year-old son, Keith, would make another 20-1 shot, Steel only , for the Honorable D. Wayne Lukas. Although the odds of Asmussen winning this year’s race appear high, their bloodlines suggest an eventual breakthrough.
Keith Asmussen’s grandfather, also Keith, was a successful Quarter Horse jockey for nearly four decades, riding for Lukas before the Hall of Fame trainer switched to Thoroughbreds and sired more than 200 stakes win at the family’s Laredo, Texas training facility.
“Horses are and always have been our ONLY business!” Asmussens.com says.
Cash Asmussen won the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice jockey in 1979, won three Derby horses and made such a splash in France that Sports Illustrated in 1983 dedicated a Five-page profile of his overseas exploits. (That story devoted just a single sentence to the man who would become America’s winningest trainer: “Steve started riding last year; this winter he’s been a jockey apprentice at Aqueduct.”)
Asked to compare the training methods of Lukas and his father, the younger Asmussen said: “I think Wayne works a little more in the morning and my dad works a little slower. But from a rider perspective, I think both are the same.” pinnacle of sport.”
Keith Asmussen replaced Ramon Vazquez on Just Steel ahead of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and finished second in that prep race behind Bob Baffert Muth . With this effort, Just Steel earned a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 112.
As of May 1, Asmussen had won 53 races in 2024 and was 10th among North American jockeys with earnings of nearly $4.3 million.
“He has a really good pedigree to be a horseman,” Lukas said. “Physically, he was not strong (as a jockey). He was too tall (5-foot-10), too skinny. But he was very good at riding, so he overtook We often say in athletics, ‘They look good’ in the lobby.” He doesn’t look so good in the hallway. He looks better on the horse.”
Jones is smart in 2004; Mario Gutierrez on I’ll have another one in 2012 and Sonny Leon in Rich Strike in 2022.
“When you put these riders in a 20-horse field, the whole game changes,” Lukas said. “None of these horses have ever been in a 20-horse field. None of these riders have ever raced in a 20-horse field this year. This is all new. It’s going to be a race.” racing is completely different. Horse racing has become very important.
“I hope when they start playing ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ and marching there in the parade afterward that it doesn’t affect (Asmussen). I think he’s that kind of kid. He’s very sure of myself. I’ll outline some strategies; I feel like after all this time, I think I’ve figured out some of the things you can and can’t do. So I’ll point through some strategy, but. then I will release him.”
Keith Asmussen is also scheduled to ride the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Lemon Muffin in the Kentucky Oaks
Steve Asmussen said he agrees with that approach “1,000 percent” in a race as congested and chaotic as the Kentucky Derby, relying too much on pre-race instructions can cost a jockey fall into a dangerous situation.
“In a normal race, if you’re half a step slow, you can lose three or four positions,” says Keith Asmussen. “In the Derby, there are eight or 10 places. With the number of horses in the race, there’s not much margin for error. I’m just hoping for a smooth ride.”
Lukas said Keith Asmussen, considering his size, was “very good” at riding, but his “real asset” was his intelligence. “He drives really smart,” Lukas said. “He makes very good decisions. … I really feel comfortable with him.”
He compared his belief in Asmussen to that of the Triple Crown winner’s son justification to the trust he placed in young Gary Stevens, who rode his first Derby horse for Lukas in 1985 and took home his first Derby win with Filly Winning Colors in 1988.
“No one knows who he is,” Lukas said. “He couldn’t even get a mount at Santa Anita and now he’s in the Hall of Fame. So I don’t think I’m giving up much with Keith. I feel really satisfied. Yes a lot of horsemanship in the background.” .”
“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” said Keith Asmussen. “It’s the level of racing you always aspire to compete at.”
That was the dream his father pursued all his life.
