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Trainer Steve Asmussen under the lights at Woodbine
Concorde's Dance had just pulled off a convincing victory in the eighth and final race on the card and I was surprised to see Asmussen pose in the winner's enclosure with the filly. Asmussen politely agreed to answer a few questions as we exited the track and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the man is as much in awe of Rachel Alexandra as the rest of the racing world.
What follows is a simple rundown of the interview which I'm happy to report felt much more like two racing fans talking horses.
TDH: You have such a big presence at Woodbine. How do you like racing here in Canada.
SA: At Woodbine, I think that the quality of the horses and the purse money they get to run for is obvious. We're just trying to improve our presence here all the time.
TDH: I'm writing a story about winning. You're a high-percentage trainer. What's your secret?
SA: I'm a volume trainer. As far as high percentage, we float around 20-21 percent. Placement, just try to have them in against horses they're faster than.
TDH: How important is it to have a good team.
SA: Especially given the size of our organization it's essential. I'm blessed with a lot of good people who put in a lot of effort and just try to do our best to take care of horses as good as we can and run them in spots they have a shot to win.
TDH: Despite all the success, is there a race out there you're still hoping to win.
SA: Yeah, the Kentucky Derby. (Laughs.) I grew up in South Texas running quarter horses and thought I always wanted to win the All American Futurity and I haven't done that either. You'll always have a white buffalo so to speak.
TDH. Has it sunk in yet how great Rachel Alexandra is?
SA: It's funny, I was standing up at the rail this morning and I texted my wife, "Rachel won", just because I was thinking about it so fondly. It's just such a great moment to relive. She's so special and I'm so proud of her.
TDH: Her spot in history is cemented. In a perfect world, what more would you like to see her do?
SA: To this point it has worked perfectly. It's so hard to put into words just how it feels, but I just think of what other people say leaving the races. We went back to the barn and Julie (Asmussen's wife) and the boys were in the car and they said it was like the movie Dreamer only it really happened. The build up, the coverage of it, it felt so surreal that it really happened.
TDH. I wrote in my blog that after Rachel won the race it was like a spaceship landed. People were wandering about the track asking, "Did you SEE that?"
SA: That's one of the things that's exciting to me. I've never seen that many people happy leaving the races. It was a great moment. I read about the race afterwards and someone said, "She had ten reasons to lose and she didn't use any of them." I've been very fortunate to be involved in racing and I've never been anywhere that many people were on one horses side.
TDH Is there a favourite moment?
SA: You can think of so many different little things. When we walked back (to the stable) after she won and she walked down the track the opposite way. The crowd smushed up against the fence and it looked like a wave. It was 20 or 30 deep. It was amazing.
TDH: How do you top that?
SA: I don't. That's very special and I don't want to top it. I want to have other ones. That one stays in its own little spot.
TDH: I would be remiss if I didn't ask you what's up next for Rachel Alexandra.
SA: We're just very much exhaling right now and enjoying what just happened.
Rachel Alexandra cools off after a hard fought win in the Woodward
Two days following the interview Asmussen scored his 5000th career victory when Passion Rules won the seventh race on a Friday afternoon card at Woodbine. As for Rachel Alexandra, the entire racing community is exhaling and enjoying the moment. Hopefully Asmussen and his filly will have a few more moments to share in 2010.
5 comments:
Nice post Keith! Loved it!
Great interview, Keith!
Nice get! His description of the crowd that day is right on.
Good interview, Keith.
Thanks for all the kind words, folks.
Mr. Asmussen was a real gentleman and it's always good to hear someone talk about the horses in a way that makes you realize that they LOVE what they do.
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