Trainer Steve Asmussen hung up the top finishes of any of
the trainers during the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships Friday and
Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
His one win and three seconds outranked the rest of the
field and made for smiles and easy conversation on Sunday morning. “I’m very
proud of our team and the way the horses ran.
“I’m really happy Tapizar won. Four bridesmaids might have
been a bit much.”
His take on My Miss Aurelia’s near-miss in Friday’s Ladies’
Classic: “I don’t really know how you describe heartbreak and pride in the same
situation. But those were my feelings.”
Overall, all six of his horses earned a check. Great Mills
was fourth in the Turf Sprint and Justin Phillip was fifth in the Sprint.
All of the Breeders’ Cup runners were in good shape Sunday,
Asmussen said. Dust and Diamonds was on an airplane on her way to Kentucky for
Tuesday’s Fasig-Tipton breeding stock sale.
Another major beneficiary of the Asmussen record was jockey
Corey Nakatani, who was aboard Tapizar, My Miss Aurelia and Unbridled’s Note.
Of his victory on Tapizar, Nakatani said, “Ten Breeders’ Cup
wins – not bad for an old hacker.” His win and two seconds moved him ever
closer to the retired Gary Stevens for eighth place on the Breeders’ Cup money-
won list. Nakatani now has earnings of $12,813,910 to Stevens’ $13,723,910.