Asmussen, Casse looking to end Churchill meet with stakes wins

Asmussen, Casse looking to end Churchill meet with stakes
wins

Churchill Downs will wrap up its 2015 spring meet in style with a stakes-laden menu (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography) Four-time Bashford Manor S. (G3)-winning trainer Steve Asmussen relishes the opportunity to try maiden Show Bound (Warrior’s Reward) on dirt in Saturday night’s 114th renewal of the six-furlong sprint for juveniles. Show Bound weakened to third in his career debut on June 7 at Belmont Park, a five-furlong sprint on grass. Sent to post as the 3-2 favorite in a field of seven, the Kentucky-bred was hooked in a speed duel from the inside with eventual winner and Bashford Manor rival Shoot Craps (Trappe Shot), who shook free with an eighth of a mile to run. Show Bound finished 2 1/2 lengths back in third while Shoot Craps went on to set a new course record of :57.63. So does Asmussen expect Show Bound to move forward on Saturday? “Yes, more than anything because of the move to the dirt,” Asmussen said. “We went through a weird little lull here right in the middle of the meet where we couldn’t get a (two-year-old) maiden race to go for about three weeks and that’s why he ran in New York on the grass. I wanted to get a race into him before the Bashford Manor. I wasn’t trying to get a Warrior’s Reward a win on the turf; I wanted a race in him because he’s a big, heavy colt that I thought would need one.”

On Saturday night, Shoot Craps will break from post
five as the 2-1 second choice on the morning-line with Show Bound on the outside
in the field of eight juveniles as the 5-2 third choice. Churchill Downs
maiden winner He’s Comin in Hot (Early Flyer) is the 9-5 favorite and breaks from the rail.

“(An) inside (draw) versus outside is all dependent on the
individual and I don’t think that bothers our horse at all,” said Asmussen, who
also entered Sapphire Storm (Primal Storm). “Show Bound doesn’t show a
preference either way in the mornings. He’s a very mature horse, mentally and
physically.”

A Bashford Manor win by Asmussen on Saturday would
equal Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ record for the race. Asmussen won
previous runnings of the storied race with Lunarpal (2004), Kodiak Kowboy
(2007), Kantharos (2010) and Cinco Charlie (2014).

Two races following the Bashford Manor, Sky Flight (Sky Mesa) is one of the
more intriguing entrants in the 26th
running of the $200,000 Firecracker S. (G2) going one mile on the Matt Winn Turf
Course. The lightly-raced four-year-old will break from post 2 and is the 7-2 third
choice on Mike Battaglia’s morning-line.

Not at original nominee, Sky Flight was
supplemented to the race for $6,000 and will be making his first start in 154
days. He hasn’t raced since a neck third behind Lochte (Medaglia d’Oro) and Old Time
Hockey (Smarty Jones) in the Tampa Bay S. (G3) on January 24. In his previous start on
December 20, the Kentucky-bred bay beat 11 rivals to win the Tropical Park
Derby.

“Really, we want to give him a race before heading up to
Saratoga,” said Norman Casse, who runs the Kentucky string for his father, Mark.
“He was in last week but the race came off the grass (and was scratched). You
know, if he runs his best race he can win the race. More or less, we just want
to give him a race before we head up north.”

Churchill
Downs will offer a special all-stakes 50-cent Pick 4 on Races 6-9
Saturday, comprising the Bashford Manor (6TH race at 8:30 p.m.
EDT); $100,000 Debutante S. (7TH race at 9:05 p.m.); Firecracker
(8TH race at 9:39 p.m.); and $70,000 Kelly’s Landing overnight stakes
(9TH race at 10:11 p.m.). The ultra-competitive sequence, which asks bettors to
pick the winners in each race, features 36 runners.

The theme for Saturday night’s “Downs After Dark” is “Boots, Brew & BBQ” in which guests are
encouraged to break out their best cowboy and cowgirl duds to enjoy draft beer,
specialty cocktails, BBQ food trucks, mechanical bull rides, “Bet or No Bet” (Races 6-9) and live music by Nashville artist Justin
Adams.

Admission gates open Saturday at 5 p.m. and the first of 11 races is 6
p.m. with the season finale set for 11:10 p.m. General admission for
Saturday night’s spring meet finale under the lights is $10. Reserved seats can
be purchased in advance online at
ChurchillDowns.com.

Racing on the Kentucky circuit
shifts to Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, for a 31-day meet that begins Friday,
July 3. Racing will be staged there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:50
p.m. through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

Live racing returns to Churchill Downs on Thursday, September
10, for a 12-day September Meet every Thursday-Sunday for three weeks through
Sunday, September 27.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com