Although outpaced in stakes victories among trainers by a 4-1 margin by Mike Maker May 14-15 at Pimlico Race Course, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen finished ahead of Maker to claim the top prize of $50,000 in the Maryland Jockey Club's Preakness weekend stakes participation trainer bonus program. It was the third time in the five years of the program that Asmussen has been first.
Points were accumulated for trainers when their runners finished first (10), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three), and fifth through last (one). With 11 starters and five runner-up finishes in addition to one victory, this structure led Asmussen to earn 54 points, ahead of Maker, who earned 43 points with seven starters.
On Saturday, Asmussen ran first and second with Mighty Mischief and Jaxon Traveler in the Chick Lang Stakes (G3) and also finished second with Midnight Bourbon in the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1), Strike Power in the Maryland Sprint Match Series Stakes (G3), and Casual in the Runhappy Skipat Stakes. Boldor finished fourth for Asmussen in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes.
Willful Woman 's runner-up effort in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) was Asmussen's best finish with five horses on the Friday program. He was also third with Arm Candy in the Hilltop Stakes, fifth with Abrogate in the Miss Preakness Stakes (G3), sixth with Max Player in the historic Pimlico Special Match Series Stakes (G3), and seventh with Another Broad in the Allaire DuPont Distaff Match Series Stakes (G3).
To be eligible, trainers had to run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend, not including the UAE President Cup Stakes (G1) for Arabians. The bonus program favors trainers with large stables of high-class horses.
Asmussen also earned the top prize in each of the first two years, 2017 and 2018.
Maker, winner of the top prize last year, received a $25,000 bonus for second. He won the Black-Eyed Susan with Army Wife and ran first and seventh with Last Judgment and Treasure Trove in the Pimlico Special, also finishing seventh with Phantom Vision in the Hilltop. On Preakness day, Maker won the Dinner Party Stakes (G2T) with 2020 runner-up Somelikeithotbrown and Maryland Sprint with Special Reserve and was seventh with Kasim in the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes.
Fair Hill Training Center-based Graham Motion was third with 27 points and earned $12,000. Mean Mary won the Gallorette Stakes (G3T), and Alda and Mia Martina were respectively first and fourth in the Hilltop. Bye Bye Melvin was fourth and English Bee seventh in the Dinner Party.
Brad Cox, the 2019 top-bonus winner, had 24 points to finish fourth and earn $7,000. He won the James W. Murphy with T D Dance , was second and third with Dreamalildreamofu and Getridofwhatailesu in the Allaire DuPont, seventh with French Empire in the Skipat, and eighth with Adventuring in the Black-Eyed Susan.
Rounding out the top finishers were Chad Brown with 14 points ($4,000) and Mike Trombetta with 12 points ($2,000). Among his horses, Brown ran third and fourth with Great Island and Flighty Lady in the Gallorette and fifth with Crowded Trade and eighth with Risk Taking in the Preakness. Trombetta's best stakes finish came with Murphy runner-up Arzak .
Bonus money totaling $50,000 was awarded for trainers having the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend, with points accumulated similarly to the stakes program. Trombetta and Claudio Gonzalez, Maryland's winningest trainer the past four years, tied for first with 27 points and split the $35,000 top prize.
Also winning bonus money were Brittany Russell (21 points, $7,500), Hamilton Smith (15 points, $4,000), Arnaud Delacour (14 points, $1,750), and Anthony Aguirre (14 points, $1,750).