Asmussen Wins Pimlico Stakes Participation Bonus

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).