Asmussen, Albarado Team for Four-Win Day
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Jockey Robby Albarado and trainer Steve Asmussen teamed for a four-win day Dec. 20 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The duo was on the mark immediately when partnering with Corrine and William Heiligbrodt's multiple stakes-winning 2-year-old Cinco Charlie ($2.80) in the day's first race, the $50,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes . They completed a sweep of the early double when Albarado guided the Asmussen-owned Esscalator ($3.60) to victory in the second race for $5,000 claimers .
Albarado and Asmussen teamed again in the fourth race with the Heiligbrodt's maiden claiming winner Pummill ($4.20) . They then sprung a starter optional/claiming allowance upset on the turf in fifth race with Council Oak ($31), another runner owned by Asmussen .
The pair compiled a 4-for-6 record on the day's card.
"I liked the group we had in today," said Asmussen. "Whenever you get to start off the day with a horse like (Cinco) Charlie, it's pretty easy to feel good about the day."
Cinco Charlie, a son of Indian Charlie, improved his career line to 5-0-2 from eight career starts and earnings of $272,922 with his 1 1/2-length win in the Sugar Bowl.
Albarado added a fifth winner on the card in the $50,000 Letellier Memorial with Myrna and Robert Luttrell's Promise Me Silver, who romped to a 5 1/2-length triumph . The 2-year-old homebred Silver City filly is undefeated in four career starts.
"I looked at the (Daily Racing) Form last night and liked them," Albarado said of his mounts for the day. "I don't like to do that to myself and think I'm going to have a big day, but I thought with the right trips I was going to be on five or six live ones."
Albarado's five-win effort was the best single-day mark by a rider this season at the New Orleans track, besting leading rider James Graham's four-win performance Nov. 29. Asmussen's four tallies matched Tom Amoss' standard, also set Nov. 29 when he teamed with Graham for a quartet of scores.