Operator: Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the NTRA National Media Teleconference viewing the 2021 TVG.com Haskell Stakes. Today’s conference is being recorded. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question and answer session, which instructions will be provided.
For operator assistance during the call, please press star 0. I would now like to turn the meeting over to Mr. Jim Gluckson. Please go-ahead sir.
Jim Gluckson: Thank you, (Travis), and good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for joining us today for the NTRA media teleconference with Monmouth Park previewing the $1 million TVG.com Haskell stakes at Monmouth in Oceanport, New Jersey this Saturday.
We will be joined today by Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen, who trains Winchell Thoroughbreds, Midnight Bourbon, Greg Helm of Roadrunner Racing, majority owner of Hot Rod Charlie, and Brad Cox, trainer of Juddmonte’s Mandaloun. This is the 54th TVG.com Haskell Stakes, run at 1 1/8 miles for three-year olds. The race will be televised live on NBC at 5:00 pm on Saturday as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In presented by America’s Best Racing.
If you have not heard yet, the Haskell field of seven is as follows with post positions. Following Sea is the number one post, 3-1. Antigravity, number two, 30-1. Mandaloun, number three, 2-1; Number four, Hot Rod Charlie, 6-5. Number five, Pickin’ Time, 20-1. Number six, Midnight Bourbon, 9-2. And number seven is Basso, 30-1.
Our first guest today will be trainer Steve Asmussen. Steve has enjoyed two enormous victories at Monmouth in Hall of Fame. In 2007, Stonestreet Stables Curlin finished third in the Haskell that year. Curlin returned to Monmouth in October and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which gave Steve his first of four Horse of the Year campaigns as a trainer.
In 2009, Stonestreet Stables brilliant Rachel Alexandra became the second filly to win the Haskell as she did so magnificently winning by six lengths over a muddy track on the way to her Horse of the Year campaign.
Steve is presently, is just about 20 wins shy of the all-time leader as wins for a trainer currently with 9,426 victories.
On Saturday of course,, Steve has of Winchell Thoroughbreds Midnight Bourbon winner of Lecomte Stakes and second place, in the Preakness. Do we have Steve on the line as of yet?
Steve Asmussen: Ah, yes you do.
Jim Gluckson: Steve, good afternoon. How are you today?
Steve Asmussen: Doing really well.
Jim Gluckson: Great, great. I wanted to ask you first about this, just going back to the memories here at Monmouth and your great achievements in your career. Just take us back a little bit from that day when Rachel won the Haskell beating the colts and what memories come flooding back from that?
Steve Asmussen: Well, Rachel is just such a special racehorse, being able to run and the fanfare that came along with her and the run like a girl slogan, and all the support that she always received when you ran her, was very special. It was a great day at Monmouth as you mentioned in 2009 when she won the Haskell. I can’t believe it was that long ago because it feels like it was last summer.
Jim Gluckson: Very good and truly historic. Moving on, obviously to Saturday’s race here. Since the Preakness, you’ve had Midnight Bourbon at Churchill and up at Saratoga now. Your last breeze was three furlongs on Monday at 38.1. Has the training pattern been different for him since the last eight weeks and getting ready for this race?
Steve Asmussen: He’s trained along pretty steadily. He’s a big strong horse. He’s put in some excellent work. We’ve been very impressed with how he has trained since the Preakness. Felt that he gave a good account of himself at Pimlico but honestly, feel that he’s continued to physically develop and will be a better horse the rest of the year.
Jim Gluckson: Very good. Now breaking from post number six, how do you think the race sets up for him?
Steve Asmussen: Well, his races this year, the break has been very important to him. Did not leave the gates well in the derby and put him in a position that did not give him his best chance and then he was away alertly in the Preakness and I thought ran extremely well.
Knowing Monmouth as well as he does and expecting Midnight Bourbon to break well, Hot Rod’s, and being to his, drawn four, I think similar circumstances as the Louisiana Derby and we’ll just have to be more horse this time.
Jim Gluckson: All right, thank you very much. Steve, appreciate that. Let’s see if we have some questions from the media on the call.
Operator: If you would like to ask a question, please signal by pressing star 1 on your telephone keypad. If you are using a speakerphone, please make sure your mute function is turned off to allow your signal to reach our equipment. Again, press star 1 to ask a question. We’ll pause for just a moment to allow everyone an opportunity to signal for questions.
We do have a question from Dave Bontempo.
Dave Bontempo: Hey. Thank you, Steve. How do you feel how the presence of Following Sea is in this race? Do you think there’s enough speed to setup for the way that you would like to attack this race?
Steve Asmussen: I think it’ll be very interesting how the racetrack is playing come Saturday. Following Sea drawing in the one hole being — actually was in the race when he broke his maiden at Oaklawn this spring. He’s obviously very fast, capable of being fast, but I think what we need to concentrate with Midnight Bourbon is where we want to be on the racetrack and to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible.
I think that a sharp break from Midnight Bourbon is essential and he has a very high cruising speed, but what they choose to do with their speed, I think will let them ((inaudible)) that, but I just want to pay attention to how the speed is playing and be where we need to be.
Dave Bontempo: I was just curious if you thought that would be something that could affect Hot Rod Charlie? I know you’re going to do what you wanted, but especially after what the Belmont had shown. Are you encouraged that their speed maybe to possible pepper him?
Steve Asmussen: I think it will make it very interesting for the first turn, a few jockey decisions.
Dave Bontempo: Okay. Okay.
Steve Asmussen: I don’t believe anybody entered into the Haskell or a horse with that sort of pace wanting to change their tactic and what does come into play is the whip rule in Jersey this year. So how much are you going to take away from something early that you’re not going to be able to get back late in the race.
Dave Bontempo: Okay.
Operator: Our next question comes from Victor Ryan.
Victor Ryan: Yeah, hello, Steve. Thanks for being on the call. My question is as Jim mentioned, you’re 20 wins away from matching Dale Baird’s record for North American wins. I just want to see if you can touch on that and talk about maybe what it would mean to you to achieve that record? And maybe if you have a memory or two about Dale that you could share?
Steve Asmussen: Well, extremely significant to me coming from a racing family. All of us being involved in just — it’s as you mentioned, 20 away. We’ve been very fortunate, very blessed in racing, been pursuing this record, this amazing record of Dale Baird’s for quite some time. And it will be more than emotional if I can actually achieve it because we’ve been aiming at it awfully hard for a long time.
Victor Ryan: Okay, and maybe some thoughts on Dale and maybe some of your memories?
Steve Asmussen: Well, I didn’t know Dale personally. I met him on a couple of occasions and just I think, for me, not only Dale Baird, but people came for us — Richard Hazelton is somebody that I met in the early 90s, late 80s. I remember when I met him the fact that he’d been over 4,000 wins and how remark — I was thinking, “How in the world can a guy win 100 races a year for 40 years. I mean like how’s that even possible?”
And then that was one of the significant thoughts of mine way back in the early 90s and when it became a win total and then after that being introduced to Mr. Baird and obviously his accomplishments and stuff, but nothing takes away from those great horse win, when we’re just actively pursuing this record.
Victor Ryan: Okay, excellent. Thank you, Steve.
Steve Asmussen: Thank you.
Operator: Just a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 now.
We have no further questions in the queue at this time. I will now like to turn the call back over to Mr. Gluckson.
Jim Gluckson: Steve, again, thanks very much for joining us today on the call and best of luck to you on Saturday and throughout the year.
Steve Asmussen: Thank you very much.
Jim Gluckson: Steve Asmussen everyone, thank you. We’re now going to try to reach out to Greg Helm, the majority owner of Hot Rod Charlie. And I’d also like to mention here that Monmouth has an outstanding race card while we’re waiting. A number of stakes races on Saturday, five big stakes races, including the United Nations for the Saturday program.
Operator: We do have Greg Helm on the line.
Jim Gluckson: Greg. Good day, how are you? Jim Gluckson here in New York. How are you today?
Greg Helm: I’m doing great, Jim, thanks for having me.
Jim Gluckson: Great. It’s nice, it’s been quite a year and I was saying when we spoke a little bit yesterday, quite a run for you all the way back to last year’s TVG Breeder’s Cup Juvenile at 94-1. Almost winning the race. Talk about the ride it’s been for you and your owners and give us a little background on the ownership group, please?
Greg Helm: I’m happy to. As you said, it’s been one heck of a ride the last eight months or so, but I’ve put in a lifetime of racing in three-quarters of a year. And who would have thought that after four races for Charlie to break his maiden that he’d come out and miss winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by three-quarters of a length at 94-1.
The ownership group, as people may know, is a pretty mixed bag of entities. Roadrunner Racing is a group of golfing friends that I pulled together as a racing syndicate about three years ago. Boat Racing, which owns a portion is a similar number of Brown University College graduates. There are about 27.
Gainesway, obviously, is renowned of owner of breeder farm operation and Bill Strauss is a veteran racehorse owner that’s been around quite a while, but the unique differences between sort of the alpha and omega, the ownership groups between the college fraternity brothers and the golfing buddies is pretty extreme. Although we probably cheer just as loud and get just as excited as everyone else.
Jim Gluckson: All right, very good. In discussions with the other owners and with (Doug), what was the decision coming out of the Belmont, which was a terrific performance to come to Monmouth for the TVG Haskell?
Greg Helm: Well, we found that Hot Rod Charlie seems to prosper in his races best when he’s got a little bit longer rest in between. So, a five- or six-week rest period seemed good. In looking at the races that were available and talking amongst ourselves, the ownership group and (Doug) and talking to the terrific people at Monmouth Park who I had to say, couldn’t have been nicer in everything we discussed with him.
We made the decision that the Haskell was the place we wanted to be. We think the distance is great, the competition is good, and the timing was excellent, and plus it’s a terrific racetrack.
Jim Gluckson: Right. Well, Greg, let’s see if we have some questions on the line from the media, please.
Greg Helm: Okay.
Operator: Just a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 now. Again, press star 1 to ask a question.
We have no questions in the queue at this time.
Jim Gluckson: Well, let’s wait just a little bit. Greg, I wanted to ask you about based on his running style, how the post position that you have, post position four in the race, how it sets up for him?
Greg Helm: You know, I think it sets up perfectly for us. We’ve got (Speedhorse) to the inside of us. We’re right there in the middle, where Charlie is a pretty versatile runner. Obviously, his last couple of races he went out strong and I would imagine we’ll see what Flavien feels like coming out of the gate but I would imagine he would have a similar race as the last couple.
Jim Gluckson: All right, very good. Very good. Let’s just check one more time if there are any question for follow-up for Greg.
Operator: We do have a question, and this is a reminder, to ask a question please press star 1. We have a question from (Allan Carresso).
(Allan Carresso): Hey, how you doing Greg?
Greg Helm: I’m doing great, thanks, (Allan).
(Allan Carresso): Good. I’m just wondering how Flavien, how you feel Flavien stitched the horse? And then given the presence of Following Sea from the rail, we just heard Steve Asmussen say that Midnight Bourbon is likely to be ridden for some speed as well. You touched upon the fact that Hot Rod can be versatile in his running style. What type of trip do you foresee? Do you just let Flavien play break and play his hand?
Greg Helm: Flavien has been working Charlie every week except one when he was out of town and has ridden him in the last few races and knows him really, really well. Sometimes I think those two, horse and jockey can talk to each other, there’s such a communication capability between them.
And I think it will all come down to how Hot Rod Charlie breaks and Flavien will adjust accordingly. We’ve got total confidence in him. We couldn’t be luckier than having him up in the irons.
(Allan Carresso): Okay, well great. Good luck.
Greg Helm: Thank you very much.
Operator: We have no further questions in the queue at this time.
Jim Gluckson: All right, well, Greg, very much appreciate you joining us for the call today and it’s been a great year and hopefully you’ll have great success here coming up on Saturday for Roadrunner Racing and all of the team representing Hot Rod Charlie. Thanks very much.
Greg Helm: You bet. Thank you, Jim.
Jim Gluckson: Okay, Greg Helm everyone. I’m going to reach out now and see if we can get Brad Cox on the line, please. Hold on one second. One second.
Operator: We now have Brad Cox on the line.
Jim Gluckson: Excellent. Brad, good afternoon. Thanks for joining us.
Brad Cox: Hey, Jim, how you’re doing? Thanks for having me.
Jim Gluckson: Doing well, thank you. Brad, of course, is the 2020 Eclipse award winning trainer who is having another excellent season starting Juddmonte’s Mandaloun, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and winner of the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes on June 13. Brad I want to start right away with saying that Pegasus obviously didn’t go according to plan as he was bumped at the start, recovered, finished in a tough race, finished nice to win it.
Can you comment on how you saw the race coming out of it and your follow-up plans back at Churchill and then again, your five-furlong breeze for him last Saturday at Monmouth?
Brad Cox: Yeah, we’ll start with — yeah, it was a little bit of a tough start for him in the Pegasus, but he was able to overcome it. Wide around the four turn and run into a slow pace, finished out well and obviously won the race. Had to run down a slow pace, so that was a positive and probably got more out of the race doing it that way as opposed to just breaking and maybe setting off of a horse and just galloping around there and winning.
But yeah, I think it was a very positive race. He came out of it in a good order. He shipped back to Churchill a couple of days afterwards and had two works. Had a really nice move a couple of weeks ago at Churchill and that was just a tightener for the race and he, after that, he shipped to Monmouth and was able to brief Saturday morning and had a good move.
Wasn’t looking into a whole, whole lot with him. He was by himself and I feel like we accomplished what we were looking for. He’s a fit horse at this point in the season and we’re just letting him fresh his legs over the track and he’s come out in a good order and he’ll school tomorrow at Monmouth and after that, we’ve done all we can do with him in regards to having him fit and ready up to this point for Saturday.
Jim Gluckson: Brad, breaking from post three, how does the race set up for him in your opinion?
Brad Cox: I haven’t seen it on paper yet. I have seen the post. I think there’s going to be some speed in there that once again I think his racing in the Pegasus will come in — it will be good experience for him because I think there’s going to be some pace in front of him.
I mean, ultimately, we’re going play the break. He was obviously in front of Hot Rod Charlie in the Kentucky Derby and he can be forwardly placed, but we’ll play the break. I’m not committed or think he has to be a certain place, but I do think there’s some speed in there, obviously, (Tod’s) horse, he’s seen two turns for the first time. He’s a very fast horse. So I think I like to way it looks on paper or I like the way it looks just based off the post. Once again, I’ve not seen the race on paper yet.
Jim Gluckson: All right, well, Brad, let’s just see now if we have some questions from the media on the line. So, let’s get to that next section of our call please.
Operator: If you would like to ask a question please press star 1 now.
We have a question from Marcus Hirsch.
Marcus Hirsch: Hey, Brad. I’m just wondering …
Brad Cox: Hey, Marcus.
Marcus Hirsch: Hey. I know you wondered if maybe the horse was a little, I don’t know, mentally immature. Just maybe not as tied on as some other horses, he’s kind of earlier in the year and maybe that played a little role in his performance last time, I don’t know. Do you see signs of mental/psychological maturity in this colt as the summer’s going on?
Brad Cox: I do. I feel like he moves forward just in his works by himself when we’ve asked him to breeze on his own of the mornings. Not every week, but since the Kentucky Derby, he seemed to have moved forward with his works of the mornings when he’s by himself.
He’s sharper, does them a little easier as opposed to, say, like maybe leading up to the Louisiana Derby or before the Kentucky Derby wouldn’t work by himself. He could kind of maybe just not really know what he’s supposed to do out there by himself. So, from that standpoint, I feel like he’s moved forward and become a little bit more sharper horse.
Marcus Hirsch: Yeah, and veering off track a little bit, what about Arklow? Arklow like seems like he’s been racing for 15 years and he’s still a pretty damn good horse. What’s it about with this horse this horse to persist so long at such a high level?
Brad Cox: Yeah, I think it’s a pedigree thing and he’s an Arch. It’s not like he would always be a horse that would improve with age. Anyhow, we’ve given him time off. Last year for the Breeders’ Cup, we took one more shot there in Belmont, he was able to pick them off — pick off a victory and ((inaudible)), I believe it was the Hollywood Gold Cup. And we just thought, it’s been somewhat of a long year and he was to do a break.
So, I think that’s always a big road, Jerry Crawford and (inaudible), they control the ownership of this horse and are always willing to give him time and I think it’s played a big role. Once he does so much, he gets a little vacation and he’s rewarded them in staying consistent and he’s been around a long time. I think he’s won a graded stake five years in a row, which is a pretty remarkable feat.
Marcus Hirsch: Is three turns better for him than two?
Brad Cox: I like him around three turns; I like him at that marathon distance, a mile, and a half, somewhere in there, a mile and three-eights, something like that. He’s really moved forward, I felt like since we added the blinkers. His only defeat with the blinkers came in the Breeders’ Cup.
So, I think to pick his head up and get him a little more involved and keep him in the race mentally. So it was kind of cool to add blink — you know I always said I hated to put blinkers on a horse that made a couple of millions dollars, but once we did it, he kind of turned the corner and like I said his only defeat without them or his only defeat with them came in the Breeders’ Cup.
Marcus Hirsch: Yeah, okay, yeah. Thank you for that. I appreciate it, Brad.
Brad Cox: All right, Marcus.
Operator: Our next question comes from (Nick Han).
(Nick Han): Yes, hey Brad. There are a lot of familiar foes in the Haskell coming out of the Louisiana Derby and Marcus touched on this some already about the maturity of Mandaloun and then what has happened since, but to just kind of follow-up, do you see this as a coincidence or have the camps been looking at each other and maybe how do you assess what’s your strategy going up against horses that you know so well?
The Louisiana Derby, historically, in the last couple of decades hasn’t been a major impact in the Kentucky Derby but it certainly was this year and Mandaloun has vindicated his performance several times since. Just your thoughts about what you might have been thinking during the Louisiana Derby and now three to four months forward?
Brad Cox: Well, we had two very, very good colts at the Fair Grounds this winter that we thought could be derby winners; Mandaloun and Essential Quality. Obviously, Essential Quality just prepared there. He didn’t race and we wanted to keep them separate. We chose different paths for both as far as races go but it worked out really well.
Obviously, when you have stables, such as Steve Asmussen down there, you’re going to have horses that are contenders in the Kentucky Derby and yeah, obviously, it was a great place to win her and have horses not only perform well, the fairground this winter but move forward to be effective in the spring classics such as Mandaloun, Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie.
Look, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I thought we had two horses that would be effective on the Triple Crown Trail. They were. They play in the outcome of some of the races. So yeah, I felt confident both our two colts would be able to win at the fairgrounds and be effective.
As far as Louisiana Derby goes, I mean going into I felt I had the best horse in Mandaloun. Coming out of it, I was scratching my head and I think the whole Juddmonte team was well, Garrett himself, obviously a little puzzled by it.
But we watched the colt and he accomplished enough obviously in the Lecomte and the Risen Star to earn enough points to play in the Kentucky Derby and we would let him — we thought we would let him tell us. A lot of people, obviously, watched the works and how these horses train leading up to the derby.
There’s a lot of people training from the rail and probably more so than any other race in America by far. If you’re moving great, they talk about how good you are. If you’re moving bad they — or not moving bad but if you’re not training that well or you’re not breezing that well, you get picked apart and this horse obviously caught a lot of people’s eye in the couple of weeks leading up to the derby.
So, we obviously ran him in the (Kentucky) Derby, and it worked out. He ran a great race and he’s continued to move forward, I feel like since the derby. We’ll see how he goes on Saturday, but yeah, I mean the Louisiana Derby, is what — I hate to use the term you’re going to draw a line through it but sometimes you have to with these horses and you have continue on with them and that’s exactly what we did with him.
And with having finished second in the derby and winning the Pegasus, we believed in him and he’s rewarded us and he’s a good colt and hopefully we can add to his resume on Saturday.
(Nick Han): Great, good luck on Saturday. Thank you.
Brad Cox: Thanks, (Nick).
Operator: Just a reminder to ask a question, please press star 1.
Our next question comes from (Allan Carrasso).
(Allan Carrasso): Hey, Brad, this is kind of an obvious question to ask, but you’ve got a grade one for Juddmonte with Juliet Foxtrot at Keeneland and at Jenny Wiley. What would it mean to you to saddle a grade one winner for Juddmonte in a race like Haskell?
Brad Cox: Huge, huge. I mean, what this would do for this colt moving forward would be huge and I think just would give him an opportunity to stand stud at Juddmonte, which that’s the goal. And honestly once they win that Grade 1, I mean I don’t want to say it takes the pressure off, but it does. It does take the pressure off a little bit in regard to what you do moving forward, but the goal − he’s a good horse. He’s training well and this is where we belong. We look like I think we’re second choice.
I think (Darleying winning on has as) second choice and this would be huge for the whole Juddmonte team and it would mean, obviously, the world to me. I mean, obviously, I love this colt and he’s been one we’ve thought a lot of since late summer, early fall and when you watch him train and you think they’re good and then they show up, it’s very rewarding and for him to accomplish what he has to date is — is amazing. But there’s definitely some more hurdles to jump and we definitely think he’s capable of doing it.
(Allan Carresso): All right, best of luck this weekend.
Brad Cox: Thank you.
Operator: We have no further questions in the queue at this time.
Jim Gluckson: All right, well thanks very much, Brad. Much appreciate you taking the time today to join us for the call and really best of luck to you, Mandaloun and the team on Saturday.
Brad Cox: All right, Jim. Thanks for having me. Talk to you soon.
Jim Gluckson: Thanks very much. Sure, Brad. Take Care. Brad Cox, everyone.
This will conclude our call for today. I wanted to thank our guests Steve Asmussen, Greg Helm and Brad Cox for joining us today and Dialogue Conferencing services for setting up the call. Please note that there will be an audio version of the call later on today that we’ll put on NTRA.com and tomorrow sometime a transcript of this media teleconference with also be available at NTRA.com.
Once again, thanks very much for joining us and enjoy the race on Saturday.
Operator: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today’s teleconference. You may now disconnect.
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