Cox barn gets 2 from Asmussen

HOT SPRINGS - Two horses with trainer Steve Asmussen at Oaklawn Park have been transferred to trainer Brad Cox, more fallout from allegations levied last week against Asmussen by an animal rights organization.

Cox said Silk Purse and Morning Star, both owned by John Fort’s Peachtree Stable, were moved to the trainer’s barn at Oaklawn on Saturday, the same day Asmussen dismissed his longtime top assistant, Scott Blasi.

Asmussen, a five-time Oaklawn training champion, and Blasi came under fire last week following an undercover investigation by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.

A female representative of PETA, posing as a stable employee, infiltrated Asmussen’s barn last year at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and Saratoga in upstate New York and compiled more than seven hours of video footage.

A roughly 9 ½ -minute video was released last week by PETA.

“It’s a bad deal for Steve because, I mean, he’s built an empire, but he’ll march on,” Cox said Sunday morning.

“He’ll be back. I respect those guys. Those guys do a damn good job.”

Silk Purse broke her maiden Jan. 26 before running 10th in the $150,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes for 3-year-old fillies March 8.

Morning Star, another 3-year-old filly, ran fourth in a Feb. 17 maiden special weights race in her last start.

Cox said both horses could run again before the Oaklawn meeting ends April 12.

Peachtree’s Plum Pretty, who was trained by Bob Baffert, won the $500,000 Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap in 2012 at Oaklawn.

Allegations by PETA, which were outlined in a New York Times story last week, included animal cruelty, misuse of medication and immigration violations.

In addition to the allegations against Asmussen and Blasi, there is also a suggestion that Ricardo Santana Jr., 21, Oaklawn’s leading rider last year, used an illegal electric device on horses.

Santana’s agent, Ruben Munoz, has denied any wrongdoing by the jockey.

In the PETA video, Blasi purportedly recounts a conversation with Santana concerning a buzzer, or electrical device that can be used to stimulate horses into running faster.

Santana, a native of Panama, has ridden 53 winners for Asmussen at the past two Oaklawn meetings.

He is also the regular rider of the Asmussen-trained Tapiture, who is scheduled to make his next start in the $1 million Grade I Arkansas Derby on April 12.

Munoz said he interpreted comments attributed to Blasi to be in jest.

“In the jockey school in Panama, they are always taught that good riders don’t need that,” Munoz said, referring to a buzzer. “It’s like an insult to them.”

All interview requests for Santana, Oaklawn’s leading jockey again this year, are going through Munoz because of the “language barrier,” the agent said.

Munoz is fluent in English and Spanish. Santana does speak English, but is more comfortable answering questions in Spanish, his native language.

The allegations by PETA have spurred inquiries by horse racing regulatory agencies in Kentucky and New York, but Arkansas is taking a wait-and-see approach, Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson reiterated Sunday morning.

Jackson, however, said there is a “higher sense of awareness” regarding security around Asmussen’s barn.

Asmussen’s Oaklawn division is overseen by assistant Darren Fleming.

Asmussen spends most of his time in the winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, and Blasi was rarely seen inrecent years in Hot Springs.

“I think it is unfortunate that Arkansas is getting some of the negative collateral publicity,” Jackson said.

“We are neither defending or condemning. But we do believe in due process, and that’s where we are.”

Asmussen is winless in 13 starts at Oaklawn since the PETA story began to generate national attention Thursday morning.

Asmussen, seeking his third consecutive Oaklawn training title, and Federico Villafranco both have 21 victories to top the standings.

All 21 of Asmussen’s winners at the meeting were ridden by Santana, who has 40 victories overall.

Bend update

Grade III stakes winner Dunkin Bend, owned by Mike Langford of Jonesboro, will undergo throat surgery in Kentucky to correct a breathing problem, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday morning.

Cox said the breathing problem was discovered after Dunkin Bend’s seventh-place finish in Saturday’s $100,000 Gazebo Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 furlongs.

An endoscopic examination, Cox said, revealed a “partially paralyzed” arytenoid, cartilage that helps the horse open and close its airway.

“One of his is just kind of hanging a little bit, where it’s not expanding all the way,” Cox said.

A date for the surgery could be finalized today, he said. Langford said he hopes Dunkin Bend can resume his career in about a month.

“If the surgery goes well, and it’s a clean surgery, there’s no reason why he can’t come back and be the horse he was,” Cox said.

Cox said there’s “no doubt” the breathing issue impacted the colt’s performance in the Gazebo.

Cox said Dunkin Bend trained well leading up to the Gazebo, but “started making a terrible noise” galloping out after the race, according to his jockey, Jesus Castanon.

Dunkin Bend was making his first start since being transferred to Cox in January.

Dunkin Bend scored his biggest career victory, when trained by Steve Asmussen, in the $100,000 Grade III Sapling Stakes on Sept. 1 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

Final furlong

Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson said he’s sent the track’s dates request for the 2015 live meeting to horsemen.

But Jackson said Oaklawn can’t go before the Arkansas Racing Commission with its request until it receives approval from horsemen.

Jackson said the dates mirror the schedule Oaklawn has had for more than a decade.

“We would like to get the dates published the last week of the season,” Jackson said. … Sunday’s track condition was upgraded from good to fast following the fifth race. … Kiss Moon, a candidate for the $400,000Grade III Fantasy Stakes on April 5, recorded a bullet 5-furlong workout Sunday morning (:59.60) for trainer David Vance. Kiss Moon, who galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:12.80, worked in blinkers. … There have been 319 claims totaling $4,874,500 at the meeting. … Promising 3-year-old filly Mufajaah, in her two-turn debut, cleared her first allowance condition in Sunday’s fifth race for trainer Dan Peitz, a Little Rock native. Mufajaah,a daughter of Tapit, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.86 under Joe Johnson. Mufajaah, a $375,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is owned by Shadwell Stable, one of Peitz’s two major clients.

… Glenn Reeder and Lenny Rera of Oaklawn’s racing department were in Florida and California, respectively, this weekend to solicit nominations for next month’s Racing Festival of the South.

At the post DAY 41 ATTENDANCE 6,744 ON-TRACK HANDLE $450,726.50 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $2,228,542.74 TOTAL HANDLE ($2,679,269.24).

CLASSIX CARRYOVER $11,801.54.

SUNDAY’S STARS Terry Thompson rode two winners.

THURSDAY’S TIMES First post for the nine races is 1:30 p.m. Gates open at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION HRTV, TVG (full card). Oaklawn Replay Show (8 p.m., Resort Cable Channel 5, Hot Springs 11 p.m., KARZ, Channel 42, Little Rock).

PRICES Admission $2 parking in Oaklawn lots $2 reserved seats $2.50 weekdays, $4.50 weekends programs $2.

Daily Racing Form $5, $6.50, $7.50. Tip sheets $2-$5.

THURSDAY’S WAGERING MENU

Win-place-show, exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagering offered on all races

Daily double (races 1-2, 8-9)

CLASSIX (races 3-8)

Pick-3 (rolling begins with race 2)

Pick-4 (races 2-5, races 6-9) TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE Laurel (11:35 a.m.), Gulfstream Park (12:05 p.m.), Aqueduct (12:20 p.m.), Fair Grounds (1:25 p.m.), Golden Gate Fields (2:45 p.m.), Santa Anita (3 p.m.), Penn National (5 p.m.), Charles Town (6 p.m.).

Sports, Pages 15 on 03/24/2014