Keith Asmussen is hurt in spill; filly suffers minor injuries

Louisville, Ky.

Keith Asmussen suffered leg and hip injuries and was taken
off his two remaining rides Saturday, the result of a heel-clipping incident that
caused a spill in the first race at Churchill Downs.

Asmussen “fell from his mount Singsational shortly after the
start,” a Churchill Downs spokesperson said in a statement on social media. “Conscious,
he has been transported to University Hospital for further evaluation of a probable
left femur fracture and possible hip injury.”

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Singsational, a 3-year-old maiden winner owned by Ron
Winchell and trained by Steve Asmussen, Keith’s father, quickly recovered from
her fall and ran loose behind the pack. She was collared by an outrider after
jogging around the main track to the outside of the first turn.

The $90,000 Audible filly who went off at 6-1 suffered minor injuries, according
to trainer Johnny Ortiz, whose $10,000 claim for Singsational on behalf of
owner Lucas Stritsman was voided. The filly was placed on the veterinarians’
list, according to Ortiz and the Churchill Downs racing office.

Bottlenecked early in the seven-furlong, $31,000
race, Singsational was bumped by Grove St., ridden by Francisco Arrieta, about three-sixteenths of a mile
after the start. She then fell after clipping heels with Grove St., whose
fifth-place finish was reviewed in a post-race inquiry before stewards let the
result stand.

In his second full year as a jockey, Asmussen, 25, has accumulated 131 career victories from 946 starts with earnings of $8,826,377. His biggest victory came in February with Lemon Muffin in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn.

Cristian Torres was named to replace Asmussen on long shot Payne in the $275,000 Aristides, one of the six stakes on the Saturday program.

The main track was fast as sprinkles of rain were starting
to fall during the race.