11 away from record, Asmussen has 5 starters Friday

After one win Thursday, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen has five starters entered at two tracks Friday in his quest to break the North American record for most Thoroughbred training victories.

With 9,434 wins, Asmussen is 11 shy of the record of 9,445 set between 1961 and 2007 by the late Dale Baird, according to Equibase.

Asmussen’s four Friday entries (with morning-line odds) include:

The Important One (8-1), 4-year-old filly, 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance, second race at Saratoga (1:41 p.m. EDT).

Dee Bo (6-1), 3-year-old gelding, six-furlong claiming, seventh race at Saratoga (4:29 p.m. EDT).

Seize the Treasure (9-5 favorite), and Romancer (10-1), both 2-year-old colts, six-furlong allowance, race 7 at Ellis Park (4:40 p.m. EDT).

Rooster Run (8-1), 2-year-old colt in debut, 5 1/2-furlong turf maiden special weight, race 8 at Ellis Park.

At his rate this year of 1.50 wins per day, Asmussen is on pace to break Baird’s record on or around July 30.

The world record is still perhaps 1 1/2 years away for Asmussen. Based in Peru, trainer Juan Suárez Villarroel has 9,871 victories, according to the website Página de Turf. Since last fall Suárez Villarroel has averaged about 0.75 wins per day, meaning Asmussen could close the gap by early 2023 if both maintain their current win rates.