Kentucky Derby trail: Long Range Toddy wins Springboard Mile

Trainer Steve Asmussen put an exclamation point on a record-setting season — and gave his stable much to look forward to on the 2019 Kentucky Derby trail — when Long Range Toddy emerged from a tightly bunched pack to score in Sunday night’s $400,000 Springboard Mile.

A son of Take Charge Indy, the 18-1 shot bred and raced by Willis Horton Racing held off stablemate Bankit by a head while completing the two-turn mile in a final time of 1:39.75.

"Beautiful colt," Asmussen said. "Homebred of Mr. Horton's, and just very proud of the race he ran along with Bankit, who was second."

Earlier in the card, Asmussen surpassed a record thought to be untouchable — his own, from 2009 — for wins in a single Remington Park meet at 102. Two of those came from Long Range Toddy, who broke his maiden at second asking on Sept. 28 and then won the local Springboard Mile prep, the Clevor Trevor, on Nov. 2.

This time, under jockey Richard Eramia, the colt tipped out from a tightly bunched pack of horses entering the stretch and sprinted down the center of the track.

"We liked him all the way through when we had him on the farm," Horton said.

Trainer Kelly Breen lodged an objection against the runner-up Bankit for alleged interference in the stretch that was dismissed. Breen conditions Epic Dreamer, the 6-5 favorite in the field of 11 who missed the board.

Dunph ran third with Tone Broke, another of Asmussen’s quintet, fourth across the wire. Qualifying points toward next year's Kentucky Derby winner paid out on a 10-4-2-1 basis to the Top 4 finishers.

The pace in this one was modest, with Dobbins G going the opening quarter mile in 24.13 seconds before he was joined on the lead for the half mile in 48.76. They came off the turn three wide, Long Range Toddy tucked in just behind, whereas Bankit had to move wide aggressively and into Epic Dreamer to begin his run.

This 1-2 finish for Asmussen followed a trifecta sweep in the Clever Trevor.

"We've been fortunate enough to enjoy a bunch of success here at Remington Park, and hopefully it continues," Asmussen told TVG of his 2018 meet. "...When the place opened, we were here with our 12 head doing the best we could back then. The first training title I ever had was here in 1992 in the fall meet -- obviously many a moon ago.

"Where you've had success for the first time, it's definitely always good to come back."