Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who has had a milestone-filled meet, reached another milestone April 22 when Winchell Thoroughbred's Red Route One made him the winningest trainer in Oaklawn Park's history with a victory in the $200,000 Bath House Row Stakes.
It was career win 868 for Asmussen, who had tied the late Bob Holthus with a win on Friday.
Red Route One, under Joel Rosario, fell back early and raced in last place while Victory Formation led the field through fractions of :22.87 and :46.95 for the first half mile. Victory Formation held a narrow lead over his stablemate, Tapit Shoes, entering the stretch and the two battled toward the wire. Tapit Shoes began to edge clear before being caught in the final jump by Red Route One, who got up late by a head to finish the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.94 over a fast track.
Tapit Shoes was runner-up and Victory Formation was third.
"I always had confidence in the horse," Rosario said. "It looked like when we got to the sixteenth pole that we had the race won. Then, they kept moving. But he gave everything to me. It was just a close race."
Red Route One ($6.00) earned an automatic berth to the May 20 Preakness Stakes (G1) with the win. He improved his record to 2-2-1 from nine starts and increased his earnings to $631,575.
