It was late August of 2005, and Shaun Bridgmohan was feeling pretty good about himself. After being based in New York for seven years, the native of Jamaica (the island, not the section of Queens) moved to the Midwest a few months earlier. When he won the riding title at Arlington's spring/summer meeting, the 1998 champion apprentice was in demand again. That's when he hooked up with a relentless win machine, and the partnership with trainer Steve Asmussen is still thriving.
"Steve asked me if I'd ride for him that fall at Keeneland," said Bridgmohan, who dominated the recently completed Fair Grounds meet thanks mainly to his Asmussen connection. His 2008 win rate is an outstanding 21 percent, and he's on his first serious Kentucky Derby contender, Pyro. The son of Pulpit is 2-for-2 this year, dominating the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby in New Orleans.
"He's one of the better horses I've sat on," Bridgmohan said Tuesday. "He's pretty easy to ride, a straightforward horse, and I don't think you've seen the best of him. I don't think I've gotten to the bottom of him."
Bridgmohan rode also-rans for Asmussen in the past two Kentucky Derbys, finishing 12th on Zanjero last year and 15th on Broken Vow the year before. This spring he's in the spotlight on a colt that's never been out of the money in six tries and will be heavily favored Saturday in the Grade I, 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
David Fiske, the racing manager for Pyro's owner, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, called Pyro "the total package." No one but Bridgmohan has ridden him in a career that began last July with a nose victory in a sprint at Churchill Downs. As long as Pyro stays healthy and holds his form, he'll be one of the marquee horses there during Derby week.
A Blue Grass victory appears likely but not mandatory for Pyro. "We're looking at it as his first of possibly four races in the next eight weeks," Fiske said, which translates as "We're not looking to knock him out to win." Bridgmohan already knows what he has, so this will be a paid dress rehearsal for the first Saturday in May.
"When he came from last in the stretch in the Risen Star, he showed me the explosive kick he has if I need it," the rider said. "In the Louisiana Derby, the pace wasn't very fast but he still gave me the late kick I wanted. He's answered everything I've asked of him."
Ed McNamara only bets on four-legged animals
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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