Cash Asmussen Goes to $1.35M for Not This Time Colt

Cash Asmussen, a former jockey and brother to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, went to $1.35 million on behalf of Richard Drake for Hip 1066, a son of Not This Time, during the fourth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sept. 11. The colt is the first foal of the unraced Tapit mare Definitive, who is a full sister to grade 2 winner Magic On Tap and graded stakes-placed Principe Guilherme. She was bred in Kentucky by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine, and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The Asmussen family is no stranger to success in the Thoroughbred industry, it is a family affair. Steve Asmussen is a Hall of Fame trainer, and two of his sons—Keith and Erik—are jockeys. Cash Asmussen was a grade 1-winning jockey and was the Eclipse Award outstanding apprentice jockey in 1979. He now operates El Primero Training Center, which was established in 1979 near Laredo, Texas, with his father Keith Asmussen. The training facility has had a hand in the success of many grade 1 winners and influential sires including Epicenter, Tapit, and Untapable. "He's smooth and he's athletic," Asmussen said about Hip 1066. "This is the kind of horse we felt, not too big, not too small. He's very athletic. He's got enough pedigree, he's out of a Tapit mare and the Winchell family has been a great supporter of my family, so Tapit is a very familiar horse for us. "He has the pedigree and the conformation. It's a roll of the dice, as we all know. But Mr. Drake said, 'I want to roll the dice on this horse.'" Taylor Made's Mark Taylor said he was not surprised by the $1.35 million price tag for the son of Not This Time, who stands at Taylor Made Stallions near Nicholasville, Ky. This was the stallion's 12th seven-figure yearling at the September sale through the fourth session. "I kind of was expecting him to bring that much," Mark Taylor said of Hip 1066. "First of all, he came from Summer Wind Farm. They raise fantastic horses. This horse came in, and he was just perfect. So, I knew he was going to sell well. It was just a matter of how well. "Cash (Asmussen) got him. I mean, he's a legend. (The colt's) in good hands and I can't wait to see what he's going to do." Cash Asmussen confirmed the colt will head to El Primero Training Center, where Cash will get him ready before sending him to his brother Steve. When asked what Drake was looking for, Asmussen said: "Well, he started with the Kentucky Derby, and then he said 'We'll work down from there.' He wants a horse that can go two turns, that could possibly be a classic horse. "I think he'll be selective, but I think that he will venture out into buying a few more horses that he thinks are two-turn horses that could be good 3-year-olds. He wanted to buy a horse that was special. We feel this horse was special."