LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ah, the quest. The Kentucky Derby quest. Steve Asmussen knows all about it. So does Ron Winchell. Both are coming at Saturday’s 148th running from slightly different perspectives. Asmussen is the sport’s all-time winningest trainer. Winchell is a successful Thoroughbred owner. Both are united by the quest.
“Chasing that little gold trophy,” Winchell said Tuesday.
So far, they’ve come up empty. This year, however, both believe they have their best shot at success, thanks to Epicenter, the Louisiana Derby winner born on a small farm in Bowling Green, purchased at the back end of the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale catalog for $260,000, who has developed into a consistent force on the track to the point where it was a surprise when he was not made the Derby’s morning-line favorite on Monday.
