Jimmy Simms rebounds to take Woodchopper for Asmussen

Jimmy Simms helped to continue Asmussen's 2008 success (Lou Hodges Jr. Photo)

What do you give a trainer of more than 600 winners this season on Santa

Super Saturday at Fair Grounds? Why more, of course.

Overloaded with gifts throughout a record-shattering year, Steve Asmussen

took home some late-season stocking stuffers at the New Orleans course by taking

two of the five stakes on the program, including the $60,000

Woodchopper S. with Elizabeth Alexander and Burr Travis' JIMMY SIMMS (Lost

Soldier), who avoided trouble in a roughly-run race to breeze home by 3 1/4

lengths under Shaun Bridgmohan. The co-second choice at nearly 3-1, Jimmy Simms

returned $7.80, $4.20 and $3.60 while finishing up about one mile on the firm

turf in 1:39 1/5.

The disappointment of the Woodchopper was Macho Again (Macho Uno), the Jim

Dandy S. (G2) winner who was making his turf debut. The 2-1 favorite remained in

sixth throughout, losing by nearly 12 lengths. Jimmy Simms, on the other hand,

was winning for the third time in four career starts on turf, his lone loss

occurring last out when third by three-quarters of a length in the Commonwealth

Turf S. (G3) at Churchill Downs, his stakes debut. The sophomore now sports a

mark of 7-3-2-1, $139,085.

Storm Treasure bounded away from his rivals in the Bonapaw (Lou Hodges Jr. Photo)

Winless since taking the Allen "Black Cat" Lacombe Memorial H. over the Fair

Grounds lawn on March 15, Storm Treasure was exiting a pair of third-place

efforts in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita and the

Kennedy Road S. (Can-G3) over Polytrack at Woodbine. His record improved to

30-6-9-5 with earnings of $673,019.

For Asmussen and Bridgmohan, it was the second consecutive year they reached

the winner's circle following the Woodchopper and Bonapaw. Last year it was Inca

King (Sir Cat) and Stormin Baghdad (Stormin Fever) who scored for the duo in the

Woodchopper and Bonapaw, respectively.

Trainer Ronny Werner and jockey Robby Albarado also turned in stakes doubles

on Saturday. McKathan Brothers Farm's LEIGH MCLOVIN (Flame Thrower) led

throughout en route to a four-length triumph in the $60,000

Letellier Memorial S. for two-year-old fillies, while Richland Hills Stable

and John Kuehl's SECRET GYPSY (Sea of Secrets) had little difficulty posting the

same margin in the $60,000

Esplanade S. for fillies and mares.

Secret Gypsy was no secret in the Esplanade (Lou Hodges Jr. Photo)

Perhaps the most impressive winner of the day, Secret Gypsy was beating a

field full of graded stakes veterans while under minimal urging by Albarado. The

3-5 favorite brought back $3.20, $2.40 and $2.20 while clocking 5 1/2 furlongs

in 1:03 1/5.

The Esplanade was the first black-type success for Secret Gypsy, who finished

third in the Dogwood S. (G3) in May and second in the Raven Run S. (G2) two

starts back on October 18. She entered the Esplanade off an 8 1/2-length romp

against allowance foes at Churchill. She now boasts a line of 8-4-1-1, $230,439.

The lone upset in stakes action occurred in the $60,000

Sugar

Bowl S. for two-year-olds, when Puglisi Racing's ASK JOE (Najran) rallied

from fourth to score a head victory at 11-1, returning $24.80, $11.40 and $7.60.

Miguel Mena was aboard the Steve Klesaris trainee, who finished up six

furlongs in 1:10 2/5.