By Marty McGee and Mary Rampellini LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen became just the second trainer to saddle 8,000 Thoroughbred winners in North American racing history when Lookin At Lee won the third race on the Kentucky Derby Day card Saturday at Churchill Downs. Only the late Dale Baird, with 9,445, has more wins, according to Equibase statistics. Asmussen, 52, is a clear second on the all-time leader list. Jerry Hollendorfer ranks third with 7,436 wins through Thursday, while the late Jack Van Berg is fourth at 6,523. Lookin At Lee, owned by L and N Racing LLC, was winning for the first time in eight starts since the colt finished a surprise second at 33-1 behind Always Dreaming here last year in the Derby. Ricardo Santana Jr., who has ridden many of the Asmussen winners in recent years, was aboard. “Just looking at this horse, this cool horse, Lookin At Lee, it’s incredible,” Asmussen said in the Churchill winner’s circle as a light rain fell and well-wishers showered him with congratulations. “You love a horse of his quality and his character. It’s just a great thing for the whole team. We’ll all be celebrating it.” Lookin At Lee showed far more speed than usual in the 1 1/16-mile allowance, sitting a perfect second behind longshot Racer for much of the trip. Turning for home, he took over and edged clear while remaining 2 1/4 lengths in front of Sonneteer – another horse who ran in the 2017 Derby, finishing 16th. The 4-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky returned $15 after finishing in 1:43.60 over a fast track. Asmussen has had two additional wins outside of North America, both in 2008 at Nad Al Sheba, where Curlin captured the $6 million Dubai World Cup and its local prep, the Jaguar Trophy. Curlin is one of three Horses of the Year trained by Asmussen, having earned that title twice, in 2007 and 2008. Rachel Alexandra was the 2009 Horse of the Year, and she entered the Hall of Fame with Asmussen in 2016. Gun Runner is the reigning Horse of the Year, winning the title in 2017. Asmussen is a South Dakota native who grew up in racing. His parents, Keith and Marilyn Asmussen, operate a breeding and training facility in Laredo, Texas, and his brother, Cash Asmussen, was an Eclipse Award-winning apprentice in 1979 who went on to win five national riding championships in France. Steve Asmussen, who stands over six feet tall, rode races for a little more than a year, briefly following the career path of his father and brother. “I was struggling from the beginning from the weight – and the height was quite the issue,” Asmussen said. He would later turn to training and his first win came with a Quarter Horse named Ours Alone. Asmussen transported Ours Alone from Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico to Manor Downs in Texas for a stakes series. Manor is near Austin.  “My dad rode him,” Asmussen recalled. “He was my first winner as a trainer. He won his trial and ran second in the futurity.” Asmussen’s first Thoroughbred win came July 19, 1986, at Ruidoso Downs, according to Daily Racing Form. “It was with a Victory Stride filly whose name is on the tip of my tongue,” Asmussen said earlier this week while awaiting the draw for the Kentucky Derby, in which he was to start Combatant. “It was a $6,500 maiden race. She got like $1,800 to win. “It was my only win of the year. I didn’t win another race until the next March.” It came at the now-shuttered Birmingham Race Course in Alabama, where Asmussen set up shop. His second winner was named Rock Finder. “Cash rode her before he had to go back to Europe,” he said. “She won for Ron Lance, who definitely got me going. He was good friends with my parents. He’s the one who got me to leave the nest. His family lived in Birmingham. It couldn’t have been for better people.” Asmussen was on his way from that point. He won 30 races in 1987. Asmussen has since ranked as North America’s leading trainer in wins nine times dating back to 2002, according to the “American Racing Manual.” He established a new record for trainer wins in a year in 2004 with 555, surpassing the mark of 496 that Van Berg had set in 1976. Asmussen then broke his own record in 2008, with 622 wins, and did so again in 2009, with the current standard of 650. He earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer in both 2008 and 2009.  Asmussen’s stable twice has led North America trainers in purses won, in 2008 with more than $24 million, and in 2009 with more than $21 million. Asmussen also currently ranks first in earnings for 2018, with $12.1 million through Thursday. Gun Runner in January won the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. Other top horses for the barn have included champion Untapable, who won the Kentucky Oaks in 2014. Asmussen also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly. Creator gave him his first Belmont Stakes win in 2016, while Curlin won the Preakness in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra captured the same race in 2009. Asmussen said he shares the 8,000-win milestone with many, including his longtime assistants. They include Scott Blasi, Darren Fleming, Toby Sheets, Pablo Ocampo, and Galen Pruitt. Asmussen, his wife, Julie, and their three sons are residents of Arlington, Texas.