The Asmussen Training Center

Asmussen scored his first important graded stakes race win at the Beldame Stakes in 1979 and won that year's Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. In 1981, he won the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park and traveled to Japan where he won the Japan Cup. The following year he won the Washington, D.C. International Stakes and his first of two Turf Classic Invitational Stakes then gained his most success as a jockey racing in France where he went to ride under contract for the wealthy stable owner, Stavros Niarchos.

While based at Chantilly Racecourse in Chantilly, France, Asmussen also scored victories in a number of important stakes races in England including the 1988 July Cup, 1989 Coronation Stakes, 1990 Coronation Cup, and the 1993 St. James's Palace Stakes. Racing in Ireland he won the 1987 Irish St. Leger and the 1988 National Stakes. Asmussen also returned to compete in the U.S. for various major races and won his second "Washington, D.C., International" in 1984 plus the 1988 and 1992 Arlington Million in Chicago. Internationally he also won the 1993 Canadian International Stakes and the 1994 Hong Kong Cup.

The first foreign rider to win the French riding title, between 1985 and 1990 Asmussen was the country's Champion jockey every year except for 1987 when he competed in Ireland. In 1991, he rode Suave Dancer to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, France's most prestigious race. In 1998, riding Dream Well Asmussen completed the double, by winning both the Irish and French Derby. During his career in France he won numerous other Group 1 races.

Asmussen retired from riding in 2001 to focus on his operation in Laredo Texas. Over the course of his career, he rode more than 3,000 winners.