Helen Pitts-Blasi
Encyclopedia
Helen Pitts-Blasi is an American trainer
of Thoroughbred
racehorses
.
Born on a farm, Helen Pitts' parents were both involved in steeplechase
racing. She rode ponies and horses from the time she was a young girl, competing in such things as steeplechase racing, pony racing, and fox hunting
. She is a graduate of Oldfields School
, an all girls boarding and day school, which produces exceptional riders. She studied at Washington College
for two years before graduating with a degree in business from Villa Julie College.
After finishing her education, Helen Pitts went to work for thoroughbred trainer Francis Campitelli where she stayed for several years before joining flat racing
trainer, Kenneth McPeek
. She eventually became McPeek's assistant-trainer and when he decided to leave the business for a time, she became head trainer on July 1, 2005. A resident of Louisville, Kentucky
, she got her first win there three days later at Churchill Downs
. In October, she won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes
which was not just her first Grade I
win, but marked the first-ever Grade I win by a female trainer at Keeneland Race Course
.
Among Helene Pitts' other successes, she is the trainer of Einstein
with whom she won the 2006 and 2008 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, the 2008 Turf Classic Stakes and then defeated Commentator
in winning the Clark Handicap
. Notably too, the two-time American Horse of the Year Curlin was conditioned for racing by Helen Pitts for owner, Midnight Cry Stable. Unraced at age two, Pitts got the colt through physical problems and in February 2007 she saddled the three-year-old for his first win at Gulfstream Park
in Florida
. Two hours after Curlin's impressive 12¾ length win, the colt was sold for $3.5 million to a racing partnership who turned him over to trainer, Steve Asmussen
. On September 5, 2008, Helen Pitts married Greg Blasi, whose brother Scott is Steve Asmussen's assistant trainer.
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
of Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Born on a farm, Helen Pitts' parents were both involved in steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
racing. She rode ponies and horses from the time she was a young girl, competing in such things as steeplechase racing, pony racing, and fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. She is a graduate of Oldfields School
Oldfields School
Oldfields School, founded in Baltimore County, Maryland in 1867 by Anna Austen McCulloch, is the oldest girls' boarding school in Maryland.A college preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 located in Glencoe, near Sparks, Maryland, Oldfield's School has approximately...
, an all girls boarding and day school, which produces exceptional riders. She studied at Washington College
Washington College
Washington College is a private, independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782...
for two years before graduating with a degree in business from Villa Julie College.
After finishing her education, Helen Pitts went to work for thoroughbred trainer Francis Campitelli where she stayed for several years before joining flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
trainer, Kenneth McPeek
Kenneth McPeek
Kenneth G. McPeek is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Kenneth G. McPeek was born August 2, 1962 in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated from Tates Creek High School and then the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration...
. She eventually became McPeek's assistant-trainer and when he decided to leave the business for a time, she became head trainer on July 1, 2005. A resident of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, she got her first win there three days later at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
. In October, she won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes
Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup is an American Thoroughbred horse race race for three-year-old fillies held annually since 1984 at Keeneland Race Course near Lexington, Kentucky. Run at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf, the Grade I race currently offers a purse of $500,000...
which was not just her first Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
win, but marked the first-ever Grade I win by a female trainer at Keeneland Race Course
Keeneland
Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...
.
Among Helene Pitts' other successes, she is the trainer of Einstein
Einstein (horse)
Einstein is a Thoroughbred racehorse competing in the United States. Bred by Fazenda Mondesir, he was sired by the 1985 American Horse of the Year, Spend A Buck. His dam, Gay Charm, was the 1988 Brazilian Champion Three-Year-Old Filly...
with whom she won the 2006 and 2008 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, the 2008 Turf Classic Stakes and then defeated Commentator
Commentator (horse)
Commentator , is an American Thoroughbred race horse by the stallion Distorted Humor, sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. Like Funny Cide, Commentator is a New York bred as well as a gelding...
in winning the Clark Handicap
Clark Handicap
The Clark Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November/early December at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business...
. Notably too, the two-time American Horse of the Year Curlin was conditioned for racing by Helen Pitts for owner, Midnight Cry Stable. Unraced at age two, Pitts got the colt through physical problems and in February 2007 she saddled the three-year-old for his first win at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Two hours after Curlin's impressive 12¾ length win, the colt was sold for $3.5 million to a racing partnership who turned him over to trainer, Steve Asmussen
Steve Asmussen
Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...
. On September 5, 2008, Helen Pitts married Greg Blasi, whose brother Scott is Steve Asmussen's assistant trainer.