Fourth Straight Win, Three Graded, for 4YO Mitole Colt
BALTIMORE – William Heiligbrodt, Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oaks Farm’s Booth extended his win streak to four races with his third consecutive graded triumph, a popular front-running score in Saturday’s $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.
The 38th running of the six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up was the first of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $3.3 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race program headlined by the historic 150th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by his son, Erik, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2024, Booth ($3.80) completed the distance in 1:10.39 over a main track rated good. Each of the wins during his streak have come on the front end by 8 ¾ combined lengths.
It was the fourth Maryland Sprint victory for Steve Asmussen, who previously won with subsequent Group 1 winner Switzerland (2018) and fellow millionaires New York Central (2019) and Jaxon Traveler (2022).
Booth broke alertly and bounded to an easy lead with mild pressure on his outside from Grade 1-placed stakes winner Epic Ride, posting fractions of 23.30 and 45.99 seconds. Epic Ride attempted to make it a challenge at the top of the stretch but Booth shook loose and sprinted clear to win by a length under a hand ride.
Celtic Contender and S S Sinatra completed the order of finish. Concrete Glory was pulled up uninjured after a troubled break. Prince of Jericho and Ninetyprcentmaddie were scratched.
Booth, a $225,000 juvenile training purchase in March 2023, improved to 4-for-5 in his 4-year-old season. His sire, the multimillionaire Mitole, won the 2018 Chick Lang at Pimlico and was the champion male sprinter of 2019 after winning four Grade 1 races including the Met Mile and Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
$150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) Quotes
Winning Trainer Steve Asmussen (Booth) – “The horse had a wonderful spring and it was nice to see this weekend and what it means. A wonderful opportunity, Erik’s first trip to Maryland, a winning one and having the family here, it couldn’t be any nicer.”
(Steve’s parents, Keith and Marilyn, along with his wife Julie and their non-jockey son Darren were all in the winner’s circle).
“How hard he ran the last three times and then shipping him, I was worried. But when he broke like that, he was himself. There were pretty quick horses in there. But when he breaks like that, it’s pretty obvious who’s going to be on the lead…. He was hooked pretty hard in his last race, and his last race took more out of him than anything before it. So, I thought, ‘give him a little extra time for this race,’ and he was back on his feet. But I was concerned because of how hard he ran.”
(Where he stacks with Asmussen’s other top sprinters) “He’s moving up the ladder. He’s making his dad, Mitole, proud. He showed a lot early in the fall of his 2-year-old year, just got out of rhythm, things not being ideal. Then for him to reach this form – I think that’s four stakes wins in a row at 4 – you think back that Mitole didn’t get great until he was 4.”
(Put in perspective having your son win a graded stakes for you on one of racing’s biggest days) “I will reflect on it beautifully. The best question I was asked about that was ‘When you let him up, are you a parent or a trainer?’ It’s made me reflect on that. And I’m exactly a trainer. When I step away and reflect on it, I’m so proud of him. I’m extremely difficult, extremely demanding on everybody around me. When you make it family, it’s even double. For them to put up with me, listen to me — whatever you want to call it — and then be able to perform. To reflect on that and then have your parents in the winner’s circle for a graded stakes Preakness weekend, I’ll be sitting on a porch somewhere thinking about that.”
(On it being day of 150th Preakness, and the last day in grandstand). “This place has been so good to us. We drove in this morning, telling Mom and Dad they’re basically going to implode the place in June and you’re like, ‘What?’ Is that the age of us, when you think about those things?”
(He said he’d like to work back from the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in setting a schedule) “This is only the horse’s 11th start, and the horse is 7 for 11 now. So, I think we’ve got a lot of racing ahead of us.”
Winning Jockey Erik Asmussen (Booth) – “He broke so good and he put his ears up about three jumps away from there and I knew they were in trouble. He was on cruise control the whole way around. He is fast, really fast. When we went the first quarter in 23, he did that so easy, it felt like I was on a morning gallop with him. I hope he likes me as much as I like him.
We figured out what he really likes to do. He is in a really good rhythm right now. My dad has done a fantastic job; we’re rolling right now. We hope to keep it going. It’s hard to say he is not No. 1 (of the horses he has ever ridden). He has won three graded stakes for me — all three of my graded stakes. It’s just special to be a part of. You want more horses of his class and caliber. Don’t tell anybody, but he is an extremely horse to ride.”
Trainer John Ennis (Epic Ride, 2nd) – “He ran super. The winner is a very good horse. This horse always shows up. I think he’s 75, 80 percent in the money for his career. I’m lucky to have him.”
Jockey Flavien Prat (Epic Ride, 2nd) – “He ran a good race. He got himself into the race. I thought we kept the winner (Booth) honest, but he just outran us. But I thought he ran a very good race.”
Trainer Hamilton Smith (Celtic Contender, 3rd) – “He did well. At the break, he had to hesitate just a tad. He made a little run around the turn and it looked like he would come to them, but the other horses just ran on away from him at the end. But he tried hard and that’s what he does every time. There were some nice horses that beat him. We’re proud of him.”
Jockey Victor Carrasco (Celtic Contender, 3rd) – “They were moving pretty good up front when I got him in the clear turning for home, he really gave his best. He just couldn’t catch the two front-runners.”