BALTIMORE – It was a family affair for the Asmussen and Heiligbrodt clans, as their favored Booth held sway over Epic Ride for a length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint on Saturday at Pimlico.
Booth ($3.80) is a son of 2019 Eclipse Award champion sprinter Mitole, who Steve Asmussen trained for longtime clients Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt; Mitole made a foray to Pimlico to win the Grade 3 Chick Lang on the 2018 Preakness undercard. Booth is co-owned by the Heiligbrodts in partnership with Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oaks Farm, and on Saturday, he had Asmussen's son Erik – the 2024 Eclipse-winning outstanding jockey – in the irons. A crowded winner's circle also included Steve Asmussen's wife Julie and son Darren – son Keith James is riding the Saturday card at Churchill Downs – and parents Keith and Marilyn Asmussen, whom he followed into the Thoroughbred business. Representatives from Spendthrift Farm, where Mitole stands at stud, were also on hand.
"What a wonderful opportunity," Steve Asmussen said. "For Erik's first trip to Maryland to be a winning one, and to have the family here, it couldn’t be any nicer."
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Booth came in having won three straight stakes at Oaklawn Park, taking the Commodore Overnight by 4 3/4 lengths on Feb. 24, the Grade 3 Whitmore by 2 1/4 lengths on March 15, and the Grade 3 Count Fleet by three-quarters of a length on April 12. Steve Asmussen admitted that he was worried as Booth was coming off a string of tough efforts, and was shipping to Maryland. But those worries began to fade as Booth broke well and put himself on the lead, almost without urging, through an opening quarter of 23.30 seconds in which he appeared well within himself.
"When he broke like that, he was himself," the trainer said.
Booth (100 Beyer Speed Figure) turned for home with a length lead. Epic Ride – who is a stakes winner on synthetic, and has knocked on the door of graded stakes on dirt – made a bid at the favorite after tracking in second throughout. He kept trying all the way to the wire, although he couldn't erase Booth's final length margin.
"It was a huge effort," trainer John Ennis said. "The winner's a good horse."
After the top two, it was 6 3/4 lengths back to Celtic Contender in third, with S S Sinatra another 5 1/4 back to round out the finishers. Concrete Glory had his head turned at the break, was unprepared, and then ducked toward the gap; with the gelding already out of contention, Irad Ortiz Jr., pulled him up on the backstretch. Following a review, the stewards took no action.
The final time for the six-furlong Maryland Sprint, the first stakes of the day and fourth race on the overall card, was 1:10.39 on a track officially rated fast. The dirt had begun the day about two hours prior officially rated muddy after a vicious storm the evening before whipped through Pimlico, pushing the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan back an hour and cancelling Friday's last race. It had been upgraded, officially, to fast
The Maryland Sprint is part of the Breeders' Cup's "Dirt Dozen" bonus series. The top three finishers are eligible for credit toward eventual entry fees for the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
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