Booth gets 3-year-old season started in allowance sprint

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Booth will be out to build on the talent he showed last year when he launches his 3-year-old season in Sunday’s third race at Oaklawn Park.

He goes in a first-level allowance. The race for 3-year-olds will be run over six furlongs.

Booth’s six rivals include Let’s Go Mark, who is coming off a runner-up finish in the Turfway Park Prevue; Texas Town, an impressive debut winner Dec. 8; and Andy’s Candy, a stakes-placed runner who gets the services of Eclipse Award winner Axel Concepcion.

Booth is a son of Mitole and the stakes-winning mare Sophia’s Song, who has produced a Grade 1 winner in Bright Future. Booth debuted in October at Keeneland and won a six-furlong maiden special weight in a sharp 1:10.23. For the effort, the Steve Asmussen trainee earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96.

“Both Booth and Carbone have run numbers like Mitole did early on,” said Bill Heiligbrodt, who co-owns both sons of his champion Mitole. “He passed it on.”

Mitole won his maiden at Oaklawn in 2018 with a Beyer of 96 and also captured a first-level allowance in Hot Springs, with a Beyer of 97.

Booth was flattered after his debut, with runner-up Nash coming back to win a maiden special weight with a Beyer of 97, then running third in the Gun Runner and second in the Lecomte, both at Fair Grounds.

As for Booth, he has been working at Fair Grounds for his first start since November. He tested stakes company after his smashing debut. Booth ran in the $225,000 Ed Brown at Churchill and after contesting the pace finished fifth to Just Steel, who has since run second in both the Smarty Jones and Southwest at Oaklawn.

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Booth was bred in Kentucky, but has Texas written all over him. His rider, Keith Asmussen, is a graduate of the University of Texas, as are co-owners Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt. And the connection extends even further.

“Booth is named for a famous Texas wildlife artist, Herb Booth,” Corinne Heiligbrodt said.

Andy’s Candy will get good support off a third-place finish to Carbone in a recent allowance at Oaklawn. Concepcion will be aboard from post 5. The mount comes a few weeks after Concepcion earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023. He led all apprentices in wins and earnings last year and is now a journeyman. Last month, agent Bryson Cox said Concepcion, who is based at Turfway, was looking for a track to ride an additional day a week and an option became Sundays at Oaklawn. On two previous occasions, he has been named on Sunday mounts at Oaklawn, but the races ended up being canceled.

Chris Hartman trains Andy’s Candy and also Texas Town, who led throughout to win a Dec. 8 maiden special weight sprint with a Beyer of 84. Chris Landeros has the mount from post 6.

Let’s Go Mark, who was cross-entered in the $150,000 Ozark that was to have been run Saturday at Oaklawn, is a three-time winner. Julien Leparoux has the mount from post 7.

◗ Flashy Lass has more natural speed than a number of her rivals in the eighth race, which might give her a tactical advantage in the first-level allowance for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

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