Booth gets top weight for Count Fleet

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap will share a card with the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on Saturday at Oaklawn, and Booth has been made the 123-pound highweight. The six-furlong race is for 4-year-olds and up and others set to start include Grade 2 winner Anarchist and $1.5 million earner Tejano Twist.

Booth owns the two highest Beyer Speed Figures of the meet, a 105 for his win in the Commodore overnight stakes and a 107 for his victory in the Grade 3 Whitmore. Erik Asmussen, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2024, was aboard for both wins and has the mount again Saturday from post 3.

Steve Asmussen trains Booth, who seeks to give him his fourth straight win in the Count Fleet.

:: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now.

Skelly, who has won the last two runnings of the Count Fleet, is entered in a Friday allowance at Oaklawn for his first start since November.

The Count Fleet is scheduled as the eighth race Saturday. The complete field from the rail with riders and weights is: Devil’s Tower, Arrieta (115 pounds); Happy American, Cristian Torres (114); Booth, Asmussen (123); Tejano Twist, Brian Hernandez Jr. (120); Payne, Nik Juarez (116); Anarchist, Kyle Frey (119); and Ryvit, Keith Asmussen (116).

The infield is scheduled to be open Saturday. The forecast is “sunny and beautiful,” according to AccuWeather, which lists the projected high as 73 degrees.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.