HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Booth’s first two wins at the Oaklawn Park meet were a display of raw speed. In the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Saturday, he showed the size of his heart. Booth was dogged throughout by Anarchist in the six-furlong race for older horses, dug in more than once to repel Anarchist, and got to the wire before a rallying Ryvit. Booth ($2.80) won by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Ryvit, while it was another head back in third to Anarchist. The Count Fleet is Oaklawn’s premier race for sprinters and Booth was the 123-pound highweight off wins in the Commodore overnight stakes and the Grade 3 Whitmore. In the Commodore, he covered six furlongs in 1:08.64. In the Whitmore, he won at the same distance in 1:09.79. For those efforts, Booth put up respective Beyer Speed Figures of 105 and 107, with the numbers the highest of the meet. In addition, the 107 is tops among male horses in main-track races up to a mile so far this year in North America. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Booth’s emergence as one of the nation’s top sprinters this winter made him a 2-5 favorite in the Count Fleet. He broke on top and set fractions of 21.87 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.66 for the half-mile, peppered along by Grade 2 winner and Southern California shipper Anarchist. Anarchist took a shot at Booth at the quarter pole and tried him again in the lane, but Booth had an answer for each attack and fought on to the wire to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:09.82. “Really showed his class today,” winning rider Erik Asmussen told track publicity. “He didn’t have everything his own way. He handled the pressure and his class prevailed. “He didn’t break quite as good as I wanted. I think he kind of missed it just a touch. But he’s still so athletic and so fast away from there, I’m still on the lead where I wanted to be.” Kyle Frey was aboard Anarchist. “[Booth] was the horse to beat,” Frey told publicity. “I knew if I let him get a breather like he’s had the last two times, it was going to be an easy one for him. So, I decided to stay right there on him and apply the pressure. Best horse won.” Steve Asmussen trains Booth, who gave him his fourth consecutive win in the Count Fleet and seventh overall. Skelly, who won the Count Fleet in 2023 and 2024, won an allowance Friday at Oaklawn in his first start since November. Mitole, another Count Fleet winner for Asmussen, is the sire of Booth. Booth is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Bright Future. Booth races for Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oaks. The Heiligbrodts also raced champion Mitole. Booth has now won 6 of 10 starts for earnings of $761,191. The Count Fleet shared a card with the Grade 1, $1.25 million Apple Blossom on a beautiful afternoon in which the infield was open. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.