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Mitole’s Booth Breaks Like A Shot, Blitzes To ‘Rising Star’ Honors

by Patrycja Szpyra and J.N. Campbell

Sporting the familiar Heiligbrodt colors of his sire, Booth (c, 2, Mitole–Sophia's Song, by Bellamy Road) showed talent ran in spades in his family on this Super Saturday unveiling, taking the Keeneland night cap at odds of 5-1 by blitzing out of the gate and never giving the rest of the field a chance en route to securing 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

The colt, owned in partnership by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, and Whispering Oaks Farm, set all the fractions of :22.45, a half in :45.08 and :57.05 coming into the stretch before sailing home much the best by 5 1/4 lengths over favorite Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) to stop the clock in 1:10.23. The final time was 0.21 faster than what GSW Yuugiri (Shackleford) posted when winning the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. earlier on the card.

The winner is a half-brother to GI Jockey Club Gold Cup hero Bright Future (Curlin), who was purchased in 2020 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Repole Stables and St. Elias Stable for $350,000. Sophia's Song is also responsible for a yearling colt by Tiz the Law, foaled a colt by Maxfield May 4 and was bred to Jackie's Warrior for 2024. The dam herself hails from a busy family with MSW Tax Refund (Artax) and GSP Unbridled Beauty (Unbridled's Song) also claiming black-type in their careers on the track. The latter would later go on to produce GSP Meal Penalty (Tale of the Cat), a Peruvian leading sire in his second career, and GSP Danny Boy (Harlan's Holiday). Through a daughter of Unbridled Beauty, Booth is also related to GI Hopeful S. shocker Nutella Fella (Runhappy), and another daughter of that mare counts MSP-Fr Demain (More Than Ready) to her tally.

Sophia's Song's winning half-sister Denali Dreamscape (Corinthian) has produced SW New Boss (Street Boss) as well as GSP Daydreaming Boy (Goldencents) while sibling Casey's Dreamin' (Unbridled's Song) can claim GIII Ontario Derby hero Ironestone (Mr Speaker) to her credit. This is the extended female family of two-time champion sprinter Housebuster; MGSW Elysea's World (Ire); and GSW & MGISP Quero Quero.

The Heiligbrodts purchased outright another juvenile son of Mitole at this year's OBS March Sale in Global Icon for $260,000. Bred by Jeff Ganje, the colt has yet to enter training. As for Booth, he is his first-crop sire's (by Eskendereya) 15th winner and second runner to gain the 'Rising Star' stamp of approval.

11th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 10-7, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.23, ft, 5 1/4 lengths.
BOOTH, c, 2, by Mitole
                1st Dam: Sophia's Song {SW & GSP, $155,892}, by Bellamy Road)
                2nd Dam: Dreamscape, by Mt. Livermore
                3rd Dam: Big Dreams, by Great Above
Sales History: $120,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $225,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,350. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-L. William Heiligbrodt, Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oaks Farm LLC; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Up To The Mark Nails Master Of The Seas In Final Jump Of Turf Mile

“He's a serious horse.”

That was Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's assessment of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Up to the Mark after the 4-year-old colt by Not This Time nosed out 6-5 favorite Master of the Seas in Saturday's Grade 1, $1-million Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Under a skillful ride by Jose Ortiz, Up to the Mark was winning his third consecutive Grade 1 race at distances from the one mile of Saturday's contest to the mile and a quarter of the Manhattan in his last start at Belmont Park on June 10. That kind of versatility gives Pletcher options for the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup, to be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 3-4. The Coolmore Turf Mile is a “Win and You're In” Challenge Series race for the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile, but the Hall of Fame trainer indicated the mile and one-half G1 Turf would be an option, too, depending on how Up to the Mark comes out of this race.

Second choice in the wagering at 2-1, Up to the Mark completed the mile on firm turf in 1:34.18, nearly a half second slower than Gina Romantica's final time in the G1 First Lady at the same distance two races earlier. He paid $6.58 to win.

Irish-bred Godolphin runner Master of the Seas – winner of the G1 Woodbine Mile last out Sept. 16 – looked a sure winner after overtaking Pletcher's other runner, Annapolis, in mid-stretch, but had to settle for a hard-luck second. Set Piece rallied for third, with Annapolis fourth of nine runners.

 

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Locked Secures Breeders’ Cup Berth In Breeders’ Futurity

Locked made a successful jump to graded stakes competition and established himself as one of the horses to beat in next month's Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Saturday with a hard-fought triumph in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

The son of Gun Runner was kept wide through the first trip past the wire, and into the first turn after breaking from the outside post, while longshot Baytown Chatterbox led the field through an opening quarter-mile in :24.47 seconds, chased by West Saratoga.

Baytown Chatterbox was overtaken at the top of the backstretch by Just Steel on the outside, while jockey Jose Ortiz kept Locked out of the fray in second-to-last. Just Steel, several paths wide, maintained the lead at the half-mile point, clocking in at :48.23 seconds, with Baytown Chatterbox and West Saratoga giving chase.

Baytown Chatterbox regained the lead from his inside spot as he and Just Steel entered the final turn, but the leader quickly faltered and shuffled back into a tightly-bunched pack as Just Steel re-assumed the lead.

Meanwhile, Ortiz took Locked widest of all, and began looping around the field as they approached the final straightaway.

He met new leader The Wine Steward at the top of the stretch, and they locked horns at the quarter pole. Locked and The Wine Steward, under jockey Luis Saez, traded advantages as the final poles passed, and after conceding a slight lead to The Wine Steward, Locked found more in the final sixteenth of Keeneland's short stretch, and outkicked The Wine Steward to win by a half-length. Generous Tipper was 3 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up in third.

“You like to think it moves them forward,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He was hung out very wide on both turns. He didn't have a real easy trip, but he's talented enough to overcome it.”

Locked completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:45.06 over a fast main track. He paid $3.52 to win as the overwhelming favorite. Pletcher trained Locked for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm.

The Breeders' Futurity bookended a massive weekend at Keeneland for Pletcher and Eclipse, who teamed up to send Candied to the winner's circle in the G1 Alcibiades Stakes, securing a “Win and You're In” spot for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“To be able to execute those gameplans over the course of 24 hours is just a testament to our program, our partners who support us,” said Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Gary Broad (of Walmac Farm) gave us an incredible opportunity last fall to buy some yearlings, and we partnered with him on Locked. Todd and his program, what can you say? Of course, Luis yesterday (aboard Candied) and Jose today just put up top-notch rides.”

Saturday's victory improved Locked's record to two wins in three career starts for earnings of $428,400.

He entered the Breeders' Futurity off a 7 1/4-length triumph in a Saratoga maiden special weight on Sept. 1, making up for a troubled debut at the same track a month earlier, where he finished third after being knocked to the back of the pack early on.

“He has been a stud from the day we broke him at Ocala Stud and turned him over to Todd,” Wellman said. “He quickly asserted himself as probably the best colt that was at Ocala Stud. They were very high on him down there, and he trained very forwardly all winter and spring, then as soon as we got him to Todd, we knew this was a horse that would be excelling when we got him around two turns.”

Locked was bred in Kentucky by Rosa Colasanti, out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa. He sold to the Eclipse/Walmac partnership for $425,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

With an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in his back pocket, Locked will attempt to replicate the success of Forte, who turned the Breeders' Futurity/Juvenile double last year en route to the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male. Essential Quality took the same route to an Eclipse Award in 2020.

Locked also picked up 10 qualifying points for next year's Kentucky Derby, making him an early leader in the race to make the gate in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

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