Booth Aims to Extend Winning Streak in Kelly's Landing

It may have taken some time to take Booth 's impressiveness at the maiden and allowance level to the stakes level, but now that it has the colt has been an unstoppable force in the sprint division. The 4-year-old son of Mitole   attempts to extend his win streak to five June 28 in the $250,000 Kelly's Landing Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Owned by William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, and Whispering Oaks Farm, Booth has gone gate to wire in his last four starts while earning three grade 3 victories over six furlongs. The Steve Asmussen trainee will add an extra sixteenth Saturday, a distance at which he is 1-for-2 over with both starts coming at Churchill Downs.

If Booth were to encounter pace opposition this time around, it is likely to come immediately to his outside from Roll On Big Joe  in stall 4. The 5-year-old son of Prospective  trained by Robert Hess Jr. has led after a half-mile in each of his last six starts, winning three and hitting the board the other three times.

One of those victories came Feb. 15 in the Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park; form that has transferred east to Kentucky with a runner-up effort at Keeneland and victory over the distance at Churchill Downs May 16 for owners Rancho Temescal, White Fence, and Richard Hale Jr.

Should the speedsters falter in the lane, they'll have to deal with a surplus of experienced Churchill Downs sprinters. Three Technique , Otto the Conqueror , and Happy Is a Choice  have all made multiple trips to the Louisville, Ky., winner's circle, and Durante  exits a career-best performance in the May 31 Aristides Stakes (G3) while conquering pace-dueling Skelly  and World Record .

Lush Lips, Vixen Square Off in Tepin

Meanwhile, 3-year-old fillies Lush Lips  and Vixen  are attempting to emerge from the shadow of Nitrogen  as she is absent from the $250,000 Tepin Stakes Saturday, leaving the door open in the one-mile event.

Both fillies were defeated by Nitrogen in their last two starts with Lush Lips second and Vixen third in the Edgewood Stakes (G2T) May 2. Lush Lips' margin over Vixen for that runner-up position was just a nose, about the same margin the pair are separated in the Tepin morning line with the Brendan Walsh-trained Lush Lips at 9-5 and Vixen, trained by Mark Casse, at 2-1.

Flying Mohawk, Tiztastic Return from Kentucky Derby for American Derby

The American Derby will close out the Saturday card with some fireworks as Kentucky Derby (G1) runners Flying Mohawk  and Tiztastic  switch back to the turf in their return from the May 3 classic. At 5-2 on the morning line, Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Tiztastic holds a slight edge over Reagan's Wit , 3-1, last-out winner of the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico Race Course May 17.