Pimlico: Fort Washington, Booth, Charlene's Dream win

Fort Washington ranged up outside Grade 1-winning favorite Trikari at the top of the stretch, opened up and held off a late bid on the inside from Cash Equity to register a one-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico.

The 124th running of the 1 1/8-mile Dinner Party for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the eighth of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $3.3 million in purses on the Preakness day program.

Click here for Pimlico entries and results.

It was the third straight ride aboard Fort Washington ($12.00) for jockey Junior Alvarado, including a last-out victory in Gulfstream Park's Canadian Turf (G3) on March 1. Alvarado won the Kentucky Derby on Sovereignty, whose connections opted to skip the Preakness to await the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1).

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey won the Dinner Party for the sixth time dating to 1993.

Alvarado kept Fort Washington in the clear two wide in seventh as Abrumar pressed Neat through a deliberate first quarter-mile in 27.10 seconds. Horses began to tighten up leaving the backstretch after a 52.17-second half mile as Abrumar inherited the lead when Neat dropped back, with 7-2 favorite Trikari picking up the chase.

Outside them all was Fort Washington, who Alvarado moved into contention midway around the far turn and set down for a drive once straightened for home. As Trikari faded, Cash Equity dived into an opening between Crabs N Beer on the rail and Abrumar to launch his bid. He was unable to run down Fort Washington, who covered the distance over a turf course rated good in 1:55.08.

Desvio, sent off at 45-1, made a late run to be third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Cash Equity. Divin Propos, Crystal Quest, defending champion Balnikhov, Crabs N Beer, Abrumar, Trikari and Neat completed the order of finish. Signator, Irish Aces and Fulmineo were scratched.

Racing for the first time at Pimlico, the 12th different racetrack in his 26-race career, Fort Washington earned a third Grade 3 score to go along with the Canadian Turf and 2024 Monmouth. The 6-year-old son of War Front has also placed in two other graded events and was fifth, beaten by 2½ lengths in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream.

Booth continues streak in Maryland Sprint

Booth extended his win streak to four races with his third consecutive graded triumph, a popular front-running score in the $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3).

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by his son Erik, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2024, Booth ($3.80) completed the distance in 1:10.39 over a main track rated good. Each of the wins during his streak have come on the front end by 8 3/4 combined lengths.

It was the fourth Maryland Sprint victory for Steve Asmussen, who previously won with subsequent Group 1 winner Switzerland (2018) and fellow millionaires New York Central (2019) and Jaxon Traveler (2022).

Booth broke alertly and bounded to an easy lead with mild pressure on his outside from Grade 1-placed stakes winner Epic Ride, posting fractions of 23.30 and 45.99 seconds. Epic Ride attempted to make it a challenge at the top of the stretch but Booth shook loose and sprinted clear to win by a length under a hand ride.

Celtic Contender and S S Sinatra completed the order of finish. Concrete Glory was pulled up uninjured after a troubled break. According to a statement by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to Gabby Gaudet of FanDuel TV, a horse in an adgacent stall acted up, Concrete Glory turned his head to look and he could not see the gate open because of a blinker on his outward-facing eye. He dwelt, bolted left, bucked right and was never placed in the race.

Prince of Jericho and Ninetyprcentmaddie were scratched.

Booth, a $225,000 juvenile training purchase in March 2023, improved to 5: 4-0-0 in his 4-year-old season for owners William Heiligbrodt, Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oaks Farm. His sire, the multimillionaire Mitole, won the 2018 Chick Lang at Pimlico and was the champion male sprinter of 2019 after winning four Grade 1 races including the Met Mile and Breeders' Cup Sprint.

"How hard he ran the last three times and then shipping him, I was worried," Steve Asmussen said after the race. "But when he broke like that, he was himself. There were pretty quick horses in there. But when he breaks like that, it's pretty obvious who's going to be on the lead.... He was hooked pretty hard in his last race, and his last race took more out of him than anything before it. So, I thought, 'give him a little extra time for this race,' and he was back on his feet. But I was concerned because of how hard he ran."

"He broke so good and he put his ears up about three jumps away from there and I knew they were in trouble," Erik Asmussen said of Booth's race. "He was on cruise control the whole way around. He is fast, really fast. When we went the first quarter in 23, he did that so easy, it felt like I was on a morning gallop with him. I hope he likes me as much as I like him."

The victory was a family affair, with Steve Asmussen's son Erik riding and three generations of the Asmussen family in the winners' circle. "I will reflect on it beautifully," Asmussen said. "The best question I was asked about that was 'When you let him up, are you a parent or a trainer?' It's made me reflect on that. And I'm exactly a trainer. When I step away and reflect on it, I'm so proud of him. I'm extremely difficult, extremely demanding on everybody around me. When you make it family, it's even double. For them to put up with me, listen to me, whatever you want to call it, and then be able to perform.  To reflect on that and then have your parents in the winner's circle for a graded stakes Preakness weekend, I'll be sitting on a porch somewhere thinking about that."

Long shot Charlene's Dream, who got her start at Golden Gate, wires Gallorette

Charlene’s Dream, under an ideal ride from jockey Umberto Rispoli, kicked off her 4-year-old season in stylish fashion with a front-running 3 3/4-length upset of the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Sent off the longest shot in a field of seven at 8-1, Charlene’s Dream ($18.20) finished up in 1:46.92 over a turf course rated good to register her fifth lifetime win from eight starts and fourth in a stakes. Racing for the first time in 249 days, the Texas-bred filly was making her graded debut for trainer Ed Moger Jr. and owner Domeyko Taylor.

Rispoli guided Charlene’s Dream through measured splits of 24.32 and 49.37 seconds, left alone up front with Ocean Club giving closest chase. Queen of the Mud settled in third along the rail with lukewarm 3-1 favorite Way to Be Marie in the clear in fourth. Charlene’s Dream began to gain separation leaving the turn and opened up through the stretch as Austere caught Ocean Club for second.

Three Havanas, Way to Be Marie, Sparkle Blue and Queen of the Mud completed the order of finish. Dana’s Beauty and Conquest Dancer were scratched.

Rispoli will ride 8-5 program favorite and Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism in the Preakness for trainer Mike McCarthy.

Charlene’s Dream won three of four starts at 2, all at Golden Gate Fields. Those included victories in the Pike Place Dancer and Golden Gate Debutante on turf and synthetic, respectively. She raced only three times at 3, winning the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap on grass and running seventh in the Dueling Grounds Oaks Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs. Already the first stakes winner for her Indiana-based sire Qurbaan, she is now his first graded winner.

"I thought there'd be more speed, but I told Umberto (Rispoli) she does not have to be on the lead, because you can put her anywhere," Moger said. "She's a really talented horse and I said, ‘if she does get the lead, they aren’t going to catch her.’ She's a good horse."

The race was the graded-stakes debut for Charlene's Dream, but it wasn't for lack of Moger trying to find a race for her at the level. "We couldn't get her in any graded stakes, basically, because she had never been in a graded stake. We entered in, like three of them, the races didn't go or we didn't get in. We weren't qualified. That’s why we came here. I've always thought she could run like that.

"I've always liked her. Right from day 1. I thought she's the best filly I've ever had."

Gallorette, the namesake of the race, retired in 1948 as the world’s leading money-winning mare with earnings of $445,535. The Maryland-bred mare was 72: 21-20-13 and placed in 39 stakes, capturing the 1945 Pimlico Oaks and being named champion handicap mare of 1946. She was elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1962.