LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Sometimes if you want better results, you just have to work harder. After his 3-year-old gelding Burnham Square won the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes in February, trainer Ian Wilkes admitted he didn’t train him as hard leading up to a disappointing fourth in the Fountain of Youth a month later.
But knowing he needed points if he wanted to make a Kentucky Derby bid with the son of Liam’s Map, Wilkes asked more of him during training before the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. And on a sunny, cool Tuesday afternoon in Lexington, he got more.
Burnham Square ran last in the field of seven for the first half of the Blue Grass before jockey Brian Hernandez began to move him up on the outside. He mounted a wide rally in the stretch before putting a head in front of front-running East Avenue in the final strides.
There was plenty on the line in the final major prep before the Kentucky Derby.
The victory not only puts Burnham Square into the Kentucky Derby, he’ll come to Churchill Downs with more qualifying points than anyone after his 100-point share for the Blue Grass. East Avenue also should be safely into the field with his second-place finish (50 points).
River Thames, the morning line favorite, ran third for trainer Todd Pletcher, finishing the race with 50 overall qualifying points to nab the next-to-last at-large qualifying spot by less than $2,000 in stakes earnings over the Brad Cox-trained Flood Zone.
“If you asked me before the race, I would not have dreamed I'd be right here with him," said Wilkes, who trained a Derby starter in 2017 with McCracken, who finished eighth. "The Holy Bull was good, and the Fountain of Youth, maybe I was just – I had to go easy. He’s not a big, robust horse, and I was probably a little kind on him coming into that race, wasn’t as hard on him as what I wanted to be. Then I trained him a little more for here because I needed (Kentucky Derby) points, so I couldn’t mess around. We had to step up and get a little more serious."
East Avenue sprinted to the front and drew several lengths clear, running the first quarter in 22.95 seconds and the half mile in 46.95. He nearly held on to win it before Burnham Square managed to get to the wire first at the very end.
“I loved how he battled,” said East Avenue’s trainer, Brendan Walsh. “He looked at the head of the straight like he was going to fold and he didn’t fold, and I think it’s a good sign for the future. I think he’s a horse that can still improve. It’s nice to see him run a race like that.”
Hernandez, who won last year’s Kentucky Derby on Mystik Dan and the Kentucky Oaks on Thorpedo Anna, said he was impressed with Burnham Square’s ability to win after being asked to cover so much ground with the wide trip.
“For a 3-year-old to make such a long run like he did today, and be able to run down Grade 1 winners like he did today, it's exciting going forward," Hernandez said.
Todd Pletcher, trainer of River Thames, said he saw nothing to dislike in his colt’s effort.
“I thought he ran terrific,” Pletcher said. “We got the trip we were hoping to get. We kind of anticipated the pace would unfold the way it did, and we were in the position we wanted to be. The turn for home we had a chance and kept trying all the way to the wire but couldn’t quite get there. I think (it was a step forward). It was the first time at a mile and an eighth. It seemed like he stuck it out pretty well, and he’s come a long way in a short period of time. It was a good effort; we just couldn’t quite get there.”
As for Kentucky Derby plans, Wilkes didn’t leave much doubt about Burnham Square and his training plan heading into the first Saturday in May.
“I’ll watch him,” Wilkes said. “He’ll tell me what I need to do. But we have to keep the foot on the gas – got to keep the foot down on the pedal – because we’ve got to get a little better again. It’s going to be very deep waters, and we’ve got to get a lot better.”
Walsh said he’d get together with East Avenue’s connections, but that plans already are in place to relocate the colt to Churchill Downs in the coming weeks.
“We’d have to seriously consider it,” he said. “We’ll go back and talk among ourselves and see what we do. But I loved what I saw today. We’re a little disappointed we didn’t win, but it’s the next best thing; at least he showed up today. He’s the horse we’ve always thought he was.”
River Thames would give Pletcher a Derby starter for the 22nd consecutive year. If he were not to go, Pletcher’s next contender would be one spot out of the field.
“We will let the dust settle,” Pletcher said. “I’ll talk to all the connections, and we will come up with a game plan.”
Chancer McPatrick, who went off as the post-time favorite, finished in a dead-heat for sixth with another Derby hopeful, Owen Almighty.
Burnham Square covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.33, and paid $10.48 to win.
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