Burnham Square captured his second straight graded victory with another dominant victory over 12 furlongs over the turf in the GIII Louisville Stakes at Churchill Downs Saturday night. The heavy favorite was unhurried and settled off the pace while well in hand. He improved his position down the backstretch and burst up to engage the pacesetters with a three-wide move into the stretch. He bound to the lead with a furlong to go and sailed clear to the wire.
“He was very professional again tonight,” winning trainer Ian Wilkes said. “He's bred to do just this, go long on the grass. Distance is his forte.”
Burnham Square won last year's GIII Holy Bull Stakes and earned a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby with a win in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Sixth in the Derby and second in the GIII Matt Winn Stakes, the bay gelding moved to the lawn for his sophomore finale, finishing a close-up second in the Aug. 30 GIII Nashville Derby. Burnham Square opened 2026 with a late-running second-place effort in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Gulfstream in February before stretching out to 1 1/2 miles and romping home a 9 3/4-length winner of the GII Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland last time out Apr. 18.
Linda has a 2-year-old colt by Oscar Performance. She produced a filly by Life is Good last year and a filly by Gun Runner this year.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE S.-GIII, $235,000, Churchill Downs, 5-16, 4yo/up,
1 1/2mT, 2:26.80, gd.
1–BURNHAM SQUARE, 123, g, 4, by Liam's Map
1st Dam: Linda (GSW, $407,310), by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Beautiful Noise, by Sunny's Halo
3rd Dam: Listen Well, by Secretariat
O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Brian
Joseph Hernandez, Jr. $152,760. Lifetime Record: 13-5-4-1,
$2,141,405. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Dancin in Da'nile, 118, g, 7, Pioneerof the Nile–Dance Again,
by Awesome Again. O-Murray, Ralph R., Menary, John, Cox,
Gail and Balaz, Michael; B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Gail Cox.
$39,600.
3–Echo Lane, 118, h, 5, Treasure Beach (GB)–Misbehavin Miss,
by Mineshaft. O-Anthony Rogers; B-Echo Lane Of Ocala, LLC
(FL); T-Rohan G. Crichton. $19,800.
Margins: 4 3/4, NK, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.23, 16.17, 6.64.
Also Ran: Vote No, Freedom's Way, Anegada.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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