Ian Wilkes

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....

Using some late heroics on opening day, A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean's Music--Andele, by Bernardini) popped another cork in the winner's circle at Keeneland as she captured the GII MiddleGround Capital Beaumont Stakes on Friday afternoon. A maiden winner on debut by two lengths at Churchill Downs last September, A Fine Chardonnay took the Myrtlewood Stakes over the Keeneland main track a month later. Finishing off her juvenile campaign, the Ian Wilkes trainee was third in the Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 29. The newly minted 3-year-old was back...

Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who acted up badly on the plane that was meant to transport him to California for Saturday's GI Santa Anita Handicap and was subsequently scratched, is possible for one of two races over the coming weeks. "I always look at it as everything happens for a reason. No regrets," said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who saddles three horses in Saturday's Barbados Gold Cup in his native country. "He'll probably run at Oaklawn in the Essex, or he'll run at Gulfstream in the Ghostzapper. I'm going to...

She may've been in another zip code early, but A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean's Music) was moving fastest late to inhale her rivals en route to victory in the Dean Dorton Myrtlewood Stakes at Keeneland. Debuted beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 11, she came off the pace and closed smartly to win by two lengths as a massive 45-1 longshot. She went off here at a much lower 2-1 on the back of some strong works at Churchill since that unveiling. A Fine Chardonnay jumped evenly with the field, but soon...

When Andrew Schwarz and his sister Wendy Schwarz-Gilder decided to turn their longstanding enthusiasm for the Turf into a deeper commitment, in 2017, the option that best matched their outlook was a modest breeding program. If that meant taking their time, patiently building each page, so be it. All they knew was that they wanted to work with others of a similar disposition: people who gave time to each other, and to their horses. Schwarz, after all, is a real estate developer in New Orleans. "And in real estate, five...

Whitham Thoroughbreds' Burnham Square (Liam's Map), coming off a troubled sixth-place effort in the GI Kentucky Derby, is now being aimed at the June 8 GIII Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, trainer Ian Wilkes confirmed. Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. had to check repeatedly aboard Burnham Square in the Derby when when Admire Daytona (Jpn) (Drefong) slowed abruptly in front of him. "In a 20-horse field, somebody is going to have trouble and I guess it was my turn," Wilkes said the morning after the race. "I thought he ran...

With Derby weekend in the books, we take a look back at the graded races in April that led us there. The month did not disappoint with great racing from coast to coast, although Keeneland, as per usual, was the star of the show. If the top of the sport is measured by graded races, few race weeks are as packed with quality or as anticipated as the boutique meets at Keeneland. With an inevitable focus on the Lexington track, we look at trends and notable items from the country's...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Who's been making the best physical impression in the mornings heading into the GI Kentucky Derby? Our boots on the ground and Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack reveals his top three favorite workouts recorded from the scratched-down field of 19 beneath the Twin Spires. 1) JOURNALISM April 27, 2025 | 5F | 1:01.40 (18/22) Not only does Journalism (Curlin) have the best form heading into the first Saturday in May. The physically imposing 3-1 morning-line favorite also posted the most visually impressive local breeze of the field,...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A year after recording a historic double with Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the GI Kentucky Oaks and Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GI Kentucky Derby, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. is coming back for more. The native of Lafayette, Louisiana will pilot the stretch-running GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square (Liam's Map), a live contender for trainer Ian Wilkes in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, and the Kenny McPeek-trained GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes runner-up Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy) in Friday's Kentucky Oaks. The aforementioned...

Five Kentucky Derby hopefuls were on track Saturday morning during the special training period for Oaks and Derby horses at Churchill Downs, but one, GISW Tappan Street (Into Mischief), has been withdrawn from the big race with an injury. As reported early Saturday morning, the son of Into Mischief had just completed a five furlong breeze when regular rider Luis Saez felt that 'something was off' afterwards. X-rays back at the barn revealed a condylar fracture, and while trainer Brad Cox reports it is not a major injury, it will...

Under what was described as "perfect conditions" by analyst Kaitlin Free, a busy Saturday morning at Churchill Downs ensued as seven GI Kentucky Derby contenders logged published workouts for the "Run for the Roses" and a pair of GI Kentucky Oaks contenders also drilled for their connections, according to a press release from the track on Saturday morning. The tab included top Derby point getter Burnham Square (Liam's Map), who went a half-mile in :49.40 under pilot Brian Hernandez Jr. Trained by Ian Wilkes, the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes...

Trainer Ian Wilkes enjoyed a banner day Tuesday, winning both of Keeneland's Grade I features--the Toyota Blue Grass with Burnham Square (Liam's Map) in addition to Positano Sunset's (Goldencents) score in the Resolute Racing Madison. "Both horses got back last night to Churchill," Wilkes said Wednesday morning from his main base in Louisville. "Everything is all good. It was a really exciting day for everyone involved." Whitham Thoroughbreds' Burnham Square got up in the last stride to edge East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) by a nose in the Blue Grass with...