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USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Burnham Square trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Burnham Square trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Burnham Square trains at Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Burnham Square is trained by Ian Wilkes. Horse is 3-1-1 in six starts. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. is slated to ride. Burnham Square will enter the Kentucky Derby off a win in the Blue Grass on April 8 Burnham Square will look to become the first gelding to win the Kentucky Derby since Mine That Bird in 2009 Burnham Square is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September. The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Burnham Square will enter the Kentucky Derby off a victory in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. He currently ranks first on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 130. Color: Bay. Bred in: Kentucky. Sire: Liam's Map. Dam: Linda, by Scat Daddy. Price tag: Homebred. Owner: Whitham Thoroughbreds (Janis Whitham). She's 0 for 1 in the Derby, finishing eighth with McCraken in 2017. Trainer: Ian Wilkes. He's 0 for 1 in the Derby, finishing eighth with McCraken in 2017. Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. He's 1 for 5 in the Derby, winning with Mystik Dan in 2024. Record: 3-1-1 in six starts. Career earnings: $977,755. Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 130 (No. 1). Last race: Won Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland by a nose over East Avenue. Running style: Closer. Notes: Burnham Square's first two races came at Keeneland (second) and Churchill Downs (third) last fall before he broke his maiden Dec. 28 in his third start at Gulfstream Park. He won the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 1 before finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. … The Blue Grass marked Hernandez's first ride on Burnham Square. Edgard Zayas had ridden the three previous races. 'I feel bad for Edgard; he did nothing wrong with this horse,' Wilkes said. 'If Edgard was a Kentucky rider, he wouldn't have been taken off. The history with Brian goes back with the Whithams and me, and we all decided (on the change). When Brian was open, we just couldn't pass up that opportunity.' … Burnham Square will look to become the 10th gelding to win the Kentucky Derby and first since Mine That Bird in 2009. What they're saying: 'The waters get deeper,' Wilkes said after the Blue Grass. 'We have to still step up and get a little better yet and keep improving. … Another extra furlong (in the Kentucky Derby) won't hurt him. I'll be happy to see that.' Last May, NBC Sports announced a partnership with Churchill Downs to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032. The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms. You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock. Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@ Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ. More horse racing: Which horses are in or on bubble for May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs? This story was updated to add a gallery.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Render Judgment trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Render Judgment trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Render Judgment at Churchill Downs Derby contender Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeek and jockey Sheldon Russell is slated to ride during the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Render Judgment will enter the Kentucky Derby off a fifth-place finish in the Blue Grass at Keeneland Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeek, who won last year's Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan Render Judgment is one of 20 horses expected to run in the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September. The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Render Judgment will enter the Kentucky Derby off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. He currently ranks 18th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 39. Color: Bay. Bred in: Kentucky. Sire: Blame. Dam: Barbara Gordon, by Commissioner. Price tag: $310,000 at 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. Owners: Baccari Racing Stable (Chris Baccari); Dream Walkin Farms (Tonni Covel); MJM Racing (Michael Mackin); Rocket Ship Racing (Brook T. Smith). First Derby for Baccari Racing Stable and Dream Walkin Farms. Mackin finished eighth with Smile Happy in 2022. Smith was a co-owner of Sierra Leone (second) in 2024. Trainer: Kenny McPeek. He's 1 for 10 in the Derby, winning with Mystik Dan in 2024. Jockey: Julien Leparoux. He's 0 for 14 in the Derby, best finishing coming with Classic Empire (fourth) in 2017. Record: 1-2-1 in seven starts. Career earnings: $250,672. Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 39 (No. 18). Last race: Fifth in Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. Running style: Stalker. Notes: Trainer Kenny McPeek had planned to enter Render Judgment in an allowance race on Kentucky Derby Day but changed course after discussions with the horse's owners. … Render Judgment broke his maiden last October at Churchill Downs. He finished second — 7 ¾ lengths behind American Promise — in the Virginia Derby on March 15 at Colonial Downs. … The Kentucky Derby will mark Leparoux's first ride on Render Judgment. What they're saying: 'He's a nice horse, but he hasn't run the numbers that justify that he can win the Derby,' McPeek said. 'He's going to have to find a whole other level. But it is a horse race, and a lot can happen.' Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@ Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ. More horse racing: American Pharoah, 10 years after Triple Crown run, enjoying life in Kentucky as stallion
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Owen Almighty trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Owen Almighty trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Owen Almighty trains at Churchill Downs Owen Almighty is trained by Brian Lynch. Horse is 3-2-0 in seven starts. Jockey Javier Castellano is slated to ride. Owen Almighty will enter the Kentucky Derby off a sixth-place finish in the Blue Grass on April 8 Owen Almighty broke his maiden at Churchill Downs last June Owen Almighty is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September. The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Owen Almighty will enter the Kentucky Derby off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 8 at Keeneland. He currently ranks 11th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 65. Color: Bay. Bred in: Kentucky. Sire: Speightstown. Dam: Tempers Rising, by Bayern. Price tag: $350,000 at 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Owner: Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing (Travis Boersma). First Derby. Trainer: Brian Lynch. He's 0 for 1 in the Derby, finishing 11th with Classic Causeway in 2022. Jockey: Javier Castellano. He's 1 for 16 in the Derby, winning with Mage in 2023. Record: 3-2-0 in seven starts. Career earnings: $499,935. Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 65 (No. 11). Last race: Sixth in Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 8 at Keeneland. Running style: At or near the front early. Notes: Following the Blue Grass, Lynch announced plans to enter Owen Almighty in the $600,000, Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. But those plans changed April 16 when Lynch informed Churchill Downs officials that Owen Almighty once again was on the Kentucky Derby trail. … Owen Almighty has enjoyed success at Churchill Downs, breaking his maiden there last June and finishing second behind Jonathan's Way in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 14. He won the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 8 before faltering in the Blue Grass. His ability to get the 1 ¼-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby is a big question mark. … Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. have been the primary jockeys for Owen Almighty, but both have committed to riding other horses in the Kentucky Derby. ... Boersma — the second-richest billionaire in Oregon, according to the annual Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people — is the co-founder of the coffee company, Dutch Bros. What they're saying: 'He had the perfect trip and had every chance to make it his race, but he came up a little empty when we needed it,' Lynch said after the Blue Grass. Last May, NBC Sports announced a partnership with Churchill Downs to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032. The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms. You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock. Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. More Kentucky Derby: Five things to know about 2025 field as draw approaches April 26 Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@ Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Ian Wilkes has helped train 2 Kentucky Derby winners, seeks first on his own with Burnham Square
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ian Wilkes viewed the reporters outside his barn as a sign he must be doing something right. The veteran trainer is thoroughly embracing the attention that Burnham Square has brought him as a Kentucky Derby starter. Even better, he is the points leader heading into Saturday's 151st running at Churchill Downs after entering the final big qualifying weekend on the margins. 'It's great to get to the Derby. That's the race everyone wants to win,' Wilkes said of his gelding, who rallied from the rear to earn 100 points at Keeneland on April 8 and vault to the top of the standings. He finished with 130 to edge Sandman (129) and Journalism (122.5), two of the Derby favorites. Wilkes added, 'It's been just a nice preparation for the horse. It gets better and better each time, just putting the building blocks together. Just keep building for the Derby.' Whether that momentum carries over into a signature win remains to be seen, but the native Australian has his second Derby starter and first since McCraken finished eighth in 2017. Having visited the winner's circle twice in different roles working for now—retired Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger, Wilkes knows about the process and the rewards of draping that garland of roses. He was an exercise rider and groom for Nafzger while training Unbridled, who won the 1990 Derby and Preakness before closing the year with a Breeders' Cup Classic victory that clinched the Eclipse Award as top 3-year-old. Wilkes was Nafzger's assistant in 2007, when Street Sense was a back marker through 3/4 mile before quickly surging into contention and beating Hard Spun by 2 1/4 lengths. Everybody contributed, but something about Wilkes' effort told Nafzger he'd be successful in his own right. 'We had some good horses, but Ian just had a special way with them, good hands and a good eye for talent,' Nafzger, 83, recalled about a relationship that began in the late 1980s. Wilkes had a bunch of graded stakes wins of his own by the time Nafzger turned the operation over to him in 2008. More victories have followed, highlighted by Breeders' Cup Classic breakthrough in 2012 with Fort Larned. As Nafzger recalled watching Burnham Square work out last weekend beneath the Twin Spires, he also marveled at how personnel has remained stable under Wilkes. Consistency is key to success and Wilkes' even-keeled skills in handling people and the rollercoaster nature of horse racing was cited among his many skills by Nafzger and colleagues. 'We all have good runs and we all have droughts,' Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said. 'His demeanor and his attitude and his temperament towards people is steady. I can't say that about myself.' Right now, Wilkes is basking in a roll with Burnham Square that he hopes will continue in racing's marquee event. 'I'm going to enjoy every day and just have some fun, and hopefully it's my turn,' he said. Burnham Square has won two of three starts as a 3-year-old, sandwiching Blue Grass and Holy Bull stakes wins around a fourth in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream. Despite topping the Derby standings, he will start the $5 million, 1 1/4-mile Triple Crown opener facing 12-1 odds from the No. 9 post beside red-hot 3-1 favorite Journalism , aiming to become just the fifth winner from that spot and first since Riva Ridge in 1972. And unlike the Blue Grass — where he trailed the field through two turns before moving forward and eventually running down pacesetter East Avenue in the stretch — there are 19 other competitors to navigate. Burnham Square will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who guided the stunning comeback at Keeneland and swept last year's Derby and Kentucky Oaks aboard Mystik Dan and filly Thorpedo Anna , respectively. Even with a chance to become the first jockey to win back-to-back Derbys since Victor Espinoza 10 years ago, Hernandez looks forward to rewarding Wilkes and owner Janis Whitham with a seminal achievement. 'They put me on my first Grade 1 winner with Fort Larned, and I'm fortunate enough to win a Breeders' Classic,' he said. 'But to come back and win a Kentucky Derby for him, that would be the ultimate for the Whitham family and Ian as well.' ___ AP horse racing:
Winnipeg Free Press
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ian Wilkes has helped train 2 Kentucky Derby winners, seeks first on his own with Burnham Square
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ian Wilkes viewed the reporters outside his barn as a sign he must be doing something right. The veteran trainer is thoroughly embracing the attention that Burnham Square has brought him as a Kentucky Derby starter. Even better, he is the points leader heading into Saturday's 151st running at Churchill Downs after entering the final big qualifying weekend on the margins. 'It's great to get to the Derby. That's the race everyone wants to win,' Wilkes said of his gelding, who rallied from the rear to earn 100 points at Keeneland on April 8 and vault to the top of the standings. He finished with 130 to edge Sandman (129) and Journalism (122.5), two of the Derby favorites. Wilkes added, 'It's been just a nice preparation for the horse. It gets better and better each time, just putting the building blocks together. Just keep building for the Derby.' Whether that momentum carries over into a signature win remains to be seen, but the native Australian has his second Derby starter and first since McCraken finished eighth in 2017. Having visited the winner's circle twice in different roles working for now—retired Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger, Wilkes knows about the process and the rewards of draping that garland of roses. He was an exercise rider and groom for Nafzger while training Unbridled, who won the 1990 Derby and Preakness before closing the year with a Breeders' Cup Classic victory that clinched the Eclipse Award as top 3-year-old. Wilkes was Nafzger's assistant in 2007, when Street Sense was a back marker through 3/4 mile before quickly surging into contention and beating Hard Spun by 2 1/4 lengths. Everybody contributed, but something about Wilkes' effort told Nafzger he'd be successful in his own right. 'We had some good horses, but Ian just had a special way with them, good hands and a good eye for talent,' Nafzger, 83, recalled about a relationship that began in the late 1980s. Wilkes had a bunch of graded stakes wins of his own by the time Nafzger turned the operation over to him in 2008. More victories have followed, highlighted by Breeders' Cup Classic breakthrough in 2012 with Fort Larned. As Nafzger recalled watching Burnham Square work out last weekend beneath the Twin Spires, he also marveled at how personnel has remained stable under Wilkes. Consistency is key to success and Wilkes' even-keeled skills in handling people and the rollercoaster nature of horse racing was cited among his many skills by Nafzger and colleagues. 'We all have good runs and we all have droughts,' Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said. 'His demeanor and his attitude and his temperament towards people is steady. I can't say that about myself.' Right now, Wilkes is basking in a roll with Burnham Square that he hopes will continue in racing's marquee event. 'I'm going to enjoy every day and just have some fun, and hopefully it's my turn,' he said. Burnham Square has won two of three starts as a 3-year-old, sandwiching Blue Grass and Holy Bull stakes wins around a fourth in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream. Despite topping the Derby standings, he will start the $5 million, 1 1/4-mile Triple Crown opener facing 12-1 odds from the No. 9 post beside red-hot 3-1 favorite Journalism, aiming to become just the fifth winner from that spot and first since Riva Ridge in 1972. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. And unlike the Blue Grass — where he trailed the field through two turns before moving forward and eventually running down pacesetter East Avenue in the stretch — there are 19 other competitors to navigate. Burnham Square will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who guided the stunning comeback at Keeneland and swept last year's Derby and Kentucky Oaks aboard Mystik Dan and filly Thorpedo Anna, respectively. Even with a chance to become the first jockey to win back-to-back Derbys since Victor Espinoza 10 years ago, Hernandez looks forward to rewarding Wilkes and owner Janis Whitham with a seminal achievement. 'They put me on my first Grade 1 winner with Fort Larned, and I'm fortunate enough to win a Breeders' Classic,' he said. 'But to come back and win a Kentucky Derby for him, that would be the ultimate for the Whitham family and Ian as well.' ___ AP horse racing:
