Barn Tour: Ian Wilkes updates on stakes runners, juveniles

Trainer Ian Wilkes has a bit of a lighter workload this year than in the past. He has about 55 horses in training after losing 20 in the dispersal sale of late owner Robert Lothenbach last year.

“I'm OK with that,” Wilkes told Horse Racing Nation on Tuesday. “I'm good because I'm not at Keeneland anymore. I used to have stalls on Rice Road, so now I'm at just (Skyline) Training Center. I've been there 22 years and Churchill, and it's good. I like it.”

Not that the Australia native is having a bad year. After no graded-stakes wins last year, he has one this year and could pick up another as soon as this weekend. At $2.2 million in earnings this year, he’s more than halfway toward the marks he set the prior four years.

While driving from Saratoga to his home base in Louisville, Wilkes discussed the top talent in his stable for the latest in HRN’s Barn Tour series.

Walkathon. The 5-year-old Twirling Candy mare gave Wilkes his two latest graded wins, scoring in the Endeavour (G3) in February and the Regret (G3) in June 2022. Winner of her last two starts, both in stakes, she is entered in the Ladies Turf Stakes (G3) at Kentucky Downs on Saturday. “That filly was always cut out to be a very good filly,” Wilkes said. “Unfortunately, we missed the whole year (from mid-2022 to mid-2023) when she got hurt. But she's round the back end of some nice form. She's won three stakes races, so I'm very pleased with her. And she's coming into the race Saturday in good form and in good shape. So I'm expecting a big performance from her.”

Sing a Little Song. The 3-year-old daughter of Bird Song tried her first stakes last week, finishing sixth in the Charles Town Oaks (G2). “The track didn't suit her real well, but I thought she ran good. I thought she ran a game race. You take the winner out, and we got beat three lengths for second. And I'll come back to an allowance with her at Churchill. She's honest. She'll get better as she gets older, but she's a very honest filly.”

Positano Sunset. The 4-year-old Goldencents filly is 0-for-4 this year, all in stakes, most recently finishing fourth in Saturday’s Ballerina (G1). “So proud of her. I was hoping to get third in the Ballerina. We ended up fourth in the Ballerina. Nice, nice effort. She tried hard. We were just fourth best on the day. I'll come back, I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to go. She shipped back. She arrived back at (Skylight) in good shape, no problems. All good there. I just have to figure out where I'm going to go with her.”

Just Basking. The 3-year-old Arrogate filly was unraced last year and has a 6: 2-2-1 record this year after finishing third by a head and a length in the Alabama (G1). “Very good effort in the Alabama, probably a little unlucky trip-wise, lost a little momentum in the race at the top of the stretch, just inexperience with some type of horses, but came running at the end, very good. She's probably done for the year, that filly. We'll campaign her next year, but she's shut down for the rest of the year.”

Magical Lute. The 4-year-old daughter of Maclean’s Music is on a win-lose pattern, scoring in an optional-claiming allowance in the spring, then sixth in the Shawnee (G3), then winning a black-type stakes at Prairie Meadows and most recently finishing seventh in the listed Groupie Doll. “She's a beautiful filly, she's a grand-looking filly. But she's funny. When she gets against a little better competition, she doesn't run as good. But when she gets a little easier competition, she looks very impressive. I'm pointing her for a stake at Delaware next month. … They read class. And when I say that, it's like she says, ‘OK, girls, you can have it today.’ I think she'll be a tremendous broodmare. She's got all the attributes to be a fantastic broodmare. But in a race, if it's not the Grade 1 horses or the Grade 3 horses, she looks pretty dominant. And then when she comes up against a Grade 3, Grade 2, she just runs around there, doesn't dig in and beat them like I think she could.”

Into Champagne. The 3-year-old Into Mischief filly had a 4: 2-1-1 record before finishing seventh in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), and she hasn’t raced since. “I've had a little foot problem with her, but it looks good now. I really wanted to point for the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga this year after the Oaks, and there was one thing after another. She got an abscess in the foot, then bruised a heel. But now I think I've got it sorted out, and it looks like she'll be ready for Keeneland.”

Golden Symphony. The 3-year-old gelded son of Medaglia d’Oro was seventh in a maiden special weight on dirt last month, his career debut. He’s entered in a maiden special weight Thursday at Kentucky Downs. “Golden Symphony ran a good race first time out, just a little bit tired. But he's trained well since, so I'm excited to see how he will run on the turf. It's always a question on the turf at Kentucky Downs. But the way he's trained, I think he'll run good.”

Dr Timothy. The 3-year-old colt by Bee Jersey debuted this year and was out of the money in two starts. “Dr Timothy, I'm still trying to figure him out. It wasn't a bad race on paper, wasn't great. But he got stopped in that race at Ellis. I thought it was a decent race, and his works are OK, but I thought he races better than he works, so I'm hoping that he will do the same thing on Saturday.”

Bourbon Heist. The 5-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke is 1-for-4 this year and has a career record of 27: 4-9-4. “I call him my ATM machine because he's always picking up a check. For three years, he's been a tremendous horse for the owners. I’m putting him back on the grass (in an allowance at Kentucky Downs on Saturday). The problem is he's out of conditions, and he's a victim of stake races with no Lasix,. So it hurts me to go to stake races, so I've got to try and find allowances for him or I have to go somewhere where you can run with Lasix.”

Cocktailsnkringle. The 2-year-old son of Preservationist finished second in his debut Saturday at Ellis Park. “Nice race first time out. He worked well coming into that race and made a nice move and just was unfortunate, got hung up behind some horses. I don't take anything away from the winner, but I think I had a good shot of winning the race that day. But overall, very happy with him. He came out good, and we'll look to Churchill for him.”

Reign Champagne. The 2-year-old Hard Spun filly is 0-for-2 after finishing out of the money at Churchill Downs and Ellis. She’s entered in a maiden special weight at Kentucky Downs on Saturday. “We're on the alsos, but we actually drew in, so we're going to run. She trains a lot better than her first two races. Her first two races were OK, got beat 10 lengths both starts, but they were just OK. She trained better than the performance. So I've been hoping the grass will help her.”