Kentucky Derby prep: Burnham Square closes to win Holy Bull

Burnham Square, exiting an eye-catching maiden win over the same course and distance four weeks ago, proved that effort was no fluke.

A Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred, Burnham Square put away favored frontrunner Tappan Street at the top of the stretch and edged clear for a 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $265,000 Holy Bull Stakes, a Kentucky Derby 2025 points prep at Gulfstream Park.

Click here for Gulfstream Park entries and results.

Overcoming the widest draw in the field of seven 3-year-olds, Burnham Square completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.60 over a fast main track to capture his stakes debut. It was the second straight win for the gelded bay son of Liam’s Map since adding blinkers to his training and racing equipment.

“The key is the blinkers. I had to put the blinkers on, because he wasn’t helping me at all. I had to help him,” winning trainer Ian Wilkes said. “He wouldn’t help the jockey. He wouldn’t start running in the race. He’d run away from horses, wouldn’t run into the dirt. He did everything wrong.”

Appearing somewhat anxious before the race, Burnham Square broke evenly and settled in fourth position as 13-1 long shot Kinetic Control quickly established command from his rail post and went the opening quarter-mile in 23.42 seconds. Mucho Macho Man winner Guns Loaded pressed in his outside in second. Ferocious, making his highly anticipated season debut, raced in third.

Guns Loaded took over the top spot as Kinetic Control began to retreat following a half-mile in 47.60 seconds. Ferocious held third. Million-dollar yearling and 8-5 favorite Tappan Street gained ground into fourth. Tappan Street inherited the lead after going six furlongs in 1:11.69, but Édgard Zayas was following his move around the far turn on Burnham Square, setting his sights on the leader.

“Last time he broke a little sharp, so I really thought he’d break a little sharp and be close to the pace, but I feel like he was a little worked up before the race, a little nervous, so he broke out of there a little slow, and I had to go to plan B,” Zayas said. “I dropped to the rail and let him do his thing. He’s a horse that doesn’t get tired, has a really good stride, steady. Once I was closing in on the quarter pole, I knew I had a really good shot of winning.”

Burnham Square straightened for home with full momentum and surged past Tappan Street, digging in to hit the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front. It was another 9 1/4 lengths back to Burning Glory in third followed by Ferocious, He’s Not Joking, Kinetic Control and Guns Loaded in that order.

“This horse doesn’t get tired, and that’s an asset you saw today,” Wilkes said. “He overcame a lot of adversity today and still won.”

Wilkes spent many years as an exercise rider and assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger, who won the first Holy Bull with Home At Last in 1990 when it was known as the Preview Stakes. Nafzger was in attendance Saturday.

The Holy Bull was the second step on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on March 29 and was preceded by the Jan. 3 Mucho Macho Man. The Holy Bull offered Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the first five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.

Next on Gulfstream’s stakes schedule for 3-year-olds on dirt is the $415,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) March 1, also going 1 1/16 miles.

“That’s a strong possibility,” Wilkes said. “First I’m going to enjoy the night. I’ll talk to Mrs. (Janis) Whitham and (her son and racing manager) Clay after this.”

Trainer Brad Cox was pleased with Tappan Street’s effort.

“I thought he ran really big,” Cox said. “He was wide throughout. Young horse, still learning, second start of his life. He’s going to really move forward off this I believe.”

Ferocious was a dominant debut winner last summer who ran second in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes before finishing a troubled fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1 in his most recent start. He went off Saturday as the 2-1 second choice from post 2 in his season opener. It was his first race since adding blinkers.

“I had a great trip,” Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano said. “I liked the way he settled behind horses on the first turn. I saved all the ground, and on the backside I gave him a little break. I stepped up outside and let him keep track of those pacemaker horses, and he traveled good. He hadn’t run since the Breeders’ Cup, and we tried to put a couple works together to make him fit for this race, but it seemed to me like he got tired a little bit.”

Ferocious’s connections including trainer Gustavo Delgado and co-owner Ramiro Restrepo of Marquee Bloodstock were encouraged by how the blinkers helped Ferocious, who had three breezes since the Breeders’ Cup leading up to the Holy Bull.

“He seemed more focused (with the blinkers), right on the bridle from the beginning the whole time,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant to both his father and Restrepo. “He was going good until the quarter pole, and then he got a little tired. You have to start running. This horse seemed to be fit, and you have to carry on and keep going. We were expecting to be a little closer. We’ll regroup and look forward.”