Burnham Square will stay at Kentucky home remainder of year, trainer says
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Burnham Square, who became a dual-surface Grade 1 winner with a gritty effort in the Arlington Million Stakes on Saturday, left Colonial Downs and returned to the Skylight Training Center in Kentucky on Sunday. Trainer Ian Wilkes said the 4-year-old gelding will likely stay in his home state the rest of the year.
“It’s lucky that the Breeders’ Cup is at Keeneland this year,” Wilkes said. “He had one big ship this year, and that was to Colonial.”
Not only is Burnham Square likely to remain in Kentucky for his last two starts of 2026, but he will also stretch back out to 1 1/2 miles and stay at that distance, which Wilkes considers his best. In the 1 1/4-mile, two-turn Arlington Million, jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. had to make the most of his turn of foot and did just enough to edge away from stalking contenders Gran Oriente and Dresden Row. The gelding earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, his lowest in four straight stakes victories.
With his victory in the Arlington Million, Burnham Square earned an automatic bid in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, which will be held at Keeneland on Oct. 31. Wilkes had been targeting that race and will give him one start beforehand in the Grade 2, $2 million Kentucky Downs Turf Cup on Sept. 5.
In his turf debut last year, Burnham Square was a surprising runner-up in the Grade 3, $3.5 million Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs, where he proved capable over the unique course.
“I think he’ll handle the track at Kentucky Downs, and we also want to get him back to a mile and a half,” Wilkes said.
Layabout, the 67-1 pacesetter who stubbornly held on for fourth in the Arlington Million, could also run in the Kentucky Downs Turf Cup next time out for trainer Patrick Biancone. He made his last start at 1 1/2 miles in January, when he won the Grade 3 William L. McKnight at Gulfstream Park.
In the Arlington Million, Layabout led into the stretch under Keith Asmussen and only gave in to Gran Oriente and Dresden Row in the final strides.
“Until the last 50 yards, I thought the wedding of my daughter and son-in-law was paid,” Biancone said.
Gran Oriente, who ran a game second in the Arlington Million for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., will also likely ship to Kentucky Downs for his next start, though he will not stretch out with Burnham Square. Acquired through a private sale in the spring, Gran Oriente rattled off two Gulfstream stakes victories for Joseph at 1 1/16 miles, and the trainer said he will likely be a better fit for the Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational on Sept. 7.
“We bought him with that intention of running at Kentucky Downs, because he had run well at Santa Anita down the hill,” Joseph said. “We think the Mint Millions makes sense.”
Among the more disappointing efforts on Saturday at Colonial, the two-time Grade 1 winner Test Score was one of several closers who could not muster a rally in a race that seemed to favor those near the front. Burnham Square managed to run against the dynamic, but Test Score never got going and finished four lengths back in sixth.
“The first part of the race was great, but the second part of the race, he got very muddled after the three-eighths pole,” trainer Graham Motion said. “He got stopped a little bit, and all of a sudden, everybody quickened, and he just cannot do that. He's a grinder. He needs to clear up and he just couldn't quicken with those horses.”
Motion, who won two stakes on the Arlington Million Day card, said he would not hesitate to run Test Score again soon, but finding targets could be difficult.
“I'm not concerned about giving him a rest,” Motion said. “I just feel the need to be cautious with where we point him next. There really isn't a Breeders’ Cup race for him. I think the Mile is too quick for him, so we probably need to pick out a couple of races here for the fall and go forward with him.”
The 5-year-old Dresden Row had never run longer than 1 1/16 miles on the turf, but he ran for third in the Arlington Million, his second straight graded stakes finish in the money. He missed out on second by a nose to Gran Oriente and might have run even better if he had not had to wait to make his move on the far turn.
Before the race, trainer Todd Pletcher said the $1 million purse was enough to take a chance stretching out in distance, and Dresden Row inarguably passed the test.
Fort Washington, last year’s Arlington Million winner trained by Shug McGaughey, broke awkwardly at the start this year and struggled to make up ground from the back of the pack.
It was an unfortunate race for McGaughey, who also entered Integration in search of his first Grade 1 victory. The 9-2 third choice seemed to be in contention on the far turn but flattened out near the top of the stretch. He then clipped heels and was eased in the late stages.
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