Japan's Grand Stud Lands Multiple G3 Winner Walkathon

Just more than two months after the most lucrative victory of her racing career, Walkathon was purchased by Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International, agent for Japan's Grand Stud, for $1.5 million during the opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Nov. 5 in Lexington. A 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy, Walkathon posted a three-length victory in the $1,494,840 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T) Aug. 31. Consigned Tuesday by Denali Stud, she sold as a broodmare or racing prospect. "She's a beautiful filly, full of quality. Very good race mare. A very good addition for our farm," said de Seroux, who noted that they still need to decide if she'll be bred to a United States-based stallion and then sent to Japan or be sent to a stallion in Japan. In 2022 Walkathon won the Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs and she added four more stakes wins this year for owner/breeder Whitham Thoroughbreds. Besides the aforementioned Kentucky Downs score, Walkathon also won this year's Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs, the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile Stakes at Ellis Park, and the Anchorage Overnight Stakes at Churchill. "I wish them the best of luck," said Ian Wilkes, who trained Walkathon. "She is such a classy filly and I am very proud of her. She's very sound." Walkathon boasts an enviable female family, as she's out of grade 3 winner Walkabout, a daughter of Stroll. Walkathon's second dam is the Broad Brush daughter Arlucea, dam of 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Fort Larned, a homebred for Janis Whitham. The third dam of Walkathon is Hall of Famer and two-time champion older female Bayakoa, also the second dam of grade 1 winner Affluent. "The whole family is cultivated by the Whitham family," said Conrad Bandoroff, vice president of Denali Stud. "They have been wonderful stewards of this family. "She is beautiful. She has a lot of class and so much presence. To have her ability and her class; results like this can happen." De Seroux noted the heavy interest in the mare Tuesday. "There were at least five or six other people that wanted the horse—very competitive," de Seroux said. "She was the first one we were interested in so far."