Trainer Ian Wilkes insists that blinkers are the reason Whitham Thoroughbreds' Burnham Square will be seeing the starting gate for the $415,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park March 1.
The son of Liam's Map wore blinkers for two dominant victories at Gulfstream after finishing second in his debut at Keeneland Oct. 26 and third at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. The bay gelding won by nine lengths at 1 1/16 miles Dec. 28 before capturing the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) by 1 3/4 lengths going away Feb 1.
"It's day and night," Wilkes said. "Without the blinkers, he wouldn't be where he is now. With the blinkers, he's a different horse.
"Before, he wouldn't help the jockey, he wouldn't run into the race. He would run away from horses and he'd only run down the lane. He wouldn't do anything right at all. The blinkers make him a much more educated horse."
Burnham Square will start from post 3 under Edgard Zayas in an seven-horse field for a race that will award Kentucky Derby (G1) points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers.
The colt out of the Scat Daddy mare Linda already has proven he can successfully go the 1 1/16-mile distance at Gulfstream Park, where the horses will break relatively close to the clubhouse turn. Gulfstream announced Feb. 27 it was adding additional run-up to its 1 1/16- and 1 1/8-mile dirt races.
"He's run the mile and a sixteenth there twice, so I think that will be fine," Wilkes said. "I know the waters get deeper. We just have to keep getting better."
Godolphin's Sovereignty is set to make his 2025 debut after concluding his 2-year-old campaign with a five-length maiden-breaking win in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 27 at Churchill Downs. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the son of Into Mischief will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
"I'm not so sure that the configuration of the racetrack, going a mile and a sixteenth, is really going to suit him because he's sort of a deep closer, or that's what he's shown so far," Mott said. "At Gulfstream, you break right into the turn, and then it's a very short stretch before you finish at the first wire, which is the sixteenth pole.
"But we've got to get him started and we've got try to earn some points for the Kentucky Derby."
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will have two entrants, WinStar Farm and CHC's River Thames and Donegal Racing's Gate to Wire. They both will be making their two-turn debuts.
River Thames debuted Jan. 11 at Gulfstream with a 4 3/4-length victory at six furlongs before stretching out to a mile for a 6 1/2-length win Feb. 1. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the return mount aboard the son of Maclean's Music .
Gate to Wire is coming off a strong-closing five-length upset victory in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes. Dylan Davis will ride the son of Munnings .
St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Thoroughbreds' Keep It Easy will make his first start of 2025 after winning the 6 1/2-furlong Ed Brown Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. Jockey Corey Lanerie will be aboard the Dale Romans-trained colt.
Ian Parsard, Shining Stables, and Stefania Farms' Neoequos will make his first start in an open stakes. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of Neolithic for the first time.
Leon King Stable's McKellen will seek to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man Stakes under Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Jose D'Angelo.
The eighth entrant, Solid Left, will scratch from the Fountain of Youth after running fifth in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Feb. 27.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 1, 2025, Race 13Entries: Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Gate to Wire (KY) Dylan Davis 121 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1 2 2Sovereignty (KY) Junior Alvarado 123 William I. Mott 3/1 3 3Burnham Square (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 123 Ian R. Wilkes 5/2 4 4McKellen (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 119 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 30/1 5 5Solid Left (KY) Luis Saez 119 Brian A. Lynch 20/1 6 6River Thames (NY) John R. Velazquez 121 Todd A. Pletcher 2/1 7 7Neoequos (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 10/1 8 8Keep It Easy (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 121 Dale L. Romans 8/1
