Whitham Thoroughbreds' grade 1 winner Burnham Square, unraced since trying turf for the first time late last August, will remain on the grass when he launches his 4-year-old season Feb. 28 in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.
Ian Wilkes-trained Burnham Square drew post 8 in an overflow field of 16 in the eighth race, which is for older horses at 1 1/16 miles on grass. Edgard Zayas is named to ride.
"It's a long year. You want to get him back going," Wilkes said. "It's probably a little quicker than what I wanted, but sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt."
Zayas was Burnham Square's regular rider last winter at Gulfstream, up for all three of his races, each at 1 1/16 miles. The Liam's Map gelding broke his maiden by 9 lengths third time out in December 2024, then rallied to beat eventual Florida Derby (G1) winner Tappan Street in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3).
After a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) last year, Burnham Square left South Florida for Kentucky, where he won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland by a nose. He would go on to run sixth behind Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
From there, he was beaten a half-length when second in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, ran fifth in the Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, and came up a head short at odds of 13-1 in the Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T) going 1 5/16 miles over the undulating turf course at Kentucky Downs.
"Very happy with his year last year," Wilkes said. "He was a grade 1 winner on the dirt, which I think he's not bred for. I think he's more bred for grass. He lost a $3.5 million race by a (head). He had a hell of a year."
Wilkes will have a couple of stakes starters Saturday: Omaha Bay in the $225,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies on dirt and Just Basking in the $175,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T).
Jim Gladden's Omaha Bay enters the Davona Dale off one start, a front-running three-quarter-length debut triumph sprinting 6 furlongs Dec. 28 at Gulfstream.
The Davona Dale offers 105 qualifying points to the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis.
Andrew Schwarz and Wendy Schwarz Gilder's Just Basking, meanwhile, won the 2024 Iowa Oaks and was third by a length in the 2024 Alabama Stakes (G1), both on dirt, the latter in what would be her 2024 season finale. She made one start last year, finishing seventh as the favorite in an allowance optional claimer on the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots turf in mid-March, and is back on the grass after running third in a similar spot going a mile on Gulfstream's main track Jan. 15.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
