Keeneland Barn Notes: Burnham Square May Roll into G3 Louisville Stakes Next

(Burnham Square’s saddle cloth in the 2025 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

• THE LOUISVILLE COULD BE NEXT FOR VISITLEX ELKHORN WINNER BURNHAM SQUARE, RUNNER-UP DESVIO
• BURNHAM SQUARE JOINS SELECT GROUP OF KEENELAND STAKES WINNERS ON DIRT AND TURF
• BEN ALI TOP TWO EXIT RACE IN GOOD ORDER
• GALLOPING OUT
• KEENELAND SPECIAL EVENTS
• SPRING MEET LEADERS

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THE LOUISVILLE COULD BE NEXT FOR VISITLEX ELKHORN WINNER BURNHAM SQUARE, RUNNER-UP DESVIO

Following the 9¾-length victory by Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square in Saturday’s VisitLEX Elkhorn (G2), trainer Ian Wilkes said the plan going forward would be to work backward from the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland.

“A possible option would be the ($250,000) Louisville (G3),” Wilkes said Sunday morning of the 1½-mile race at Churchill Downs on May 16.

Burnham Square returned to the Skylight Training Center in Goshen, Kentucky after the Keeneland race. Prior to the VisitLEX Elkhorn, he had put in three works over the all-weather surface at Skylight.

Stonelea Stable and Bonnie Rye Stable’s Desvio, who closed from far back to get second in the VisitLEX Elkhorn, left Keeneland at 8 a.m. Sunday with trainer Madison Meyers riding shotgun for the eight-hour van ride to Middleburg, Virginia.

“We plan to be in Kentucky some more this year,” Meyers said. “We’ll see how he comes out of this race, but the Louisville is on our radar.”

A return trip to Keeneland in the fall could be in the cards for Desvio, who won the Sycamore (G2) last October to give Meyers her first graded stakes victory.

“That would be a goal,” Meyers said of the race scheduled for Oct. 9.

BURNHAM SQUARE JOINS SELECT GROUP
OF KEENELAND STAKES WINNERS ON DIRT AND TURF

Winner of the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) on dirt last spring and yesterday’s VisitLEX Elkhorn (G2) on turf, Burnham Square is one of a few horses to win stakes on dirt and grass at Keeneland.

The others:

Spinning Round: 1991 Alcibiades-G2 (dirt) and 1992 Valley View (turf)

Tejano Run: 1994 Breeders’ Futurity-G2 (dirt) and 1996 Fort Harrod-G3 (turf; race now the Maker’s Mark Mile-G1)

Thesaurus: 1996 Hopemont (turf; race now the Castle & Key Bourbon-G2) and 1997 Forerunner-G3 (dirt; race now retired)

Favorite Trick: 1997 Breeders’ Futurity-G2 (dirt) and 1998 Keeneland Breeders’ Cup Mile-
G2 (turf; race now the Coolmore Turf Mile-G1)

Gateman (GB): 1999 Hopemont (turf) and 2000 Forerunner (dirt)

Miss Ella: 2015 Beaumont-G2 (dirt) and 2016 Buffalo Trace Franklin County-G3 (turf)

BEN ALI TOP TWO EXIT RACE IN GOOD ORDER

Frassetto Stables’ Stars and Stripes and Juddmonte’s Batten Down, the Bill Mott trainees who ran 1-2 in the Ben Ali (G3) on Saturday, exited the race in good order, according to Mott’s Keeneland assistant, Will Graves.

For now, both horses will remain at Keeneland for the time being.

“Both are doing well this morning,” Graves said, noting immediate plans for the horses are to be determined. “I am waiting to hear, but the barn is full at Churchill and we are in the process of moving horses from Oaklawn and Florida to New York.”

The victory by Stars and Stripes gave Mott his 53rd Keeneland stakes triumph, elevating him into a tie with Chad Brown for second all time. The leader is Todd Pletcher, who has 75 stakes wins.

GALLOPING OUT

Trainer Wesley Ward moved into third place all time in Keeneland victories with 297 when Lael Stables’ Floodlights won Saturday’s seventh race.

Ward moved past D. Wayne Lukas and now is closing in on becoming the third trainer with 300 Keeneland victories behind only Rusty Arnold (315) and Bill Mott (314).

Also picking up a victory Saturday was Todd Pletcher, who boosted his Keeneland win total to 293. He sent out Capturing to win the third race for Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

KEENELAND SPECIAL EVENTS

Year-round

Official Keeneland Tours. Click here for availability and to purchase.

Keeneland Library is presenting the free exhibit Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, which highlights 100 trailblazing Latino men and women whose contributions have shaped Thoroughbred racing and breeding from the late 1800s to today.

The Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enter Keeneland at Gate 1 on Keeneland Blvd. and take the first right on Entertainment Ct. The Library is to the left of the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center.

Spring Meet

The Keeneland Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 30 minutes following the final race and on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On race days, Milliners Corner, Wagering Central and Finish Line locations will be open.

Sunday

The Hill. No ticket or reservation is required for tailgating on The Hill, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center and accessible via Gate 1 (at Man o’ War Blvd.) or Gate 4 (off Van Meter Road on the east side of Keeneland). The Hill is open from 8 a.m. to 60 minutes after the final race. Amenities are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kids Club Family Day Presented by Golisano Children’s at UK. Children’s activities in the North Terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sign up for the Keeneland Kids Club at Keeneland.com/kidsclub.

SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through April 18 (11 days of 15-day season)