United States
Burnham Square joins the dual-surface Grade I winners club in Arlington Million
By Stefanie Grimm
The newest member of the dual-surface Grade 1 club was inducted Saturday as Burnham Square (Liam's Map) won Virginia's featured race–the G1 Arlington Million at Colonial Downs-on a day when the track saw a record handle of US$10,790,616 (AU$15.38 million).
“I really felt this was the race that would be hard to win,” trainer Ian Wilkes said after the race. “Shortening backup, coming from a mile and a half, mile and three-eighths, back to two turns. That's a different type of race, and I was happy the way he did it.”
“I really felt this was the race that would be hard to win... and I was happy the way he (Burnham Square) did it.” - Ian Wilkes
A major player on last year's Triple Crown trail, Burnham Square broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park before sweeping into the G3 Holy Bull Stakes in dominant fashion. Denied as the favourite by future Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the G2 Fountain of Youth, he nosed out East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in a thrilling edition of the G1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes en route to the Kentucky Derby, where he finished an even sixth.
He finished out the season second in the G3 Matt Winn and fifth in the G1 Haskell before Wilkes shifted him to the turf for the first time and a star was born.
Second by just a head in the G3 Nashville Derby, he got a nice break through the colder season and returned in Florida this February, running second in allowance company before kicking off a three-race win streak that included the G2 Elkhorn Stakes and the G3 Louisville Stakes.
Cutting back to 1 1/4 miles, the 4-5 favourite was forwardly placed but got squeezed between horses passing the wire the first time by and clearly wanted to go, tugging jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. as he was stuck three wide.
“He was a little on the muscle early,” Wilkes said. “I may take the three-quarters (blinker) off of him and just put a little cheater on him. Now I think he's matured enough to have that, and he may just relax and switch off a little more.”
Fifth and still caught out into the clubhouse turn, Burnham Square finally got to tuck down a little as the field split into groups of two behind longshot leader Layabout (Laoban). A little more settled as the half went in 0:48.85s, the favourite was able to move up into a bunched-up group ahead of him, shifting out three wide to put in a sustained rally in a joint move with Colonial Downs veteran Integration (Quality Road).
Hernandez sat chilly into the final quarter, only pressing the go button as he straightened away with two rivals still to run down on his inside. Finding his best stride in the final sixteenth, he rolled to the front for a stylish win ahead of a photo finish behind him for the minor awards.
“He's got a great turn of foot,” Wilkes said. “That's his asset. Even at a mile and quarter, to be able to have that turn of foot, that's a big asset.”
“Even at a mile and quarter, to be able to have that (Burnham Square's) turn of foot, that's a big asset.” - Ian Wilkes
Wilkes indicated that Burnham Square would have two more races in 2026, the first coming at Kentucky Downs.
Ian Wilkes | Image courtesy of Twinspires
“(Kentucky Downs) is more his wheelhouse,” Wilkes said. “The mile and a half, he loves it. He galloped out really good today. He doesn't stop. I think getting him back out to a mile and a half, that's more his strength.”
Now a Grade 1 winner on both turf and dirt, the 4-year-old gelding seems set to have his whole future ahead of him even as a 4-year-old.
“I'm fortunate enough to train him. It's not work. It's all him,” Wilkes said. “I can only do what the horse can do running. It's all about the horse, that's the one thing we can't forget about is the horse. As (Hall of Fame trainer) Carl Nafzger always told me, to get a good horse, stay out of his way.”
“As (Hall of Fame trainer) Carl Nafzger always told me, to get a good horse, stay out of his way.” - Ian Wilkes
Zooming out past 2026 for his star gelding, Wilkes was all systems go for a return to Colonial Downs and a potential run at John Henry's record as a two-time Arlington Million winner.
“He's my John Henry,” Wilkes sad. “That's in my head now that I've won the Arlington Million. He'll have two more races and then get turned out for the year. He'll go to the paddock and have a break. He's a gelding and we'll bring him back next year and map out what to do.”
Pedigree notes: One of seven top-level winners for Liam's Map, Burnham Square is out of the Graded stakes-winning mare Linda who banked more than US$400,000 (AU$570,000) on the turf herself. She has four winners from five to race and was sold to Springwood for just US$55,000 (AU$78,400) at the 2024 Keeneland January Sale carrying to Oscar Performance.
That foal, now the 2-year-old And The Runner Is, was a US$400,000 Keeneland September yearling last year to Greenwell Thoroughbreds and ran second in his debut at Saratoga on July 12. She has a yearling Life Is Good filly and reported a Gun Runner filly this year before returning to Liam's Map for 2027.
Eunomia upsets Clement L Hirsch, earns Breeders' Cup berth
By Jill Williams
Dismissed at 12-1, East Coast shipper Eunomia (Tiz The Law) outfooted, outdueled, and outlasted the best distaffers assembled in California Saturday to capture Del Mar's G1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. The St. Elias Stables LLC and WSS Racing, LLC colorbearer earned a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' spot to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff this fall at Keeneland.
Up in the early fray from the start, Eunomia sat a comfortable but wide third outside two-back G3 Santa Maria Stakes winner Simply Joking (Practical Joke) and defending Hirsch winner and race favourite Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo)–a US$2.5 million (AU$3.56 million) Fasig-Tipton buy last November–through early fractions of 0:23.20s and 0:46.81s.
Never more than a half-length off Simply Joking's pace, Eunomia held firm going into the final turn as Seismic Beauty threw in the towel and the remaining six opponents chased while always three or more lengths in arrears.
Entering the straight a good half-dozen lengths clear of the rest, Eunomia collared Simply Joking, gradually shaking free. She drifted out down the stretch as last-out G2 Santa Margarita Stakes winner Om N Joy (Om) came flying from the clouds late only to run out of ground and time to make up the final half-length margin at the wire. Simply Joking held third in a photo over a closing Majestic Oops (Majestic Harbor).
“Ideally I wanted her to sit just behind the front runners, but the filly was a bit keen,” said winning trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “I had told Micah (Husbands) she doesn't like to fight you so he didn't do that and instead got into a good rhythm where she got comfortable and we got first run on them. Obviously, the horse on the inside was battling and I was just hoping our filly would find a little bit more and she did. Thankfully she held them off.”
“I was just hoping our filly (Eunomia) would find a little bit more and she did. Thankfully she held them off.” - Saffie Joseph Jnr
While Joseph was winning his second stakes at Del Mar following the 2024 G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with Soul of an Angel (Atreides), jockey Micah Husbands was making his first-ever career start at Del Mar.
“Saffie (Joseph, Jr.) just told me to find a good spot and make her comfortable,” said Husbands. “She did just that. I could tell they weren't going that fast for these type horses, so I was comfortable with her all the way around. She gave me a good kick and we got it done. My first ride at Del Mar and it was a good one.”
Saffie Joseph Jnr | Image courtesy of Sarah Andrew
Originally trained by Victoria Oliver for Jewel Box Racing, who signed her US$190,000 (AU$271,000) ticket at the 2024 OBS March 2-year-old sale, Eunomia was sold privately and transferred to Joseph after a three-length Keeneland allowance score last October. Following an optional allowance win at Tampa in December, Joseph moved her up to exclusively stakes company for her 2026 campaign.
An initial black-type win in the Fasig-Tipton Sandy Bottom Stakes on March 14 was sandwiched around placings in the G2 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland and the G3 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream. Eunomia was last seen finishing off the board in the G2 Ruffian Stakes at Belmont's Aqueduct meet in May.
Pedigree notes: In addition to a couple of Group 1 winners in Chile, Classic winner Tiz The Law now has two Grade 1 winners stateside as Eunomia joins last winter's La Brea Stakes winner Usha as elite-level scorers for their Ashford-based sire. The son of Constitution now sports 24 black-type winners–16 Graded–worldwide as his third crop of 2-year-olds is racing now.
Magna Carta Bloodstock purchased Speedy Vanessa (American Pharoah), dam of the Clement L. Hirsch winner, for US$200,000 (AU$285,000) with Eunomia in utero at the 2021 Keeneland November sale, then resold her to Matt Davis for US$280,000 (AU$399,000) at the same sale in 2024. The mare's 3-year-old colt and second foal, Confessional (Essential Quality), placed in the Virginia Derby this year.
She has an unraced 2-year-old colt by Olympiad, a yearling filly by Yaupon who hammered for US$250,000 (AU$356,000) to Declan Jackson at Keeneland November, and a 2026 colt by Life Is Good. Bred back to Essential Quality for 2027 and from the same extended family as champion War Pass (Cherokee Run), Speedy Vanessa is a half-sister to 2011 G1 Central Bank Ashland Stakes winner Karlovy Vary (Dynaformer), dam of multiple Graded winner Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) and Graded winner Bye Bye Melvin (Uncle Mo).
Europe
Goodie Two Shoes prevails in Lillie Langtry thriller
By Tom Frary
The Joseph O'Brien show carried over to Saturday at the Qatar Goodwood Festival as Goodie Two Shoes (Fastnet Rock) conjured a last-gasp success in the feature G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes.
Thrust a fraction of a nose in front of Santorini Star (Golden Horn) on the line by Dylan Browne McMonagle, the mare capped a stellar week for the combination who have also been enjoying the rub of the green at the Galway Festival.
Also delivering a landmark first win at this meeting for J P McManus, the 8-1 shot who had been runner-up in the Melbourne Cup shaded the photo ahead of the penalised Haggas runner, with last year's winner and 9-4 favourite Waardah (Postponed) also on the premises only a head behind.
“She wanted to win and that was a big help,” McMonagle said after steering his fourth winner of the meeting. “She's got a good kick when you need her and was very tough. She loves quick ground and that's the key to her, she's been improving with every run this season and it's good to get this for JP in these special silks.”
“She (Goodie Two Shoes) wanted to win and that was a big help.” - Dylan Browne McMonagle
Tom Marquand said of Santorini Star, “She has been campaigning at a really high level and is going great, so hopefully there is a big one in her this year. She just has this behind-the-bridle way of going. It is her biggest asset, but it also makes her quite tricky to ride because it is very hard to judge the tempo on her. She is super reliable.”
Pedigree notes: Goodie Two Shoes' dam Fits Like A Glove (Galileo) is an unraced half-sister to Montjeu's Derby and Juddmonte International-winning sire Authorized, and is connected to the Group 3 winner Create Belief (Awtaad). From the excellent Wertheimer family of the Arc heroine Solemia (Poliglote), her 2-year-old colt is by Camelot while she also has a yearling filly by Paddington.
Goodie Two Shoes is the product of Fastnet Rock's shuttle career in Ireland. The late Coolmore resident shuttled to the Northern Hemisphere for 11 seasons between 2010 and 2021, which yielded 57 stakes winners. His 11 Northern Hemisphere-born Group 1 winners include Via Sistina (Ire), Buckaroo (GB), and three-time G1 Prix de la Foret victress One Master (GB).
