Sporting the unforgettable Bayakoa silks for Whitham Thoroughbreds, he clearly outclassed Tappan Street on the road to the Kentucky Derby
HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida (Especial para Turf Diario).- Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square, exiting an eye-catching maiden win at the course and distance four weeks ago, proved that effort was no fluke by putting away favored front-runner Tappan Street at the top of the stretch and edging clear for a 1 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s $265,000 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 36th running of the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull headlined a 12-race program featuring five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $925,000 in purses anchored by Eclatant’s rallying triumph in the $165,000 Fasig-Tipton Forward Gal (G3) for fillies.
Other stakes Saturday saw Vixen register a popular victory in the $165,000 Sweetest Chant and California shipper Charlie’s to Blame take the $165,000 Kitten’s Joy on the turf, and Gate to Wire spring a 13-1 upset in the $165,000 Swale sprinting seven furlongs on the main track.
The second step on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29, preceded by the Jan. 3 Mucho Macho Man, the Holy Bull offered Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the first five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.
Burnham Square completed the distance in 1:43.60 over a fast main track to capture his stakes debut. It was the second straight win for the gelded bay son of Liam’s Map since adding blinkers to his training and racing equipment.
“The key is the blinkers. I had to put the blinkers on because he wasn’t helping me at all. I had to help him,” winning trainer Ian Wilkes said. “He wouldn’t help the jockey. He wouldn’t start running in the race. He’d run away from horses, wouldn’t run into the dirt. He did everything wrong.”
Appearing somewhat anxious before the race, Burnham Square broke evenly and settled in fourth position as 13-1 longshot Kinetic Control quickly established command from his rail post and went in 23.42 seconds for the opening quarter-mile. Mucho Macho Man winner Guns Loaded pressed in his outside in second, with Ferocious – making his highly anticipated season debut – racing third.
Guns Loaded took over the top spot as Kinetic Control began to retreat following a half-mile in 47.60 seconds, with Ferocious holding third and million-dollar yearling and 8-5 favorite Tappan Street gaining ground into fourth. Tappan Street inherited the lead after going six furlongs in 1:11.69 but Edgard Zayas was following his move around the far turn on Burnham Square, setting his sights on the leader.
“Last time he broke a little sharp, so I really thought he’d break a little sharp and be close to the pace, but I feel like he was a little worked up before the race, a little nervous, so he broke out of there a little slow and I had to go to Plan B,” Zayas said. “I dropped to the rail and let him do his thing. He’s a horse that doesn’t get tired, has a really good stride, steady. Once I was closing in on the quarter pole, I knew I had a really good shot of winning.”
Burnham Square straightened for home with full momentum and surged past Tappan Street, digging in to hit the wire 1 ¾ lengths in front. It was another 9 ¼ lengths back to Burning Glory in third, followed by Ferocious, He’s Not Joking, Kinetic Control and Guns Loaded.
“This horse doesn’t get tired, and that’s an asset you saw today,” Wilkes said. “He overcame a lot of adversity today and still won.”
Wilkes spent many years as an exercise rider and assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger, who won the first Holy Bull with Home At Last in 1990 when it was known as the Preview Stakes. Nafzger was in attendance Saturday.
Next up on Gulfstream’s stakes schedule for 3-year-olds on dirt is the $415,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) March 1, also going 1 1/16 miles.
“That’s a strong possibility. First, I’m going to enjoy the night,” Wilkes said. “I’ll talk to Mrs. [Janis] Whitham and [her son and racing manager] Clay after this.”
Trainer Brad Cox, who ran 1-2 in the Forward Gal with Eclatant and Stunner, was pleased with Tappan Street’s effort.
“I thought he ran really big,” Cox said. “He was wide throughout. Youn horse, still learning, second start of is life. He’s going to really move forward off this, I believe.”
A dominant debut winner last summer that ran second in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes before finishing a troubled fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 in his most recent start, Ferocious went off the 2-1 second choice from Post 2 in his season opener. It was his first race since adding blinkers.
“I had a great trip. I liked the way he settled behind horses on the first turn. I saved all the ground, and on the backside I gave him a little break. I stepped up outside and let him keep track of those pacemaker horses and he traveled good,” Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano said. “He hadn’t run since the Breeders’ Cup and we tried to put a couple works together to make him fit for this race, but it seemed to me like he got tired a little bit.”
The connections, including trainer Gustavo Delgado and co-owner Ramiro Restrepo of Marquee Bloodstock, were encouraged by how the blinkers helped Ferocious, who had three breezes since the Breeders’ Cup leading up to the Holy Bull.
“He seemed more focused [with the blinkers], right on the bridle from the beginning the whole time,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant to both his father and Restrepo “He was going good until the quarter pole and then he got a little tired. You have to start running. This horse seemed to be fit and you have to carry on and keep going. We were expecting to be a little closer. We’ll regroup and look forward.”
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