Burnham Square romps in Elkhorn; Stars and Stripes edges Batten Down in Ben Ali

Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square displayed a devastating turn of foot to win Saturday’s $389,500 Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland, rolling wide off the far turn to a clear lead and powering away to a 9 1/2-length decision in the 1 1/2-mile turf race. Ian Wilkes trains the exciting up-and-comer in the turf ranks, and Brian Hernandez Jr. rides the four-year-old gelding.

“From the quarter pole home, when I tipped him out, you could tell he was the best horse,” Hernandez said. “I knew he was the best horse, because anytime (trainer) Ian (Wilkes) legs me up and just tells me ‘good luck’ in the paddock, you better be ready to run big races. He did (pick it up quickly in the stretch). When I tipped him outside of (jockey) Luis (Saez on Freedom’s Way) there and asked him for his run, he shot off. For a horse to go a mile and a half and then shoot off the last quarter like he did, I knew it was going to take something really, really impressive to run him down, just because of how quickly he picked it up.”

Winner of last year’s Blue Grass (G1) and Holy Bull (G3) on dirt, and sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Burnham Square switched to turf in late summer, recording a head second in the Nashville Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs in his seasonal finale. He returned this year with a runner-up finish in a Gulfstream turf allowance at a 1 1/16-mile distance too short for him, and Burnham Square relished the stretch out in distance Saturday, establishing a new stakes record.

“I did (think Burnham Square was going to be a successful long-distance turf horse),” Wilkes said. “The horse gives you confidence. You come in to the race just full of confidence with this horse. I knew how good he was and I knew how good he was doing.”

Burnham Square left the starting gate as the 6-5 favorite, and the Kentucky-bred son of Liam’s Map has now earned nearly $2 million from a 12-4-4-1 ledger. He is out of Grade 2-winning turf mare Linda, a daughter of Scat Daddy.

Desvio won the battle for the minor awards, finishing three-quarters of a length better than frontrunning longshot Navy Seal in third. Next came Tawny Port, Truly Quality, last year’s Elkhorn winner Utah Beach, Anegada, Freedom’s Way, Fleetfoot, Presider, and Grand Sonata.

Keeneland also offered the $350,000 Ben Ali (G3) for dirt routers on the program, and Frassetto Stables’ Stars and Stripes caught pacesetter Batten Down in deep stretch and prevailed by a half-length in the 1 3/16-mile race. The four-year-old son of Not This Time registered his first stakes win in his second attempt, and Luis Saez was up on the 8-5 favorite for Bill Mott.

Stars and Stripes made his third start of the year, opening with a runner-up in a Gulfstream Park allowance in mid-January, and the bay colt was last seen recording a fast allowance win at Oaklawn Park on March 8. After improving his record to 7-4-1-1 in the Ben Ali, Stars and Stripes rates as a candidate to keep progressing in the older horse dirt division.

The winner was timed in 1:58.34 over the rainy fast track. Grade 3 winner Batten Down ran well in defeat, holding second by a length over last year’s Ben Ali runner-up, San Siro. Awesome Aaron wound up fourth and was followed by Rattle N Roll, British Isles, Tennessee Lamb, who is now winless from three starts since capturing the 2025 Ben Ali, and Guns and Glory.