Burnham Square heading to the Kentucky Derby after winning the Blue Grass Stakes
Jockey Brian Hernandez Junior aboard as he takes his mount from worst to first in the race
Brian Hernandez Jr. after his win with Burnham Square in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on Tuesday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Burnham Square became a 9-2 third-best favorite by post time for the 101st running of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on Tuesday, but after the staring gate opened it seemed like a first place finish was nowhere near possible.
That is, until reigning Kentucky Oaks and Derby winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. took control and guided his mount to an unforgettable finish.
How it Happened
The Whitham Thoroughbreds’ homebred was ten lengths behind the leader on the back stretch with East Avenue in front of the seven.
In the last turn, Owen Almighty challenged Luan Machado’s mount at the top of the final stretch. With one furlong to go, Hernandez Jr. moved Burnham Square to the outside of the pack and gained ground.
From there, it was a fight to the finish as Burnham Square blasted past the favorite River Thames setting up a two-horse race to the wire with East Avenue.
Hernandez Jr. and his ride won by the slimmest of deciders, a nose. It was the fifth time since 1937 that the Toyota Blue Grass had been decided by that close of a margin.
Taking Him Outside
Trainer Ian Wilkes says that he left it up to his jockey to determine if he’d take his ride inside or out to try and win the race. Hernandez Jr. showed why he’s world-class with the maneuver and the win.
“I’ve never been on this horse before,” said Hernandez Jr. “Going around the first turn he surprised me because he wasn’t taking to the kickback and he was climbing a bit so I decided to get him outside.”
Both jockey and trainer are proud of the speed of their horse, but also not surprised at his resilience.
“He showed that he’s going to be an exciting horse going forward,” said Hernandez Jr. “Even through the wire he was getting away from that horse again. He looks like the further he goes the better we’re going to be.”
“To make that long of a run and finish off and catch a good horse at the wire I’m very proud of him,” said Wilkes. “He doesn’t get tired. The further the better. Distance is his dream house.”
Back to Churchill
Hernandez Jr’s trip to Churchill Downs last year ended with his name in lights as the winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby aboard Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan respectively. This year, he has another chance with a horse he’s only ridden once to make more magic.
“Going into it this year you want to think that you have another really good three-year-old,” said Hernandez Jr, who “We have 25 days to keep looking forward to it.”
“I’ll watch him,” said Wilkes on his Louisville-bound horse. “He’ll tell me what I need to do. But we have to keep the foot on the gas – got to keep the foot down on the pedal – because we’ve got to get a little better again. It’s going to be very deep waters, and we’ve got to get a lot better.”
