Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square will attempt to continue his domination of the American turf division when taking on reigning Breeders’ Cup winner Ethical Diamond and eight others in Saturday’s Grade 2, $2 million AGS Kentucky Turf Cup going 1 ½ miles at Kentucky Downs.
Sign up an bet on Kentucky Downs, Saratoga, Del Mar and 500+ other tracks at Iron Bets! New players can earn up to a $300 deposit bonus! At Iron Bets look for Daily Promotions throughout the week! Iron Bets players also will receive great rewards, free past performances and more!
Bet on Kentucky Downs at Iron Bets!
The AGS Kentucky Turf Cup is a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1 $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on October 31 at Keeneland. The event is also one of five Graded events to be held on the first day of Kentucky Downs’ U.S. Open of Turf Championships, which also features the Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby, the Grade 2, $1.75 million Light And Wonder Turf Sprint (a “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint), the Grade 2, $1.5 million Resolute Racing Ladies Turf, and the Grade 2, $1.5 million Ainsworth Music City.
Burnham Square brings a string of four straight stakes victories into Saturday’s engagement for trainer Ian Wilkes. The 4-year-old son of Liam’s Map was a last out winner of the prestigious Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 1 at Colonial Downs, which came following a pair of Churchill Downs victories going three turns in the Chorleywood on June 13 going 1 ⅜ miles and the Grade 3 Louisville on May 16 at 1 ½ miles. But it was his 9 ¾-length domination in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland in April that opened many eyes, where he earned a career-high 107 Beyer Speed Figure in the 1 ½-mile event.
“He’s clicked along really well going into this race,” Wilkes said. “It’s a very intriguing race, and it’ll be a fun challenge. You have the European horses coming with the local horses, so the competition is getting deeper.”
A Grade 1-winner on dirt when winning last year’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, Burnham Square made his turf debut in last year’s Nashville Derby, where he fought gamely in the stretch run, but finished a head behind Wimbledon Hawkeye.
“This race being a mile and a half will be a little more to his liking,” Wilkes noted. “The Nashville Derby is a mile and five-sixteenths, so he’ll appreciate the distance this year a lot more.”
A third-generation Kentucky homebred, Burnham Square boasts lifetime earnings of $2,884,244 and a consistent 15-7-4-1 record. His Graded stakes-winning dam Linda was a winner at Kentucky Downs during her racing career.
Burnham Square’s regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who piloted Sunday’s Untapable winner Seneca Park, will return to the irons from post 7.
Breeders’ Cup Turf Winner Returns to U.S.
H O S Syndicate’s Irish-bred Ethical Diamond will make another stateside journey following his upset victory in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf for trainer Willie Mullins.
The 6-year-old Awtaad gelding was a deep-closing winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, defeating two-time race winner Rebel’s Romance by 1 ¼ lengths and recorded a 107 Beyer Speed Figure.
Although winless in his first two starts this year, Ethical Diamond redeemed himself in the last-out Group 3 Ballyroan at Leopardstown in Ireland, winning by a nose over Group 2- winner Green Impact.
One of three millionaires in the Kentucky Turf Cup, Ethical Diamond boasts the highest bankroll in the field with $3,348,638 in earnings through an 18-6-1-1 record.
Internationally acclaimed jockey Ryan Moore, the pilot aboard his last effort, will ride from post 6.
Euro Invader Tiffany Worth a Look
Also invading from Europe is Elite Racing 004’s highly consistent Tiffany for trainer Sir Mark Prescott. Never worse than third in 16-of-18 lifetime starts, the Irish-bred 6-year-old daughter of Farhh defeated males in her last engagement as the favorite in the 1 ½-mile Group 1 Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten in Germany.
Regular rider Luke Morris will ride from post 1.
Flying P Stables’ Ole Crazy Bone will look to become the first back-to-back Kentucky Turf Cup winner since Da Big Hoss [2015-16], who also was trained by Kentucky Downs’ all-time leading trainer Mike Maker. The 6-year-old son of Ghostzapper soared to new heights since being claimed last June and captured last year’s Kentucky Turf Cup in his second start for Maker. There, he defeated multiple Graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Tawny Port by 3 ¾ lengths and earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
Ole Crazy Bone was a hard-fought winner of the Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 11 at Saratoga, where he bested returning rival Fort George by a nose. He enters from a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf Stakes on August 15 over a yielding Saratoga inner turf.
A victory would give Maker his seventh Kentucky Turf Cup victory. Jose Ortiz, who piloted Maker-trained 2019 Kentucky Turf Cup winner Zulu Alpha, will ride from post 8.
Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s English-bred and based Fort George [post 10, Jamie Spencer] will look to turn the tables on Ole Crazy Bone. Trained by Ed Walker, the 4-year-old son of Territories made his American debut in the last-out Bowling Green, which came three starts after a victory in the Group 3 Dubai Millenium in January at Meydan Racecourse in the UAE. Following that effort, Fort George was second to Rebel’s Romance, beaten 1 ½ lengths while traveling over the Kentucky Turf Cup distance in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold.
Pletcher Saddles Dresden Row
Twin Oaks Bloodstock’s Dresden Row [post 3, Tyler Gaffalione] will attempt to give Todd Pletcher his second Kentucky Turf Cup victory, two years after the Hall of Fame conditioner won this race with Grand Sonata. Never worse than third in 18 lifetime starts, Dresden Row is a three-time Graded stakes winner in Canada over the all-weather surface for his former trainer Lorne Richards. He made his first two starts for Pletcher winning ones at allowance level over the turf, and enters from a close third in the Grade 1 Arlington Million.
Graded stakes-winner Desvio [post 2, John Velazquez] will attempt his first win since last October’s Grade 2 Sycamore at Keeneland for Mid Atlantic-based trainer Madison Meyers. The 5-year-old son of Yoshida will face some familiar rivals in Saturday’s race, having finished fourth behind Ole Crazy Bone and Fort George in the Grade 2 Bowling Green last out. In his 2026 debut, he was second behind Burnham Square in the Grade 2 Elkhorn.
Kevin M. Doyle’s Layabout [post 5, Keith Asmussen] enters the Kentucky Turf Cup from a game fourth beaten less than a length in the Grade 1 Arlington Million. Trained by Patrick Biancone, the 4-year-old son of Laoban will seek a return to his winning form from the winter, where he captured his 2026 debut in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight in January at Gulfstream Park. Last year, he won two stakes at the South Florida oval when taking the Bears Den last August and the Tropical Park Derby four months later.
Completing the field are stakes-winner Eff Thirty Five [post 4, Antonio Fresu], who makes his debut for the Maker barn, and eight-time winner Echo Lane [post 9, Luis Saez], who finished third going the 1 ½-distance twice at Graded stakes level.
The AGS Kentucky Turf Cup will go off as Race 7 on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 3:56 PM CT. First post for the 12-race program is 12:25 PM CT.
