BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A good second in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida presented by Fanduel TV and third last out in the Grade 3 Pan American presented by Rood & Riddle, Florida-bred marathoner Echo Lane tries the $250,000 Louisville Stakes at Churchill Downs Saturday. The Rohan Crichton-trained son of Treasure Beach (GB) is the second choice on the morning line at 4-1 against five other 4-year-olds and older set to race a mile-and-a-half on the grass.
Echo Lane searches his first career stakes victory, although he is a two-time winner of the Claiming Crown Emerald in 2024 and 2025 on the Churchill Hill Downs grass, and missed by just a half-length to winner Grand Sonata in the 11-furlong Mac Diarmida on the Gulfstream Park turf in February. A month later in the mile-and-a-half Pan American on the Gulfstream turf, the 5-year-old horse made up ground in the stretch to finish less than three lengths behind winner Far Bridge.
Echo Lane has won eight with four seconds and seven thirds from 28 starts with a bankroll of $599,092 for owner Anthony Rogers. He is out of the Mineshaft mare Misbehavin Miss and was bred in Florida by Echo Lane of Ocala LLC.
Crichton has given the riding assignment on Echo Lane to Sonny Leon and they will start from post two.
Burnham Square makes his third start this year after a nine-and-three-quarters-length victory in the Grade 2 Elkhorn going a mile-and-a-half on the Keeneland turf on April 18. The 4-year-old gelding is trained by Ian Wilkes for Whitham Thoroughbreds and started the year on the Gulfstream Park grass course on February 28, finishing second to Cruise the Nile in an upper tier, $62,500 optional claiming going a mile-and-a-sixteenth.
In one other start on grass among his 12 career races, Burnham Square was second to Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) in the Grade 3 DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational racing a mile-and-five-sixteenths at Kentucky Downs in August in the final race of his 3-year-old campaign.
By Liam’s Map, Burnham Square has won four, including last year’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, with four seconds and a third while earning $1,988,645.
Burnham Square is the odds-on morning line favorite at 2-5 and has drawn post three. Brian Hernandez Jr. has ridden the bay gelding in six of his last seven races and has the return mount for the Louisville.
Rounding out the field are Anegada and jockey Edgar Morales, Ben Curtis will captain Freedom’s Way, Dancin in Da’nile will have Florent Geroux in the irons and Adam Beschizza guides Vote No.
Return to the May 14 issue of Wire to Wire
