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In fact, since Janis Whitham and her late husband Frank first dipped their toes into the Thoroughbred world, nearly 40 years ago, the mares and foals have basically been tended by the same hands: first those of Frank Penn at Pennbrook Farm near Lexington and then, when he retired around a decade ago, those of his veterinarian Dr. Steve Conboy at Maple Lane Farm. The racetrack division, albeit launched in California, has reflected similar priorities since it was decided to site the whole herd more accessibly: when Carl Nafzger stepped down, the horses simply stayed with his assistant Ian Wilkes.

“I certainly don't mean to knock those trainers who have huge strings,” stresses Clay Whitham, who assists his mother in running their equine team. “Obviously they get the job done. But I doubt whether they can have enough time to talk with every single one of their clients the way Ian does with Mom. Yes, we have a program-but first and foremost it's something we enjoy. My mother, in particular, really enjoys planning the matings. So it's very good for her to be able to work with a trainer like Ian, who takes his time with the horses, and makes time for visiting with his owners too.”

The dividends have far surpassed those typically achieved by brash ambition in other programs. Admittedly the Whithams were blessed, pretty early on, to import the Hall of Fame impetus of dual GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Bayakoa (Arg), but the acorn-to-oaks strategy has since yielded a GI Breeders' Cup Classic from Fort Larned (E Dubai) and a run to the GI Kentucky Derby with McCraken (Ghostzapper). That horse put a remote settlement on the national map, much to the pride of his breeders–who were both raised in the Kansas plains, and in turn made a home for Clay (now a banker in Colorado) and his siblings in the small town of Leoti.

As an unbeaten GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. winner, McCraken was a conspicuously precocious talent by the standards of his sire. The zip in McCraken's genes is attested by the fact that his half-sister Four Graces (Majesticperfection) broke the Keeneland track record over the extended seven furlongs in the GIII Beaumont S., complementing the new mark set by their dam's half-sister Mea Domina (Dance Brightly) in a graded stakes at Del Mar over 1 1/16 miles. That will doubtless seize the attention of commercial breeders when Four Graces comes under the hammer with Denali Stud as Hip 192 at the Keeneland November Sale. But perhaps they should primarily be engaged by the rare opportunity to tap directly into the very fount of this exemplary venture.

Because while there had been one or two Thoroughbred experiments at country tracks, the whole story really began with the weanling Nodouble filly unearthed by Frank Penn for $75,000 in 1983.

“They had quite a bit of Quarter Horse racing out in Kansas back in the day,” recalls Clay. “And my parents, who both came from agricultural areas of the state, had raced a few Quarter Horses. But about this time they decided to transition more into Thoroughbreds. My father was a businessman, I think he could probably just see that the purses were better! And while things have obviously changed quite a bit since, at that time the best purses were in California.”

The filly, named Tuesday Evening, won a Santa Anita maiden on her second start for Ron McAnally and, while unable to race again, duly bred half a dozen winners for the nascent program, including a very fast one in Madame Pandit (Wild Again), who won the GIII Monrovia H. before finishing chasing home Exotic Wood (Rahy) in the GI Santa Monica H.

By the time Madame Pandit came along, however, these horses had acquired a tragic new purpose: as a bond of comfort for a family united by grief. Frank, having built a successful career in livestock, oil and banking, was only 62 when lost in a plane crash in 1993. Through her long widowhood, the patient cycles of breeding-to-race have given Janis much consolation. It was partly to ease that deepening engagement that it was eventually decided to transfer the racetrack division closer to the breeding stock.

Madame Pandit made a great start to her breeding career when Mea Domina, only her second foal, won the GI Gamely Breeders' Cup H. at Hollywood Park. That success actually came just a couple of weeks after Madame Pandit was covered by Seeking The Gold, conceiving a filly that would bear the name Ivory Empress.

“Madame Pandit had been Tuesday Evening's best foal,” Clay reflects. “She was a real speedball, one-turn only, and while I think we breeders tend to get a bit too hung up on size, she really was a very good-sized mare. You know, good barrel, good scope-and every foal she threw was good-looking.

“And we knew that she had that speed back there. We do prefer to breed a two-turn horse, that's our goal, but speed is always a good thing if you can just try to stretch it out. Anyway we were very high on Madame Pandit as a broodmare prospect and, though getting a mare to a stallion like Seeking The Gold was difficult, Mother got that job done! He already had a reputation as a broodmare sire, so we did have our fingers crossed for a filly.”

While Ivory Empress won three times, and also made the podium in a graded stakes, she did not achieve quite as much on the track as Mea Domina. Yet she was the one who has ultimately proved the best conduit for the Tuesday Evening legacy.

“It's a good example of the way things often turn out,” Clay remarks. “You just never know, until you start raising foals. Mea Domina was obviously a very talented horse, but did not turn out to be the broodmare we had hoped. But Ivory Empress took her chances. We bred her first to War Front. Again, my mother got to Seth Hancock! She was the one that could get the mares in there.

“And the result was a very talented colt [early on], second in a couple of graded stakes. One time in particular he looked the clear winner, only for something to fly past in the shadow of the wire. So the mare had landed running-and her second foal was McCraken.”

There was real excitement when McCraken made a seamless resumption in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. and while he was beaten next time, and then suffered a rough trip when midfield at Churchill, he did only go down by a nose in the GI Haskell Invitational S. and has now had his first winners from a small debut book at Airdrie.

“He'll always be special to us,” Clay says. “This whole thing is very much a family activity, and obviously there's nothing quite like having a horse in the Kentucky Derby. That got all the nephews and cousins and everybody involved, it really was quite a ride he took us on.”

It will not be easy, then, to cash out his sister Four Graces. Impressive on debut at Gulfstream, she went through the ranks to win the GIII Dogwood S. before claiming that track record at Keeneland. Restricted to a single start last year, she has had several near-misses this year including when caught late in the GI Derby City Distaff S. But every program, of any size, needs discipline; needs to prune families to keep cultivating them.

“She's the kind we'd love to keep,” Clay says. “She has a great physique, and she has shown a lot of the talent and speed you see in her family. Her dam always has good-looking foals and she was probably top of the list. But as a breed-to-race program, we want to come as close as we can to paying its way. You have two revenue streams available, racing and selling, and it's tough to make it all in purse money. So to have a broodmare prospect that has accomplished everything she has, from a family like that, it's too good an opportunity not to see what we can get done.

“We do have three fillies in the pipeline out of Ivory Empress. Without that, I believe it would be difficult. But we have an Uncle Mo [yearling] down in Florida, just getting started in her training program; we have a Street Sense [weanling] on the farm; and we actually have a 2-year-old full-sister to McCraken who has just been held up by a few little things. And of course we also have Ivory Empress herself. She's 17 and, like all of us, she's getting a little more age on her-but she's doing very well. She was getting late in the foaling [cycle] so we left her open this year and we're working on a mating plan right now.”

The parallel dynasty developed by the Whithams, of course, traces to Bayakoa herself. This really has been a remarkable achievement. The dual champion mare had just two producing daughters. One of these, in turn, herself managed only a single daughter-but that was four-time Grade I winner Affluent (Affirmed). The other daughter, somewhat quixotically, was given the same name as Bayakoa's Argentinian-registered dam, Arlucea. (So good they named her twice!) Having already come up with Fort Larned, another Kansas landmark put on the racing map, she has now produced a fresh maroon-and-silver blossom in Walkathon (Twirling Candy).

Earlier this year Walkathon looked one of the most progressive turf fillies around when winning the GIII Regret S., but has not been seen since.

“She got a knock,” Clay explains. “She was shipped to Saratoga to run in the [Gi Saratoga] Oaks up there but on the morning of race, when they took her out of her stall, she had a bit of a hitch in her giddy-up. So we had her X-rayed and it's a pretty typical deal, no displacement, the kind of thing we've had very good experience recovering from. So we're looking forward to seeing her next spring.”

The emergence of Walkathon is the kind of thing that sustains the passion; and it's the passion that sustains the program. Nobody needs to tell the Whitham clan about the ups and downs of life. They have sampled unspeakable tragedy away from the track and, in the essentially trivial environment of quadrupeds running in circles, they had one of their proudest moments compromised by the disaster that befell their champion's big challenger Go For Wand at the Breeders' Cup. Yet they have found abiding renewal in the patient cycles of raising and racing Thoroughbreds. Whoever is privileged to take this short-cut with Four Graces, then, should also hope to absorb something of the fulfilment the vendors have found in all their years crafting such genetic quality.

“It's all such a great activity for my mother,” Clay says. “She's not able to travel quite so much now, but she's doing great and gets so much enjoyment from the horses. Right now she's running different pedigree programs on the mares, looking at all the different stallions, and still very much engaged.

“We were really tickled to see Walkathon came through for that family. With horses, you always have the ones that carry the load for all the others, and you don't always know which one it will be. Affluent was a disappointing broodmare, but now here's Walkathon from the same family. We've really stuck with these families, tried to develop them. You do have to be careful, not to be too close-bonded on that, but it can work and that's how we got from our foundation mare to Four Graces. Whether we're bull-headed or smart, who knows. But believe me, you have to be lucky too!”

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Last weekend, the 3-year-old Whitham homebred trained by Ian Wilkes got her first graded stakes win in the GIII Regret S. Still a maiden after her first four starts, Walkathon switched to the turf this spring and reeled off consecutive scores in her maiden win and in a Churchill Downs allowance before successfully stepping up in class in the Regret.

Clay Whitham, who co-manages Whitham Thoroughbreds along with his mother Janis, is based in Colorado but was able to make the trip to Louisville to celebrate the victory.

“We had pretty high expectations,” he said. “Before her debut, she had shown a lot in her works so everyone was pretty high on her. We know that Twirling Candy can get both dirt and turf runners, but he really has excelled with his turf runners. We were looking forward to getting her on the turf and as it has turned out, clearly it made a big difference.”

Consistently maintaining a roster of just 10 broodmares, Whitham Thoroughbreds has always focused on breeding to race.

Bayakoa was one of the first broodmares to join their program. The champion distaffer only produced four foals and just one, Arlucea (Broad Brush), had any success on the track. After a winning debut, Arlucea ran unplaced in her next six starts. She had better luck for the Whithams as a broodmare, however, as the dam of their 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Fort Larned (E Dubai).

Later in her broodmare career, Arlucea produced Walkabout (Stroll). The winner of the 2017 GIII Matron S. joined the Whithams' broodmare roster in 2017 and was sent to Twirling Candy for her first mating. The resulting foal, Walkathon, was an average-sized bay filly and was never a standout in her early days.

“She didn't 'wow' you necessarily,” Whitham admitted. “No one ever wants to say their foal is small, but she was probably just a notch below average. She never gave anyone any trouble and developed under the radar. She's one of those that never had any setbacks and quietly progressed through her training.”

Now a Grade III winner, Walkathon will take a short break from the starting gate after winning three races in less than two months, but Whitham said his mother already has her eye on a Grade I for their talented filly this fall.

“She is really focused on the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland,” he said. “It's a race that my mom is really excited about running in. Ian will have to figure out what he wants to do with her until then.”

Janis Whitham has already bred and raced one QEII winner. Remarkably, it's another granddaughter of Bayakoa. Affluent (Affirmed), who won the historic Keeneland contest in 2001, is out of their foundation mare's only other producing daughter Trinity Place (Strawberry Road {Aus}).

When Clay Whitham's father Frank passed away not long after Bayakoa retired from racing, his mother carried on the Whitham racing operation from her hometown of Leoti, Kansas. Today, the mother-son duo run their breeding and racing program in partnership.

“We bounce our ideas back and forth off each other,” Whitham said. “It's really helpful when you're doing matings. We've bred these mares for a number of years so you don't have to start over from scratch each year. We've put a lot of thought into what we think we want to do with them and how we think they ought to be bred.”

Whitham explained that while it is rewarding for them to see Bayakoa's legacy continue to grow, for them, it just means that their breeding philosophies are working.

“Horse racing is a family activity for us,” he explained. “For Walkathon to be connected back to Bayakoa, that was really the horse that put my parents on the map. They had confidence in keeping her and breeding her. It's really nice that the decision continues to pay dividends. Our program is primarily breed to race, so if it doesn't work, we don't really have a Plan B. When you breed to race, your decisions had better work out.”

Before Baykoa came into the picture, there was a Whitham-owned filly named Tuesday Evening (Nodouble). Three generations later, her great-granddaughter Four Graces (Majesticperfection) is yet another Whitham Thoroughbreds success. After winning  the GIII Dogwood S. and GIII Beaumont S. in 2020, Four Graces took much of her 4-year-old season off and returned to the starting gate this year. In her last start, she ran a close second in the GI Derby City Distaff S. Whitham said she will be returning to the starting gate at Churchill Downs in the coming weeks.

Four Graces is a half-sister to first-crop sire McCraken, who took the Whithams to the GI Kentucky Derby in 2017. Whitham said that they have one exciting juvenile son of McCraken who will be heading to the racetrack soon.

While the list of accomplishments for Whitham Thoroughbreds continues to grow, Whitham said that coming out on top with a long game-focused program like theirs is still a challenge.

“You've got to have some good luck and we appreciate our success, but it's still tough,” he said. “With our type of program, having some good fillies really creates value for the program. If you can get a stakes win for a filly, you've created some value for her. We're super excited to have some recent success with a few horses. We feel very fortunate.”

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Since the Inside Information, Four Graces was third in the Mar. 12 GIII Hurricane Bertie S. and fifth in the Madison. The 5-year-old captured the 2020 GIII Dogwood S. over the Distaff's track and seven-furlong distance, but is winless in seven starts since taking the 2020 GIII Beaumont S.

Edgeway (Competitive Edge), second in last year's GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, heads east after front-running victories in the Jan. 2 Kalookan Queen S. and Mar. 13 GIII Las Flores S. and will be seeking her first top-level score in the Distaff.

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The 6 ½-furlong Roxelana will go as Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m.

Sconsin, a 4-year-old homebred daughter of Include, won the $150,000 Winning Colors (Grade 3) four weeks ago beneath the Twin Spires. The Greg Foley-trainee finished second behind Gamine in the $500,000 Derby City Distaff (G1) on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby. Overall, Sconsin sports a stout record of 12-4-3-1 with purse earnings of $546,512.

Current Churchill Downs leading rider Tyler Gaffalione has the return mount and will break from post No. 5.

Also entered in the Roxelana is Lothenbach Stables 2020 Derby City Distaff (G1) winner Bell's the One. Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One is searching for her first victory in her 5-year-old campaign. She finished second behind Kimari in the $300,000 Madison (G1) in early April and fourth in this year's Derby City Distaff.

Corey Lanerie has the mount from post 4.

Another accomplished mare that was entered in the Roxelana is Whitham Thoroughbreds' multiple Grade 3 winner Four Graces. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces recorded four victories through seven starts as a 3-year-old. The now 4-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection will make her seasonal debut from post 3 with Julien Leparoux in the saddle. Four Graces defeated Sconsin by 4 ¾ lengths in last year's $100,000 Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland.

The complete field for the Roxelana from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Shesomajestic (Joe Talamo, Michelle Nihei)
2. Miss Mosaic (Colby Hernandez, Ben Colebrook)
3. Four Graces (Leparoux, Wilkes)
4. Bell's the One (Lanerie, Pessin)
5. Sconsin (Gaffalione, Foley)
6. Jungle Juice (IRE) (Adam Beschizza, Anna Meah)

Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Fans can catch the Roxelana, along with the entire 11-race program, on “America's Day at the Races.” The action is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 2.

Tickets are available for Saturday at Churchill Downs on www.churchilldowns.com/tickets. Admission gates are scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m. and “Churchill Downs Today” will air at 11:45 a.m. throughout the facility and on www.TwinSpires.com.

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Also likely to join Four Graces on the front end early is Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides’s Venetian Harbor (Munnings). A runaway winner of the GII Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita in February, the Colts Neck Stables-bred filly finished behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the May 1 GIII Fantasy S. and played the bridesmaid again, this time behind Speech (Mr Speaker) in the July 11 GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland. In her most recent trip to the post, she found the talented Gamine (Into Mischief) seven lengths too tough in Saratoga’s GI Test S. Aug. 8.

“We are just trying to win a race; that’s the first thing,” said trainer Richard Baltas. “If she runs well and bounces out of the race OK, we will eye the [GI] Breeders’ Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint].”

Manny Franco has the mount on Venetian Harbor and will break from post position five.

Looking to regain some of her earlier form is Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch’s Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist), who began her career with five consecutive victories in one-turn races for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The chestnut took six of seven starts in South Florida from September through May, including this winter’s GIII Forward Gal S. followed by the GII Davona Dale S. Off the board in the Mar. 28 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, she bounced back to win the May 15 Hollywood Wildcat S. before finishing fourth in the nine-furlong GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga July 18. Most recently, Tonalist’s Shape was a troubled fifth in the GIII Charles Town Oaks Aug. 28.

“[The CT Oaks] was two turns and she did have trouble in that race,” Joseph said, referring to Tonalist’s Shape being checked approaching the sixteenth pole.”

He added, “There are no plans for her beyond this race. I am just curious to see how she would do back around one turn and hoping she will come back to her [good] form.”

Since the Charles Town Oaks, Tonalist’s Shape has worked twice at Gulfstream–a best-of-78 half-mile in :47.03 Sept. 27 and a best-of-seven 5/8ths in 1:00.62 Oct. 1.

“The two weeks between works was by design to keep her fresh,” Joseph explained.

The 3-year-old has been entered as a racing or broodmare prospect in Keeneland’s upcoming November Breeding Stock Sale and is catalogued as hip 155 in Book 1.

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Run at seven furlongs on the main track, the Raven Run will go as the ninth race on Saturday's 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Richard Baltas, Venetian Harbor will be making her first start since finishing second to Gamine in the seven-furlong Test (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 8. Prior to that, she had finished second to Speech in the Central Bank Ashland (G1) at Keeneland and to Swiss Skydiver in the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park with both those races being two-turn tests going 1 1/16 miles.

“We are just trying to win a race; that's the first thing,” Baltas said Wednesday morning from California. “If she runs well and bounces out of the race OK we will eye the Breeders' Cup (Filly & Mare Sprint-G1).”

Manny Franco has the mount on Venetian Harbor and will break from post position five.

Among those lining up to face Venetian Harbor are two runners with graded stakes success going seven furlongs.

Whitham Thoroughbreds' Four Graces won the Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland in July going seven furlongs and 184 feet over the Beard Course in a track record 1:24.90.

Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces also won the Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs, where she finished second in her most recent start in the Eight Belles (G2). Julien Leparoux has the mount and will break from post position two.

Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch's Tonalist's Shape won the Forward Gal (G3) going seven furlongs and the Davona Dale (G2) going a mile this winter at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Tonalist's Shape exits a troubled fifth in the Charles Town Oaks (G3) going 7 furlongs in her most recent start.

Rafael Bejarano has the mount on Tonalist's Shape, who will break from post position seven.

The field for the Lexus Raven Run, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Never Forget (Robby Albarado, 118 pounds), Four Graces (Leparoux, 120), Secondary Market (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Finite (Ricardo Santana Jr., 120), Venetian Harbor (Franco, 120), Reagan's Edge (Florent Geroux, 118), Tonalist's Shape (Bejarano, 120), Fair Maiden (Corey Lanerie, 118), Grand Cru Classe (Martin Garcia, 118) and Secret Keeper (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118).

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Trained by Greg Foley and ridden by James Graham, Sconsin covered the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:21.30.

“When this race came up on paper we sort of thought the pace scenario could work in our favor,” Foley said. “This filly was very impressive at Keeneland against Four Graces. She got a great ride by James (Graham) and cruised home. It's very exciting winning with a filly like this on such a big stage as the Kentucky Oaks. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow with Major Fed in the Derby.”

Mundaye Call and Four Graces dueled through early fractions of :22.11 and :44.14 as Sconsin trailed in the field five. On the far turn, Sconsin began to pick off horses, drew even with Four Graces at midstretch and drew off for the victory.

Sconsin, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Include out of the Tiznow mare Sconnie, earned $186,000 with the victory to increase her bankroll to $301,512 with a record of 8-3-2-1.

“She ran huge. She likes this racetrack evidently,” Graham said. “They ran fast in front of her and she picked them off. Can't ask for any more than that. The two favorites are speed horses, so all you can hope is that they hook up and kill each other off. My filly was just happier today. Those two had pace pressure and we just finished them off.”

Sconsin returned $16.40, $3.60 and $2.40. Four Graces, ridden by Julien Leparoux, returned $2.60 and $2.10 and finished 1 ¾

lengths in front of Never Forget who paid $3.80 to show under Javier Castellano.

It was another length back to Mundaye Call who was followed by Extra Effort.

Julien Leparoux (rider, Four Graces, second) – “She ran a good race. We had speed, the other one had speed. She was maybe a little fresh but other than that, I tried to rate her but she was taking the bit. She ran a good race though.”

Ian Wilkes (trainer, Four Graces, second) — “The filly was a little fresh today, but let's not take anything away from the winner. The winner ran her race, she ran her race. That filly's been knocking on the door. Every race, she runs her race and she's right there. It looked like it was going to be the two of us (favorites) going out front and hope we didn't set it up. But the other filly ran good. I'm proud of my horse, she didn't quit. My filly runs her race. I've got to let her run her race. I freshened her up, I backed off her. I don't want to make excuses today. My filly ran good.”

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The Alysheba is one of six graded stakes on Friday's 13-race program that begins at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) and is headlined by the 146th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI). The Alysheba will go as the day's 10th race with a 4:15 post time.

Also on the program is the 65th running of the $300,000 Eight Belles presented by TwinSpires.com (GII) for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on the main track, the 36th running of the $300,000 Edgewood presented by Forcht Bank (GII) for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on the turf and the 26th running of the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint presented by Sysco (GII) for 3-year-olds and up going 5 ½ furlongs on the grass.

Trained by Bob Baffert, McKinzie romped to a 4 ¾-length victory in last year's Alysheba. Fifth in the Metropolitan Handicap (GI) going a mile in his most recent start, McKinzie will be ridden Friday by Mike Smith and break from post position two.

Looming as the top challenger to McKinzie is Allied Racing Stable's By My Standards. Runner-up in the Whitney (GI) in his most recent start and a winner of three of five starts in 2020, By My Standards is trained by Bret Calhoun and will be ridden Friday by Gabriel Saez and break from post position six.

The field for the Alysheba, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Silver Dust (Adam Beschizza, 120 pounds), McKinzie (Smith, 118), Owendale (Florent Geroux (118), Hence (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Mr Freeze (Manny Franco, 123), By My Standards (Saez, 123), Title Ready (Corey Lanerie, 118) and Bodexpress (Javier Castellano, 118).

Witham Thoroughbreds' homebred Four Graces, riding a three-race win streak, headlines of field of seven for the Eight Belles.

Scheduled as the day's eighth race, post time for the Eight Belles will be 3:05.

Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces has won four of five career starts and has posted Grade III in her past two starts in the Beaumont at Keeneland and the Dogwood at Churchill Downs.

Julien Leparoux, who has been aboard for all of Four Graces' victories, will ride Friday and break from post position 8.

The field for the Eight Belles, from the rail out with riders and weights, is: Mundaye Call (Florent Geroux, 118 pounds), Never Forget (Javier Castellano, 118), Extra Effort (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Purrfectly Claire (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Sconsin (James Graham, 118), Perfect Happiness (Rafael Bejarano, 118) and Four Graces (Leparoux, 120).

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gainesway Stables' Sharing, winner of the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) at Santa Anita last fall and the Tepin at Churchill Downs in her 2020 debut, tops a field of eight for the Edgewood.

The Edgewood will go as the day's ninth race with a 3:40 post time.

Trained by Graham Motion, Sharing will be making her first start since finishing second in the Group I Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Manny Franco has the mount Friday and will break from post position three.

The field for the Edgewood, from the rail out with riders and weights, is: In Good Spirits (Miguel Mena, 118 pounds), Hendy Woods (John Velazquez, 118), Sharing (Franco, 118), Lucky Betty (Declan Cannon, 118), Outburst (GB) (Tyler Gaffalione, 120), Pranked (James Graham, 118), Mariafoot (FR) (Florent Geroux, 118) and Walk In Marrakesh (IRE) (Javier Castellano, 118).

Diamond Oops, making his return to the grass for the first time since finishing second in last fall's Shadwell Turf Mile (GI), and Grade II winner Bound for Nowhere head a deep field of 14 grass sprinters and one also-eligible in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint.

The Twin Spires Turf Sprint will go as the day's 13th race with a 6:20 post time.

Owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club, Amy Dunne, DP Racing and Patrick Biancone Racing, Diamond Oops is a three-time graded stakes placed runner on dirt to go with his grass success. Trained by Patrick Biancone, Diamond Oops will be making his first start since June and be ridden by Florent Geroux out of post position one.

Bound for Nowhere, owned and trainer by Wesley Ward, won the 2018 Shakertown at Keeneland at the 5 12/2-furlong distance and finished third beaten a neck in this year's edition July 11 in his most recent start.

Julio Garcia has the mount and will break from post position four.

The field for the Twin Spires Turf Sprint with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Diamond Oops (Geroux, 121), Wellabled (Manny Franco, 121), Real News (Joe Talamo, 121), Bound for Nowhere (Garcia, 121), Extravagant Kid (Tyler Gaffalione, 121), Tell Your Daddy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 121), Smart Remark, Rafael Bejarano, 121), Just Might (Colby Hernandez, 121), Jazzy Times (Miguel Mena, 121), Carotari (Julien Leparoux, 121), Fielder (Paco Lopez, 121), Chaps (Corey Lanerie, 121), Tiger Blood (Ricardo Santana Jr., 121) and Chief Cicatriz (James Graham, 121). Also-Eligible: High Crime (Javier Castellano, 121).

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Jockey Julien Leparoux put Four Graces on the lead with second choice Wicked Whisper just to her outside as the two raced through early fractions of :22.29 and :44.37.

At the head of the stretch, Four Graces put Wicked Whisper away, opened a daylight margin and cruised to the finish line well clear of Sconsin. For Leparoux, it is his third Beaumont victory with previous wins coming in 2009 with War Kill and 2016 with Lightstream.

“She's a fast filly,” said Leparoux. “The track is pretty quick today too. But she was doing it very nicely for me in a good rhythm. That's the way she likes to run – free – and she makes that big kick at the end.

“I'm surprised we broke the track record, really,” he added. “But she's getting much better right now and she's doing very good.”

Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces picked up 20 points toward the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Sept. 4 and hiked her total to 40, a figure that ranks 12th. The Oaks is limited to the top 14 point earners to pass the entry box.

The victory was worth $60,000 and boosted Four Graces' earnings to $194,450 with a record of 5-4-0-0. It was her third consecutive victory and second Grade 3 having won the Dogwood at Churchill last month.

Wilkes said he was not inclined to stretch out Four Graces around two turns to the Oaks distance.

“I'll talk to (owner) Mrs. (Janis) Whitham and (most likely) we'll point to the Test (G1, going 7 furlongs on Aug. 8 at Saratoga),” he said.

Four Graces is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Majesticperfection out of the Seeking the Gold mare Ivory Empress. She returned $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10. Sconsin, who picked up her initial eight Oaks points, paid $3.20 and $2.40 under James Graham. Turtle Trax, who finished 4¾ lengths back in third under Brian Hernandez Jr. and paid $3 to show. Wilkes also trains Turtle Trax, who picked up four Oaks points to raise her total to six.

Wicked Whisper (12 Oaks points) finished fourth followed by Slam Dunk.

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