Walkathon runs into McKulick again in G3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational

Walkathon, a Kentucky homebred for Whitham Thoroughbreds, brings a three-race win streak into Sunday’s Grade 3, $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational, a 1 3/16-mile test for sophomore fillies over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Ian Wilkes, Walkathon didn’t quite hit the ground running in her first four career outings, which were all contested over dirt. But the daughter of Twirling Candy displayed a strong turnaround in form when trying turf for the first time in her April 22 graduation at Keeneland.

Walkathon maintained her winning form on turf with a victory against winners on May 14 at Churchill Downs before taking the Grade 3 Regret three weeks later at the Louisville oval, recording a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure while besting McKulick, who exited that effort to win the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

“I freshened her up a little bit because she ran three times in six weeks,” Wilkes said. “She’s found a home there on the grass. She’s got a good way over the grass. She’s not a big filly, but she strides long. That filly came back and won the Belmont Oaks and looked good in doing it. She’s a nice filly and she’s in pretty good form as well.”

Walkathon is the first offspring out of the graded-stakes winning Stroll mare Walkabout, who did all of her running over the main track.

Breaking from post 4, Walkathon will be reunited with regular rider Julien Leparoux, who won the inaugural Saratoga Oaks in 2019 aboard Concrete Rose.