Beside Herself

Walkathon got the jump on odds-on McKulick and kept finding in the lane to make the grade and stay unbeaten on gras while becoming jockey Julien Leparoux's 1000th winner at Churchill Downs. Having finished second and fourth in her second and third starts, respectively, sprinting on the main track, Walkathon was runner-up in a rained-onto-Tapeta Gulfstream route Feb. 13. She resurfaced to graduate over the Keeneland turf Apr. 22, and was flattered when the next two finishers came back to earn their own diplomas. The Whitham homebred was coming off...

McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will look to annex a career high in Saturday's GIII Regret S. at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old filly, named after trainer Chad Brown's first-ever employee, the late Mary McKulick, was last seen finishing second in the GII Edgewood S. May 6. She was also a close third as the heavy favorite, beaten only one length, in the GII Miss Grillo S. last fall at Belmont Park. Also looking for her first graded stakes score is Beside Herself (Uncle Mo), who enters Saturday's contest off a 2...

GIII Sweetest Chant S. victress Opalina (Optimizer) looks to double up Saturday in Gulfstream's GIII Herecomesthebride S. Running away to a 12-length graduation at third asking against state-breds here in September, the chestnut closed from well back to be fifth in the GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. a month later. Third in the local Ginger Brew S. Jan. 1, she posted a 3/4-length decision in the Sweetest Chant Feb. 5. Christophe Clement saddles a live one in Lia Marina (Uncle Mo). Earning her diploma at second asking at Belmont...