Clay Whitham’s family has a long history in Thoroughbred racing, with their latest standout Burnham Square winning the Holy Bull Stakes and now being on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Whitham Thoroughbreds primarily operates as a breed-to-race operation, currently boarding seven broodmares in Kentucky. They carefully select which horses to run, sell, or breed based on production and marketability.

Janice Whitham leads the process of pairing mares with stallions, considering a mix of proven and new sires, pedigree tools, and physical attributes. Liam’s Map is a sire they are fans of due to his proven success and affordability. Burnham Square’s success in the Holy Bull was a surprise to the Whitham family, but they are excited about the prospect of having another Derby runner and producing graded stakes winners.

Walkathon, a recent success story for Whitham Thoroughbreds, was sold for $1.5 million and has deep ties to the family. They are keeping tabs on her breeding career and potential success. The family emphasizes the importance of enjoying the industry, being flexible in revenue sources, and finding different opportunities to make their operation successful.