Four years into his training career, Will Walden has established a pattern of sharp, sustained growth. Starting with a nine-win campaign in 2022, his operation has doubled its purse earnings each season since, crossing the $4 million mark last year after scoring a first Grade I victory with Rhetorical(Not This Time) in the 2025 GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes.“We owe a lot of it to Rhetorical,” said Walden. “What we have now, from the number of horses to the class of horses we have, is really due to him. We've got a great ownership base and staff. This team shows up day in and day out and puts forth the effort. The horses are showing that in the afternoon.”Walden is well on his way to another career-best season, with 40 wins on the year while hitting at a 28% strike rate.“We're really intentional about what we are trying to accomplish and that's win races at the highest caliber and bring over a sound, healthy horse that is fit and ready to compete,” he noted.Before heading to Saratoga to saddle his first 2-year-old winner on the year on Friday with Side Quest (Charlatan), Walden walked the TDN down the shedrow of his Churchill Downs barn. He highlights barn favorites like Rhetorical, several improving 3-year-olds, as well as a quality bunch of unraced 2-year-olds that reflect the rising class of his stable roster. RHETORICAL (5, g, Not This Time — Sheet Humor, by Distorted Humor)Dual Grade I winner is pointing for the GI Fourstardave next. He's the apple of my eye, really. An ultra consistent, ultra talented son of Not This Time. Nothing embodies a racehorse more than this horse. In his morning gallops and in everyday training he's pretty subdued, but when it comes to speed works or a race, a switch flips and he's just completely turned on. He just lives, eats, and breathes it . We're so blessed to have him in the barn and hopefully we have a few more good years left with him.FLEETINGLY (5, m, Justify — Alice Springs (Ire), by Galileo (Ire))Resolute Racing colorbearer comes into the barn after a layoff. She was last seen finishing third in the 2025 Cardinal Stakes. She just came in a few weeks ago. Chad Brown had her previously and she ran well in a stakes race. She's still eligible for a first-level allowance. She's a marathon type, so that's where we'll go. She is training well and hasn't really done anything wrong.SOLO VENTURI (4, c, Constitution — Solo Uno, by Medaglia d'Oro)A $1.3 million Keeneland September graduate campaigned by OXO Equine, he won his 4-year-old debut in January and was third in the GIII Challenger Stakes.Solo Venturi was a $1.3 million yearling purchased by Larry Best. He won first time out, but still took a while to put it together. He won a pretty stacked two-other-than in Gulfstream this winter, beating Stars and Stripes (Not This Time) and Batten Down (Tapit). Both of them won next out and he got a really big figure. He ran third in the Challenger to Disrupter (Gun Runner) and Disco Time (Not This Time).The way they write the allowances up in New York, he'd still be eligible for a two-other-than up there, so we'll probably go there when he's ready, whether that's Saratoga or Belmont.Battis Grove, a maiden winner at Churchill Downs, will switch to the turf in her next start | Coady MediaBATTIS GROVE (3, f, Practical Joke — Brill, by Medaglia d'Oro)OXO Equine homebred broke her maiden on May 30 and was in a July 9 allowance at Ellis Park.She ran first time out on Oaks Day and got nailed on the wire by Passerine (Nyquist). She came back in five weeks and won for fun. She disappointed me a little bit last time out on the dirt at Ellis. She did run against a nice filly for Brendan Walsh, Twirling Aces (Twirling Candy), who is two for two. That being said, with the way she's made and the way she trains, I've also questioned turf. I think I'm going to sprint her on the turf next out in Saratoga. She's got good numbers on dirt, so we know we can always go back to that, but if we can unlock another door in her repertoire and garner some black type, it will add to a huge page and a huge family.BEACH HEIST (3, f, Omaha Beach — Pearl Heist, by Graydar)Redeemer Racing filly was second in her fourth career start last time out in the Pea Patch Stakes.This is a pretty cool filly that we bought for a partnership last year called Redeemer Racing. She won first time out at Keeneland and ran third in a stake up at Aqueduct at the end of her two-year-old year. We gave her time over the winter and had to remove a chip out of her ankle. She's come back and has been second in both starts this year. She got nailed on the wire last time out at Ellis–a brutal beat. She's a cool filly, honest, and has never been off the board.GRAND LUXX (3, f, Instagrand — My Girl, by Scat Daddy)OXO Equine filly is two for five lifetime. She's about as pretty as they make them. She is an absolute tank. She's bigger than most of the colts I have. She's done well in the afternoons. She won the auction race and she won the starter. I was disappointed a little bit last time out in the first-level allowance, but she had some excuses, so we'll give her a pass. We will come back at Ellis Park in an allowance. She's very straightforward and does everything right. That's pretty much a common denominator with most of the Instagrands.MOVIE NIGHT (3, f, Speightstown — Savvy Star, by Medaglia d'Oro)Movie Night is targeting the GI Test Stakes at Saratoga | Coady MediaHomebred for WinStar Farm has won her last two starts, most recently taking a June 24 allowance by 5 1/2 lengths. This is kind of the hot shot of the barn right now. She's pointing to the GI Test Stakes at Saratoga. She's freaky. She always has been. We had her here as a 2-year-old last year and got her all the way up to a gate work when she had a minor setback. In her first start in April, she was on the outside of the field. She got lost out there in no man's land and ended up finding her feet when Johnny decided on the backside that he was going to drop her in company and just school her for the rest of the race. As soon as he dropped her down and she got amongst horses and regained context with the inside rail, she grabbed the bit and he said it was like riding a go-cart. She got up for second and since then has done no wrong.It would be cool to me for numerous reasons if this filly were to win the Test. In the waning months of my dad's time at WinStar, as he's going to retire at the end of October, I think it'd be cool to go out winning a Grade I together.BOURBON NEAT (2, c, Flightline — Hennesey Smash, by Roll Hennessy Roll) An $875,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase for Resolute Bloodstock. He had a shin early on so we just introduced him back to the work tab this week and I thought he worked really well. He's got a big, elastic, athletic stride and covers a ton of ground. He's not an overly big colt, but I think he's going to grow quite a bit over the next several months. He's very cool and really smart. He knows his job.CARIBBEAN LIFE (2, c, Life Is Good — Caribbean Babe, by Arch)An unraced homebred for China Horse Club.I actually don't think he's turf, but I'm going to run him on the turf first time out just because I want to get him around two turns. I don't want to run them on the dirt going two turns first time because I think that's a lot to ask for a two-year-old at this point. In his works he's very methodical, but he does have a little zip out of the gate. I don't want to even put the one-pace label on him, but he's just very consistent. I would be afraid that maybe he could get disconnected going short and I want him to have a good experience first time out. He's another one that has a ton of growing to do.COHERENT (2, f, Speaker's Corner — Handbelle, by Tapit)A $100,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchase by Will Walden as agent for Woodford Thoroughbreds. She's a big, wide-bodied girl. She hasn't come along as quickly as I had hoped, but I do believe she's got some ability. She's very light on her feet. I think probably one turn is going to be her game. I don't think it has fully clicked for her in the morning. I'm hoping a gate work will kind of wake that up and she should be due for one of those in a week or two. But she's a pretty filly and very well-balanced.DIXIELAND (2, f, Street Sense — Lesley May, by Tapit)Stonestreet-bred filly was a $375,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase for All Star Bloodstock. She's owned by Alex Bregman and is a couple of gate works away from a first start. She's been training forwardly. We didn't want to get her ready too fast, but she's training well. She's definitely a two-turn type.Jeramie Fennell, the namesake of an unraced 2-year-old by Catalina Cruiser | Katie PetrunyakFENNELL (2, c, Catalina Cruiser — Candura, by Into Mischief)Walden purchased this colt as agent for Woodford Thoroughbreds for $160,000 at the OBS March Sale. He's named after Jeramie Fennell, who TDN did a feature on a few years ago for the Breeders' Cup. We had to give a lot more than we expected for him and we gave him time after the sale to go to the farm and rest. He's just starting his three-eighths breezes right now for us. He's a big, strong colt.IMPLIED OPEN (2, c, Instilled Regard — Palm Cottage, by American Pharoah)An unraced homebred for OXO Equine.In the mornings he has been probably my most talented two-year-old thus far. He is probably a few weeks away from a start. I really don't know exactly what this horse wants to do. He just does everything so easily. Pedigree would suggest turf all day long, but his body of work on the dirt has been impressive. He's very babyish and very immature, but he does everything right. Super quick, push button and outworks everything he works with.LIFESONG (2, c, Life Is Good — Hard Legacy, by Hard Spun)Another WinStar homebred co-owned by China Horse Club and First Go Racing, he makes his debut on Sunday at Ellis Park.Every single work, he steps it up and does it a little bit better than the week before. I have a feeling that this horse is going to get better with time. It wouldn't shock me if he won first time out. He's fit enough and he's been breezing well. He's obviously by a stallion that's extremely hot right now. But I don't think he really quite understands the fundamentals of the job and I do think a race will expedite that process, but that's a good thing. I don't necessarily always want them to be fully turned on by that first start. I want them to figure it out, learn their job and learn to appreciate it.MAPPING (2, f, Liam's Map — Casting Director, by Bernardini)A $200,000 OBS March purchase for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. She's going to run her first time out probably on August 2nd. She's a very sweet, loving filly. Really well-made. She's a later foal out of her dam. She looks like one turn is probably going to be her game. I say that, but with that cross, Liam's Map has done really well with Bernardini. It has produced Colonel Liam and Wicked Whisper.The post Down the Shedrow with Will Walden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.