It isn’t everyday that our beloved state is invaded by Grade I-winning horses. Though Illinois racing has a past that boasts such legends as Secretariat, John Henry, Citation, Swaps, and so on, nowadays, a cut back in stakes purses has made our two most prestigious Thoroughbred tracks, Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Course, a little on the gaunt side when it comes to procuring top-class stakes action. This weekend, three graded stakes races have made up Million Preview Day at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and it is more than worth making the trip to see top-class horses compete at our classic summer track.
The three stakes races on the card are the Grade II American Derby, the Grade III Modesty Handicap, and the Grade III Arlington Handicap. These races will serve as prep races for the biggest race day on the Arlington calendar, Arlington Million Day, which holds the Grade I Secretariat Stakes, the Grade I Beverly D. Stakes, and the Grade I Arlington Million on August 21st. In other words, this is the warm-up to the really big show, the opening act to the biggest day of Illinois racing. And what an opener it is!
The red carpet is being rolled out for omni-surface star General Quarters, the feel-good story of last year’s Kentucky Derby, trained, owned, and groomed by retired principal Tom McCarthy. General Quarters has made a bigger name for himself than just about any horse who ran in the 2009 renewal of the Derby. Winner of the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, General Quarters has earned graded stakes victories on dirt, synthetics, and turf. This hard-knocking big gray has never ducked a challenge. After winning the Grade I Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs this year, GQ went back to the dirt in the Grade I Stephen Foster and finished 3rd behind Blame and Battle Plan in his last start. Talk about some tough company! Back on turf where he seems to excel the most, General Quarters will be the favorite in the Grade III Arlington Handicap. He will be facing 10 other rivals, including Grade I winners Just As Well and Marsh Side. Leading rider Rafael Bejarano is flying in from California to ride General Quarters; Julien Leparaoux has the mount on Just As Well, the winner of last year’s Arlington Handicap, and Marsh Side will be ridden by Robby Albarado.
The Modesty Handicap will feature starlet Tuscan Evening, a mare who keeps spewing out victories like a broken slot machine, and is on a win streak that includes five graded stakes in a row. Last time out, Tuscan Evening took down Breeders’ Cup champion Forever Together in the Grade I Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park. Tuscan Evening will be joined by five other foes in the Modesty, including Rainbow View and Hot Cha Cha, who are no slouches to the stakes scene. Rainbow View’s marquee performance was the Grade II Gallorette Stakes on the Preakness undercard, which the filly won flying from last after being steadied and shut out in different stages of the race. Hot Cha Cha’s claim to fame came last year with a romp in the 2009 Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. It’s worth noting that Hot Cha Cha won over the Arlington turf course in the Grade III Pucker Up Stakes last September; neither Rainbow View nor Tuscan Evening has ever run over the Arlington turf. For Tuscan Evening, the lush grass course at Arlington could serve as a hurdle, since it is a much different grass than the tracks in her home-base of California. While she was racing in the United Kingdom with top-class company, Tuscan Evening lost 11 races as a maiden, and didn’t turn around until she shipped to California. The turf at Arlington has been dubbed comparable to European turf courses.
Dean’s Kitten will be returning to a more familiar surface when he challenges 8 foes in the American Derby as the high-weight of 126 pounds. Stakes winners Workin for Hops, Mister Marti Gras, and Gleam of Hope will be putting him to task in the 1 3/16-mile turf race. Dean’s Kitten won the Grade II Lane’s End Stakes on Turfway’s Polytrack this year, but has failed to find his way to the winner’s circle since. He will have a tough task ahead of him, as Workin for Hops captured the first leg of the Mid-America Triple here at Arlington when he won the Arlington Classic; last time out, he finished second to Paddy O’Prado in the Grade II Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs. In their last starts, Gleam of Hope won the Grade III Jefferson Cup at Churchill Downs on Stephen Foster day, and Mister Marti Gras won the Oliver Stakes at Indiana Downs.
Million Preview Day at Arlington will be offering up everything a race fan could ask for—multiple stakes action on one card involving some of the top horses and jockeys in the country. If you’ve not had the chance to make it out to the races this year, make a point to do so this Saturday. Arlington Park boasts a fun family atmosphere that entertains even the most casual race-goer. And if you’re lucky enough to make it to the track really early, Saturday will also feature “Breakfast at Arlington,” where a breakfast buffet will be served between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. while the horses work out on the track. Admission is free to watch the horses work, or you can partake in the buffet for only $10 for an unlimited pass through.
The stakes action begins at Arlington Park at approximately 3:22pm CT with the Modesty Handicap. TVG will broadcast all three races live.