Historic American Derby Mirrors Illinois Racing Woes

The 11-horse field for the July 17 American Derby is a striking personification of the problems that have forced Arlington International Racecourse to the brink of extinction.

Three of the Derby entries, including the favorite, were last seen contesting the Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. And two of those are based at Arlington, where purse cutbacks and an uncertain future have turned the facility into a virtual training center for some horsemen targeting out-of-town events.

On the flip side, the Derby's $100,000 purse also has attracted out-of-town talent looking for a score at the expense of the local establishment.

With Arlington up for sale and 2021 expected to be the track's final year ("The Final Turn" is the marketing slogan), the American Derby is a far cry from its historic peak in the mid-20th Century when the likes of Whirlaway, Citation, Native Dancer, Swaps, Round Table, and Damascus posed in the winner's circle.

This year's field features King of Miami , an American Pharoah   gelding trained at Arlington by Larry Rivelli who exits an off-the-pace victory in the Mystic Lake Derby. Earlier in the season, he finished fourth in an Arlington allowance optional claimer won by Fort Moultrie , who also tries his chances in the Derby.

Accredit , a Flatter   colt, ships in from Kentucky where he won both starts on turf and came up short on both the all-weather and a sloppy main track. Sophie Doyle retains the mount in a welcome return to the Chicago-area track.

Keeneland-based trainer Anna Meah, who won her first-ever stakes race earlier in June at Arlington with Abby Hatcher  in the Chicago (G3), brings Red Hornet , a promising English Channel   gelding who won at first asking while shuttling in June 17.

At the other end of the spectrum, New Year Surprise  and Tango Tango Tango  enter the race as maidens.

The American Derby dates back to the late 1800s and has survived repeated movement among tracks—two versions at Washington Park, one year at Hawthorne Race Course, and Arlington since 1958. Over the years, it has been run on both turf and dirt and at distances ranging from one mile to 1 1/2 miles. This year, the American Derby will be contested over 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds on the turf.

It's conceivable the race could survive Arlington's presumed demise with a move to Hawthorne's own well-regarded turf course. Once Hawthorne's casino is up and generating purse money, the track is eager to restore the Illinois Derby to a place of honor for 3-year-olds on the dirt and the grassy American Derby would be a tempting pairing.

"There's so much rich history in Illinois racing," said Jim Miller, director of publicity and horsemen's relations at Hawthorne. "And much of it has been written with races moving from track to track.

"We want to keep that legacy and tradition in place, especially with a race like the American Derby that has a history at Hawthorne. We're definitely going to explore that. Everything is an option for us."