Arlington "Million Preview" Day Draws Kentucky Raiders

As Kentucky-based Churchill Downs Inc. prepares to sell Arlington International Racecourse for development, Kentucky-based horses are poised to grab the spoils on what's assumed to be the historic track's final "Million Preview Day" July 17.

And if that's not irony enough, there's this: There is no Arlington Million (G1T) to prep for this year. CDI has renamed the Aug. 14 race the "Mr. D. Stakes," both honoring 99-year-old longtime Arlington owner Richard L. Duchossois and affording the current owner the opportunity to trim the purse to $600,000.

Still, with the Churchill Downs spring-summer meet in the books, the three Arlington races comprising the preview offer enough prize money to get the horse vans moving northward on the once-familiar journey up Interstate 65 to the Chicago suburbs.

The $100,000 Arlington Stakes (G3T), the Mr. D prep, drew an especially Kentucky-ish field to tackle 1 3/16 miles of turf likely to be less than rock-hard after some heavy mid-week rains.

Mike Maker sends Zulu Alpha , a Street Cry gelding who came good quickly after being claimed for $80,000 in 2018. The 8-year-old has been in the mix consistently in graded stakes all over the eastern half of the United States, winning more than $1.1 million in 2019 alone. Last year he stamped himself as one of the top turf horses in the country with a victory in the 2020 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1T).

Zulu Alpha has not run since finishing third in the Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup (G3T) at Kentucky Downs last September but his works on the Churchill Downs Training Track show promise the old bones are still getting the job done and he is the 6-5 favorite on the morning line.

That sortie from the south is joined by a raid from the west as Canterbury Park-based Tut's Revenge  tackles the Arlington Stakes off a pair of competitive, albeit losing, stakes efforts at the Minnesota track for trainer Clinton Stuart. Those were at one mile and previous efforts by the 5-year-old Eskendereya  gelding to go farther have met with less success.

The local contingent features Captivating Moon , a 6-year-old Malibu Moon entire who jumped up during the New Orleans season to win the Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T). The Chris Block charge has a history of success at Arlington, finishing second in the 2017 Arlington-Washington Futurity on the all-weather track, second in the American Derby (G3T) the following year, and third in the Arlington Handicap (G3T) in 2019. His last run on the local greensward came in the 2019 Million XXXVII Stakes (G1T), where he finished seventh behind Bricks and Mortar .

Entries: Arlington S. (G3T)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, July 17, 2021, Race 6

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/16m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:03 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Betwithbothhands (KY)	Deshawn L. Parker	118	Armando Hernandez	30/1
2	2Zulu Alpha (KY)	David Cabrera	118	Michael J. Maker	6/5
3	3Background (FL)	Rocco Bowen	122	Michael Puhich	12/1
4	4Tut's Revenge (KY)	Alonso Quinonez	118	Clinton C. Stuart	20/1
5	5Two Emmys (KY)	E. T. Baird	118	Hugh H. Robertson	9/2
6	6Another Mystery (IL)	Adam Beschizza	118	Chris M. Block	8/1
7	7Bizzee Channel (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	118	Larry Rivelli	4/1
8	8Captivating Moon (KY)	Declan Carroll	124	Chris M. Block	6/1

Black-Type Up for Grabs in the Modesty Stakes

On the same Million Preview program, the Modesty Stakes (G3T) for fillies and mares has a field of 12, half of them up from the Commonwealth with one East Coast-based contender.

The field assembled for the Modesty, a preview for the Aug. 14 Beverly D. Stakes (G1T), is well-balanced but notably lacking in graded stakes experience. Joy Epifora , a 5-year-old, Argentine-bred mare trained by Ignacio Correas IV, is the 7-2 favorite on the morning line. A multiple group-1 winner in her native country, Joy Epifora enters the Modesty off a runner-up finish in a June 13 allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs.

With little to separate the mares, two 4-year-old fillies take the opportunity to step up.

Naval Laughter , a Midshipman filly trained by Chris Davis, returned from an 18-month absence to post a monster win on the all-weather course June 3 and then was second in an off-the-turf try three weeks later. Curly Wurly , by Curlin  , just missed making it two straight wins on the Churchill Downs turf in her last start in a conditioned allowance.

Those looking for a hunch bet as Arlington teeters on the brink might consider Modesty longshot Enjoyitwhilewecan . The Mike Maker trainee dead-heated for the win three starts back in a solid allowance contest over Keeneland's main track.

Entries: Modesty S. (G3T)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, July 17, 2021, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/16m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 6:11 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Two Sixtyone (KY)	E. T. Baird	118	Barry L. King	12/1
2	2Curly Wurly (KY)	Julie Burke	118	Andrew McKeever	15/1
3	3Bramble Queen (IL)	Jareth Loveberry	118	Michael Dini	6/1
4	4Enjoyitwhilewecan (KY)	David Cabrera	120	Michael J. Maker	8/1
5	5Oh So Terrible (KY)	Constantino Roman	118	Bradley S. Ross	20/1
6	6Joy Epifora (ARG)	Declan Cannon	118	Ignacio Correas, IV	7/2
7	7Family Way (KY)	Adam Beschizza	120	Brendan P. Walsh	9/2
8	8Naval Laughter (KY)	Sophie Doyle	118	Christopher Davis	6/1
9	9Pythoness (KY)	Edgar Perez	118	Michael B. Campbell	20/1
10	10Russian Mafia (KY)	Julio E. Felix	118	Eduardo Rodriguez	15/1
11	11Tweety Show (KY)	Christopher A. Emigh	118	Ron Isbell, Jr.	10/1
12	12Breeze Rider (KY)	Deshawn L. Parker	118	Steve Manley	8/1