Arlington Million Relocates to Louisville With New Look

The name is back and the purse is restored but, otherwise, the Aug. 13 renewal of the Arlington Million (G1T) bears little resemblance to the event that ushered in the era of seven-figure Thoroughbred purses.

A solid and competitive field of nine is set for the Million, which is the feature and raison d'etre for a one-day meeting on a date Churchill Downs borrowed from Ellis Park.

The big change is the location. Arlington International Racecourse, successor to the track where John Henry famously defeated The Bart  in the inaugural Million in 1981, is no more. Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the suburban Chicago showpiece, is in the process of auctioning off the flatware, china, and the rest of the furnishings in preparation for a sale of the real estate to the Chicago Bears.

CDI reduced the purse to $600,000 in 2021 and, with the iconic grandstand awaiting demolition, announced in March that this year's Million would be run at its flagship track in Louisville.

From that, more changes flowed.

Churchill Downs has had trouble growing out a new turf track and decided to eliminate the originally-announced Secretariat Stakes (G1T) for 3-year-olds and the Pucker Up Stakes (G3T) from the Million program, leaving only the Million and the Beverly D. (G1T) on the green course. The distance also was shrunk from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/8 miles.

The race will have a different look, too. For only the third time ever and the first time since 1990, there will be no international competitors in the race formerly fronting Arlington's "International Festival of Racing," by the reckoning of the International Racing Bureau.

CDI decided against international recruitment, declining to engage the IRB, headquartered in Newmarket, England, which has lined up horses for the event from its inaugural running, bringing at least 124 Million starters from Europe over the years. That roster comprises a stellar listing of European talent, including notably Teleprompter, who landed the trophy for Lord Derby in the "Miracle Million" in 1985—the year the Arlington grandstand burned to the ground less than a month before the race.

The 2022 event does retain a presence by trainer Chad Brown, who has won the Million four times and the Beverly D. six times and in 2019 swept all four graded stakes on the Million program. Brown, the dominant turf trainer on the East Coast, brings to this year's Million only Sacred Life , winner of the Monmouth Stakes (G3T), in his last start.

"This horse can race almost anywhere and he's proven that," Brown assistant Luis Contreras said after the Monmouth score. Sacred Life was fourth in the 2020 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1T) in his only previous start under the Twin Spires.

It's no surprise Brown's A-list runners are staying home as he made his feelings clear in March when CDI announced the move to Louisville.

"It's great to have those races," he said in an email exchange. "However, nothing will ever compare to Arlington's turf course."

Although there are no foreign shippers, Godolphin brings some international flavor to the Million in the form of homebred Santin , a 4-year-old Distorted Humor  colt. He was bred in Kentucky by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's operation and nailed his first top-level win in the Turf Classic on Derby Day at Churchill Downs. He comes off a sixth-place finish in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park June 11 where he needed emergency shoe repair in the paddock.

After the Turf Classic, trainer Brendan Walsh said Santin showed promise running against more experienced rivals.

"We have always thought Santin was a special horse and I think we are starting to see the start of something big here," he said. "He's still just a baby." 

Smooth Like Strait , a 5-year-old son of Midnight Lute  , has not won since taking the Shoemaker Mile (G1T) at Santa Anita in May of 2021. The mile specialist, however, has posted five seconds and a third in six intervening starts, including a second in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) at Del Mar.

Set Piece , a 6-year-old Dansili  gelding, started his career in England with trainer Hugo Palmer and has seven wins from 15 U.S. starts for trainer Brad Cox on turf and all-weather. The Juddmonte Farms homebred's recent experience also has been largely at one mile.

Admission Office , a 7-year-old Point of Entry   gelding, seeks his first grade 1 score. He is 2-for-4 at Churchill Downs with victories in the 2020 Louisville Stakes (G3T) and the transplanted Arlington Stakes (G3T) in June of this year.

Field Pass  also lacks a top-level score. His most recent victories were in the Texas Turf Classic at Lone Star Park July 16 and the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) in November at Del Mar. The 5-year-old, by Lemon Drop Kid , was third in the Arlington Stakes.

Cavalry Charge , a 5-year-old Honor Code   gelding, enjoyed a productive winter in New Orleans, upsetting the Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T) and finishing third in the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes Presented by Horse Racing Nation (G2T). He has been less successful after shipping north to trainer Dallas Stewart's Louisville base.

Cellist , a Rusty Arnold-trained 4-year-old gelding by Big Blue Kitten , won the Louisville Stakes two starts back but comes off a 10th-place showing in the Colonial Cup Stakes.

Megacity , a 7-year-old grade 3-placed gelding by City Zip , completes the nine, none of whom ever ran at Arlington.