Illinois’ Arlington Million looks grand again

Big Blue Kitten had Joe Bravo aboard in winning the Grade I United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 5. Sue Kawczynsk i/ Cal Sport Media

The Arlington Million – the grand old race staged in Illinois that last year looked down in the dumps – now has a real sense of purpose and resurgence about it.

Last year just seven competitors turned up for the Grade 1 event over 2,000 metres, which was one of the smallest fields since 1981 when it became the world’s first race to carry such a purse.

The prize money has not changed since, but Sunday morning UAE time 13 thoroughbreds go to the post headed by Godolphin’s Maverick Wave.

Maverick Wave is not everybody’s idea of the favourite, but, representing the in-form John Gosden and William Buick, the chestnut colt has been found a good opening at the highest level.

The race is hardly packed with quality.

There are only three Grade 1 winners in the field: Graham Motion’s Up With The Birds and Chad Brown saddles up two seven-year-olds in Big Blue Kitten, who won the United Nations Stakes from stablemate Slumber last month having gone down to that rival in the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont in June.

Also chancing their arm are Elleval, one of Meydan racecourse’s favourite sons from Ireland, and Belgian Bill, who won a handicap in Dubai in January and was last seen finishing second in a handicap over 1,600m at the Glorious Goodwood Festival two weeks ago.

Maverick Wave, Elleval and Belgian Bill spearhead a large European raiding party of 15 horses across the card, which includes the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes, the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes and the Grade 3 American St Leger Stakes.

It would hardly be a surprise were the Europeans to whitewash the Grade 1 races with Marco Botti’s Euro Charline set to defend her title in the Beverly D. and Highland Reel out to win a third Secretariat Stakes in five years for Aidan O’Brien.

The Arlington Million’s revival this year is mirrored by the renaissance of owner Kevin Warner. It is just over a year since Quiet Force was transferred from Richard Mandella’s yard to the stables of Michael Maker.

Quiet Force was claimed last year by Warner for US$40,000 (Dh146,900), but only after he had tracked the five year old for three months looking at every claiming race in America for the horse to appear.

A win under favourable terms in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap with Up With The Birds in third last month means the mount of Robby Albarado lines up as an outsider tonight.

Warner’s determination to buy the horse stemmed from a year previously, when the businessman had a tumour the size of his fist removed from his head.

Warner had not been involved in racing since his university days, but had promised himself that he would once again get back in to the sport of kings at the first opportunity.

“I have a big scar in my skull where they took the tumour out,” Warner said.

“They told me I would have to have physical therapy and maybe speech therapy afterwards – but I came out fine. I had no issues at all and was even released to drive a car in nine days.

“That’s when I decided that I was going to live life and do what I wanted to do – and one of those things was to get into horse racing. I’m a little guy with a big horse.”

The Arlington Million may not be the race it once was, but is still has force enough to captivate and attract a large foreign contingent for now.

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