A Million Farewells: The Curtain Falls on Million Day at Arlington Park
The Arlington Park turf course has long been considered one of the greatest in the world of Thoroughbred horse racing.
Photo by Tom Ferry.
Forty years ago this month at Arlington International Racecourse was the start of something special.
The track hosted the first ever $1 million race for Thoroughbreds and called it the Arlington Million Invitational. The 1981 affair wasn’t even graded. It ended up, however, becoming an instant classic in the history of the sport when the legendary gelding John Henry and jockey Bill Shoemaker roared from behind in thrilling fashion across a damp turf course to defeat 40-1 longshot The Bart at the wire.
Last Saturday afternoon, that something special came to an end as the inaugural $600,000 Mr. D. Stakes (G1) formerly the Arlington Million (G1), was run at Arlington Park. The name change honors the track’s long-time former owner Richard L. Duchossois, who turns 100 in October.
The track will likely close its gates for good next month after 94 years. In February of this year, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI), owners of the track, announced its intention to sell the property to non-racing interests.
The current meet has been billed as “The Final Turn” and Saturday may have also seen the curtain fall on the traditional Million Day, which once again was highlighted by three Grade One races.
The Mr. D. Stakes
Fifty years have passed since Hugh Robertson secured his first trainer’s license in Nebraska in 1971. During that time, more than 10,000 horses have come through his barns. His most notable horse was the Illinois-bred Polar Expedition who earned just short of $1.5 million on the track from 1993-2000 and was a six-time graded stakes winner.
What has always eluded Robertson, however, was a Grade One win.
Coming into the Mr. D. Stakes, Domestic Spending was the 2-5 post-time favorite and the leading male turf horse in America.
Photo by Tom Ferry.
That would all change beginning with the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2017 where Robertson selected a yearling son of English Channel out of Miss Emmy for co-owner Randall Woolfe. The two men purchased the colt for a modest $4,500. The colt was named Two Emmys and was brought along slowly during his first three racing seasons, running only in optional claiming and allowance races until this year.
The horse showed promise this spring at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans when he delivered a runner-up finish to Colonel Liam in the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2). Last month, he ran strongly in the Arlington Stakes (G3), finishing second behind Bizzee Channel. Despite running well in the Arlington, Hugh Robertson wasn’t sure about entering Two Emmys in the Mr. D. Stakes.
“I didn’t really intend to run him in it but there was nothing else for him out there,” said Robertson. “I was very worried about him carrying 126 pounds because he’s a small horse and he’s never done that before. He always gives a good account of himself, so I went ahead and entered him, probably against my better thinking, but it all worked out fine.”
Two Emmys entered the race against a field of nine others, including 2-5 post time favorite Domestic Spending.
The Chad Brown-trainee came into the race having won three consecutive Grade One races including June’s Manhattan Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. The field also included 2020 Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) champion Zulu Alpha and trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Group Two winner Armory.
Two Emmys went to post as a 27-1 longshot and broke quickly from the gate to grab the early lead. His rival from the Arlington Stakes, Bizzee Channel, trailed close in second, followed by Strong Tide and Domestic Spending in fourth.
Two Emmys (R) holds off the late charge of Domestic Spending (L) to capture the $600,000 Mr. D. Stakes (G1).
Photo by Tom Ferry.
Six furlongs in, Two Emmys maintained a one-length lead as jockey James Graham followed Hugh Robertson’s pre-race instructions to get to the front right away then slow the pace down. The race’s relatively slow pace continued until the final turn when Bizzee Channel tried to challenge Two Emmys but could not sustain the drive. Next, when Domestic Spending mounted his patented rally, Two Emmys responded by running the final quarter mile in 22.72 seconds to hold off his challenger and capture a gate-to-wire triumph by a neck.
“All this time I win the Million and it’s only a $600,000 race,” joked Hugh Robertson afterwards.
One time Chicago-based jockey James Graham gets together with an 80-year-old local trainer and a $4,500 purchased horse and defeats the leading male turf horse in America to win what may have been the final installment of the Arlington Million. It would be difficult to write a more fitting finale.
The Beverly D. Stakes
Across the previous 30 runnings of the Beverly D. Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares on Million Day, seven winners of the race have gone on to be voted Eclipse Champion Female Turf Horse.
We may have seen the eighth.
The three-year-old filly Santa Barbara triumphed in the 31st running of the Beverly D Stakes (G1).
Photo by Tom Ferry.
After two scratches, a small field of five entered the $400,000 race. Leading the way was trainer Graham Motion’s multiple graded stakes-winner Mean Mary and trainer Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old Santa Barbara, coming off a Belmont Oaks (G1) score in June at Belmont Park. A solid third contender was Lemista, trained by Chad Brown, who walked away with championship trophies in each of the previous five renditions of the Beverly D. Rounding out the field was Modesty Handicap (G3) winner Naval Laughter and Argentinian-bred Joy Epifora.
The start to the 13/16 –mile race was delayed briefly after Mean Mary broke from the gate prematurely and was reloaded. She proceeded to break out to an early lead in the first quarter followed closely by Naval Laughter. Jockey Ryan Moore kept Santa Barbara back and on the rail in third.
As the field hit the final turn, Mean Mary held on to her lead and turned away a brief challenge by Naval Laughter. Ryan Moore, however, pulled Santa Barbara out two-wide on the turn and took the lead at the head of the stretch with little resistance.
Santa Barbara easily widened her lead under a hand ride and crossed the finish line ahead of her older rivals, defeating Mean Mary by three lengths, followed by Lemista, Joy Epifora and Naval Laughter.
“She was always a filly I had a high opinion of,” said Ryan Moore afterwards. “She was very comfortable through the race. Very straightforward today. She took me there too easily, really. She was just coasting the last furlong.”
Two trips to the United States have resulted in two Grade One wins for the Irish-bred Santa Barbara and it is entirely possible she could return to the States for November’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
The Bruce D. Stakes
Point Me By became the first Grade One winner for his sire Point of Entry when he won the $300,000 Bruce D. Stakes (G1).
Photo by Tom Ferry.
One year and a day after the great Secretariat followed up his 1973 Triple Crown with a victory in the Arlington Invitational at Arlington Park, the racetrack scheduled a race named in his honor which has been run in Chicago ever since and became a Grade One race in 1984. This year, the Secretariat Stakes (G1) was renamed The Bruce D. Stakes (G1) to honor the late son of Richard L. Duchossois.
While this year’s $300,000 race did not draw the strong collection of three-year-olds on turf it historically has, it did feature American Derby (G3) winner Tango Tango Tango and Point Me By, Homewrecker Racing’s post-time favorite trained by Eddie Kenneally. Point Me By was making his stakes debut and it was only the third career start for the son of Point of Entry after breaking his maiden in his debut race in June.
A field of nine went to post for the one-mile affair on turf.
Like a Saltshaker grabbed the early lead, followed by Tango Tango Tango, as Point Me By sat mid-pack under jockey Luis Saez. As the field hit the second turn, Point Me By shifted outside and split horses. He shook off a bump in the stretch by Tango Tango Tango and pulled away late to win by 23/4 – lengths. Tango Tango Tango was second followed by Ginsburned in third.
Point Me By’s victory was the first Grade One win for his sire Point of Entry. The patience trainer Kenneally had demonstrated in the lightly raced colt paid off.
“We took a look at the Bruce D. and we thought it’s not nearly as deep as it has been in year’s past,” said Kenneally. “We thought for the money we’d take a shot.”
Arlington International Racecourse is slated to close for good on September 25 and closing day will culminate with a fireworks display. As racing fans departed the track last Saturday afternoon to Frank Sinatra singing “My Kind of Town”, a sad realization continued to settle in that there will likely never be another Million Day. No fireworks show will ever do justice to nearly a century of wonderful memories.
Photo by Tom Ferry.