The Grade I Arlington Million,
now less than two months away on Aug. 13, will have one of its stepping stones
carried back to Old Virginia Saturday when the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup will
allow competitors of all ages for the first time in its seven-year history.
As a result, the grass race at
Colonial Downs formerly restricted to sophomores will include three original
nominations to Arlington Million XXIX. They are, in order of
seniority, the 7-year-old gelding Rahystrada, owned by Robert Courtney Jr., as well
as two 5-year-olds – Augustin Stable’s Smart Bid and Correas Thoroughbreds’
Moryba.
Rahystrada, trained by Scooter
Hughes, is familiar to Arlington fans for winning last summer’s Grade III
Arlington Handicap on Million Preview Day and then going on to finish fourth in
Arlington Million XXVIII. In his most recent trip to the post, the
altered son of Rahy finished fourth in the Grade I Woodford Reserve Turf
Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
Smart Bid finished second in
the Turf Classic, beaten three-quarters of a length for the win.
Previously, the son of Smart Strike captured the Grade II Mervin Muniz Memorial
by a nose at Fair Grounds on Louisiana Derby Day March 26. The Muniz
Memorial is the centerpiece event for grass horses during winter racing season
in New Orleans.
Moryba, a Brazilian-bred,
finished third in the Muniz, beaten only a head by Smart Bid, and was sixth in
the Turf Classic in his last start after racing wide.
Smart Bid is trained by Graham
Motion, who saddled Team Valor’s Animal Kingdom to win this year’s Kentucky
Derby while Moryba, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, won last
year’s Belmont Stakes with WinStar Farms’ Drosselmeyer.
BEVERLY D. DRESS REHEARSAL COSTUMED AT COLONIAL
The 22nd running of the Grade
I Beverly D. Stakes for fillies and mares, to be contested for a purse of
$750,000 on Aug. 13 as the sister race to the Grade I Arlington Million, gets a
preview at Colonial Downs this Saturday when the Virginia oval offers its Grade
III All Along Stakes at nine furlongs on the grass.
Three 4-year-old fillies named
to the $100,000 All Along – Augustin Stable’s British-bred Dyna Waltz, Flaxman
Holdings’ Aruna and Jack Swain III’s Apple Charlotte – are all original
nominations to this summer’s Beverly D., to be run at 1 3/16-miles over
Arlington’s world famous turf course on the second Saturday in August.
In her last start Dyna Waltz,
who is conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, finished second
in the Grade III Gallorette Handicap at Pimlico on Preakness Day, beaten a
length for the win. While still campaigning in Great
Britain last year, she won the $74,000 Oaks Trial at
Lingfield in the spring and finished fourth in the $71,000 Princess Royal
Stakes at Ascot in the fall.
Aruna, trained by Graham
Motion, finished second in the Grade II Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill on
Kentucky Derby Day in her last trip to the post, but won the Grade II Mrs.
Revere Stakes over the Louisville
lawn last fall.
Apple Charlotte, also trained
by Motion, finished fourth in $50,000 allowance optional claiming company at Belmont
Park May 11 and was sixth over
Keeneland’s Polytrack in the Grade I Ashland April 3 before finishing third a
week later in the allowance ranks over the Lexington
lawn April 10.
FATHER-SON DORRIS DOUBLE AT ARLINGTON
WEDNESDAY
In a daily double Wednesday at
Arlington Park that reminded guests of Arlington’s upcoming gala Fathers’ Day
program to be celebrated Sunday, trainer Tom Dorris saddled Gary Tussey’s
Peytonville to win the third race of the afternoon with jockey Julio Felix
aboard and then Chris Dorris saddled Richard Millard’s Condition Red to win the
fourth race with Francisco Giles in the irons. The father-son daily
double Wednesday returned $193.40.
OLCZYK STOPS OFF AT ARLINGTON
DURING STANLEY
CUP PLAYOFFS
Former NHL player Eddie
Olczyk, NBC’s color commentator during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Finals, may
be due some frequent flyer miles for his recent cross-continent sojourns.
After broadcasting Game 5 of
the Finals in Vancouver last Friday, Chicago native Olczyk returned to the
Windy City to attend the races at Arlington Saturday, went on to Boston for
Game 6 Monday and was then back in Vancouver for Game 7 Wednesday night for the
Boston Bruins championship victory over the Vancouver Canucks.