Irish-bred Cape Blanco, the
European-based 4-year-old owned by the partnership of Fitri Hay, Derrick Smith,
Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor, and the colt who defeated Castleton Lyons’ Gio
Ponti in Belmont’s Grade I Man o’War Stakes July 9 – as well Gio Ponti, who won
the 2009 Arlington Million and finished second in last year’s renewal – are
likely to match strides once again in the 2011 Grade I Arlington Million on
Aug. 13.
“It has been well documented over here
that Cape Blanco
is being scheduled for a return trip to the United
States for a run in the Arlington Million,” said Alastair
Donald, director of the International Racing Bureau (IRB) when speaking over the
phone from the British-based IRB’s Newmarket
headquarters Wednesday. “The main reason is because (Cape
Blanco’s trainer) Aidan
O’Brien has expressed a desire to keep his two top horses apart as long as he
can. O’Brien’s other horse is his (New Zealand-bred) So You Think, (owned
by most of the same principles as Cape
Blanco) who won the
(Group I) Coral-Eclipse here at Sandown July 2.”
Gio Ponti’s trainer Christophe Clement
also indicated to the NYRA press office last Sunday that the Arlington Million
was on the radar for his two-time Champion Male Turf Horse, who was defeated by
2 1/2-lengths in the Man o’War.
“It’s tough to pass on the Million – we
won it and finished second the last two years,” Clement said. “At
the moment I will train him for the Million and we’ll keep all of our options
open. I thought (Gio Ponti) ran a good race (in the Man o’War) but he was
second best. I did think the Irish horse (Cape
Blanco) had everything
his way, but we had the chance to get to him and we couldn’t get to him in the
stretch.”
Should Gio Ponti return to the Million
and win it, the 6-year-old would become only the second horse to win the
Arlington Million twice, joining Dotsam Stable’s John Henry, who won the
inaugural running in 1981 and returned to capture the 1984 edition as a
9-year-old.
Also, on the Chicago
scene, Shadwell Stable’s Tajaaweed won the Grade III Arlington Handicap on
Million Preview Day July 9 as the designed local prep for Arlington Million
XXIX, and trainer Danny Peitz indicated that his 6-year-old son of Dynaformer,
who finished sixth in last year’s Million, was on track to try again.
“He’s a little bigger and a little
stronger this year,” said Peitz after Tajaaweed’s Arlington Handicap
score. “We decided to stop on him last winter, turn him out and point for
the Million again. Nine months later, here we are and we’re on our way to
the Million again.”
Concerning the upcoming Grade I Beverly
D. Stakes, the Arlington Million’s sister race for fillies and mares that will
also be part of Arlington
one-day International Festival of Racing Aug. 13, word has been received from
the IRB that Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Amm and Marsh Shirtliff’s South African-bred
River Jetez, trained by Michael de Kock, is also likely to come to Chicago for
the Beverly D.
In her last start July 8 at Newmarket
in Great Britain’s
Group I Falmouth Stakes at one mile, the 8-year-old mare finished fifth, beaten
3 1/2-lengths for the win.
“Her connections were delighted with
her race the other day,” said Donald on Wednesday. “(The Falmouth)
was too short for her, there was no early pace in the race, and she had not run
since May 22 when she finished second (beaten a half-length) in the Group I
Singapore Airlines International Cup. She is on target for the Beverly D.”
Donald also indicated that the IRB was
aware that British-bred Dubawi Heights, owned by Neville Callaghan, Clodagh
McStay, Michael Magnier and Annabel Wyatt, remained on track to come to
Arlington for the Beverly D. from California, where she won the Hollywood
Park’s Grade I Gamely Stakes May 30 and is being trained by Neville Callaghan’s
28-year-old son Simon at Santa Anita.
“She doesn’t need a prep race,” said
the younger Callaghan after the Gamely, “and it doesn’t take much to get her
fit. She’s gone from strength to strength. We’ve jogged her and
she’s really sound.”
Dubawi Heights worked four furlongs in
51 flat handily at Santa Anita July 10 after getting the same distance in 50.80
at the Arcadia, California, oval one week earlier.
Also, once again returning to the Chicago
scene, where Augustin Stable’s British-bred Fantasia won Arlington’s
Grade III Modesty Handicap as the local prep for the Beverly D. on Million
Preview Day July 9, Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard confirmed his
intentions to bring his Sadler’s Wells mare back for Arlington’s
main event for fillies and mares.
“Of course, we realize the Beverly D.
will be a big step up for us,” said Sheppard, speaking over the phone from Pennsylvania
last Sunday, “but after the way she ran in the Modesty, we’re looking forward
to it.”
Concerning the upcoming Grade I
Secretariat Stakes, final leg of Arlington’s
Mid-America Triple on Arlington Million Day Aug. 13, easily the headline news
is that All In Stable’s Willcox Inn would become only the fourth horse in
history to sweep the Triple – and the first in 14 years – should he win the
Secretariat.
Willcox Inn, trained by Mike Stidham,
won the first leg of the Triple, the 76th renewal of the Arlington Classic on
May 28 as well as the 97th running of the Grade II American Derby as the
Triple’s second leg last Saturday on Million Preview Day.
“We’re looking forward to running in
the Secretariat,” said Stidham last Sunday morning. “It’ll be interesting
to watch the Virginia Derby (at Colonial Downs July 16) and get a better idea
of what we’ll be up against next time.”
The three previous horses to sweep the
Triple were Robert Schaedle III’s Honor Glide in 1997, Ogden Phipps’ Buckpasser
in 1966 and Powhatan’s Tom Rolfe in
1965.