Arlington Million

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

A stellar field of nine will go 1 1/4 miles over the Arlington Park turf in
the signature race of the meet, the $1 million Arlington Million (G1). This
field is high class throughout and nearly impossible to decipher, so we’ll stick
to a runner with whom we are very familiar.

Multiple Grade 1 hero EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) has ascended to the top
of multiple divisions this year for Helen Pitts-Blasi, and the ultra-versatile dark
bay could jump back into the running for Horse of the Year with a score
in this race. The seven-year-old received a favorable hedge draw with Julien Leparoux,
which should allow him to receive a perfect, ground-saving trip in second or
third, and the powerfully-built horse loves to finish, registering a
106 BRIS Late Pace rating in his last effort. It’s hard to bet against the classy sort.

GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) has run off a trio of Grade 1 wins in succession
for conditioner Christophe Clement, and the four-year-old has been very
impressive from a visual standpoint on each occasion. His BRIS numbers are also
excellent this season, as he’s earned Speed figures of 106 and 105 with a 117 Late Pace
rating to his credit. The Kentucky-bred bay can
handle any kind of ground and virtually any distance with equal brilliance, and
he seems poised to make another strong showing against these. Ramon Dominguez
will ride the morning-line choice.

CIMA DE TRIOMPHE (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) looks like the top import to us for
Luca Cumani, and he’s another contender who we will use in this
outstanding race. A Group 3 victor over Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) star
Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani) two prior, the improving four-year-old wasn’t so fortunate in the
Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) at Sandown Park last out, but he gets a pass as nothing in this cast
would have challenged that exquisite bunch. Christophe Lemaire ships in to pilot
the gray, who has a winning chance with his best.

Singapore Airlines International Cup (Mal-G1) star GLORIA DE CAMPEAO (Brz) (Impression) was second
in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) prior to his fine win in Singapore last time, and the bay
makes a lot of sense for quality conditioner Pascal Bary. The six-year-old has
kept top company for much of his career with useful results and we will use
this one in our exotics.

PRESIOUS PASSION (Royal Anthem) has gained our respect tenfold following superb
recent efforts for Mary Hartman. We loved his romp in the United Nations
H. (G1) last out, his second consecutive tally in the prestigious event, and the gelded chestnut will almost surely
open up a huge lead in the early stages here. When the field attempts to come to him,
it will be interesting to see whether he kicks back again under Elvis Trujillo. The Florida-bred might be better at
slightly longer distances, and while it might not be wise for us to bet against this one
yet again, we’re going to do so. We rate him as a win-or-nothing contender.

JUST AS WELL (A.P. Indy) has come to hand nicely for turf wizard Jonathan
Sheppard, and his last-to-first win in the July 11 Arlington H. (G3)
should not be overlooked. The late-developing six-year-old is essentially a
one-run closer in a field full of class, and while he should get an honest pace
to run at, we’re not sure if he can get the job done at this level. Consider for
the bottom of the gimmicks. European import STOTSFOLD (GB) (Barathea [Ire]) is a multiple Group 3 winner
who has faced some of the top runners across the pond over the past two seasons
for trainer Walter Swinburn, so we have to at least consider the import. We
have class concerns with the gelded bay, but he is a solid
performer who is proven at this distance and will have jockey Adam Kirby
along for the ride.

Grade 1 winner MR. SIDNEY (Storm Cat) has done his best work at shorter trips
and on turf with give in it, so we have to take a stand against the Bill Mott
runner. The talented five-year-old has decent tactical speed and impressed
at Churchill most recently, but we’ll look elsewhere. RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run) has virtually no chance in this field and
would be an absolute shocker.