International Festival of Racing runners depart Chicago

They came, they saw, they conquered and now they're leaving --

returning to Ireland's Shannon Island on a Lufthansa equine charter out

of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Sunday night.

Arlington Million (G1) winner CAPE BLANCO (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) and

stablemate TREASURE BEACH (GB) (Galileo [Ire]), hero of the 35th

anniversary edition of the Secretariat S. (G1), were both in good order

Sunday morning, according to Pat Keating, traveling head lad for Irish

trainer Aidan O'Brien's successful invaders.

"They both ate up everything last night and have come out of their

races very well," Keating said Sunday morning when speaking from

Arlington Park's International Barn.

Christophe Clement's runners both left Arlington Park before daylight Sunday

morning. Former Arlington Million winner and multiple champion GIO PONTI (Tale

of the Cat) finished second in the Million for the second straight year while

CHEETAH (GB) (Tiger Hill) ran ninth in the Beverly D. (G1), the Arlington

Million's sister race.

"Gio Ponti is on his way back, and as of now, he came out of the race

in good order," Clement said from Saratoga. "He was a bit unlucky. Yet

again, there was plenty of rain, which is slightly annoying. Let's see

if we can get a break at some stage. Cheetah ran disappointingly,

especially considering her previous race (an impressive win in the

Robert G. Dick Memorial [G3] at Delaware Park)."

"Our horse ran a good race and we're very proud of him. He got knocked around

some in the early going or he might have finished second. I think we could have

easily been second but I don't think we could have beaten the winner. Hopefully,

we'll get to come back again next year."

Wigmore Hall was no stranger to Arlington's International Festival of Racing,

having finished second in the 2010 Secretariat.

Also aboard the European-bound KLM equine charter will be ZACK HALL (Fr) (Muhtathir

[GB]), who finished ninth in the Arlington Million in his first start outside

his native land. The Mikel Delzangles-trained and co-owned four-year-old went to

the track early Sunday morning for a canter around the Polytrack.

RIVER JETEZ (SAf) (Jet Master), third in the Beverly D., will also be aboard the KLM charter

and was doing well Sunday, according to South African trainer Mike de Kock, who

also indicated that the eight-year-old mare would not have beaten the winner,

STACELITA (Fr) (Monsun).

"She came in great shape from Rouget, no question," Brown said. "We just put

her in our program and went from there. She responded real well. Everything is a

little different over there. They're all a little different, the European

horses.

"We have a standard program I learned under (late Hall of Fame

trainer Bobby) Frankel we put them in. Sometimes you have to customize

it for this behavior or that behavior. But for the most part, we have a

standard program for European horses. She did it quickly."

The Beverly D. was part of a whirlwind day for Brown, who was at

Saratoga on Saturday morning for workouts before he departed for

Arlington. He was back at Saratoga by 9:45 p.m. (EDT), he said.

"We were on the private jet of (owner) Mr. (Martin) Schwartz," Brown

said. "We caught the tail wind flying back so it went a lot faster."

Brown said he and Schwartz are targeting the Breeders' Cup Filly &

Mare Turf (G1) with Stacelita, who will have one start beforehand, likely in the Flower Bowl

Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park on October 1.

"We have already supplemented her (to the Breeders' Cup)," Brown

said. "We'll run her one more time. (The Flower Bowl) will be the first

choice. We've nominated her to a few spots, but the first choice would

be the Flower Bowl."

Leaving before dawn on Sunday was the Jonathan Sheppard-conditioned

FANTASIA (GB) (Sadler's Wells), who was fourth in the Beverly D.