Trading Leather in, Grandeur, Farraaj withdrawn from
Arlington Million
Godolphin Racing’s Trading
Leather has gone from possible to probable for the Grade 1, $1 million Arlington Million,
according to the International Racing Bureau (IRB). The addition of the Teofilo
colt raises the bar on an already stellar field that is expected to
include Coolmore’s Breeders’ Cup Turf-winning star Magician, Ken and
Sarah Ramsey’s defending Million champion Real Solution and Sam-Son Farm’s 2013
Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds.
Solely owned last year by legendary Irish trainer Jim
Bolger before the conditioner sold a majority of the colt to Sheikh Mohammed’s
operation, Trading Leather exits his first poor performance in nearly two years
in the July 26 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Previously, the four-year-old was second in a huge
effort in the Eclipse 21 days prior and won the classic Irish Derby last year.
Kevin Manning, his regular pilot, is expected to make the
stateside trip to ride the bay colt, who has finished in the top three in 12 of
14 starts, including six at the highest level.
While Trading Leather has been added to the list of probables, Yvonne
Jacques’ Grandeur and Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum’s Farraaj have been withdrawn from
consideration for the 32nd edition of the Arlington Million as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the IRB.
Grandeur — who is based in Newmarket with trainer Jeremy Noseda, but had
raced his previous three runs in graded stakes at Belmont Park — was last year’s
morning-line Million favorite. This year, with the waters appearing a little
deeper at Arlington, his connections have decided on a different course.
Similar can be assumed for the Roger Varian-trained Farraaj,
who is coming off consecutive wins in English handicap races and seems very much
on the improve but has yet to establish himself at the top level. His best
finish at such was a third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2011. Last August, Farraaj was considered for the Million, but instead
shipped to Del Mar to finish 11th of 12 in the Pacific Classic behind
Game on Dude.
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