Although things hadn’t quite worked out for Nations Pride of late, Sunday’s $1 million Arlington Million (G1) shaped up as the ideal spot for the Godolphin globetrotter to return to the win column. The homebred ranked as the class of the field, at his optimal 1 1/4-mile trip and with no Charlie Appleby stablemate around to upstage him. The scenario played out as backers of the even-money favorite hoped, and Nations Pride rolled to a 1 3/4-length score at Colonial Downs.
Reunited with jockey William Buick for the first time this season, Nations Pride also worked out the right sort of trip. He’d been too close to a taxing pace off the layoff in the 1 3/8-mile Man o’ War (G2), where he tired to third behind his top-class stablemate Silver Knott. Last time out in the 1 3/16-mile Manhattan (G1) at Saratoga, Nations Pride was perhaps reserved a little too much early, and he could not bridge the gap with another rampant stablemate, Measured Time. In any event, Nations Pride had an easier task of reeling in the opposition Sunday.
It was no surprise that Sugoi went forward, but few might have expected the 19-1 shot to open up in isolation through modest fractions of :24.12 and :50.03. Talk of the Nation, who figured to be part of the pace scenario if not the controlling speed, remained fairly passive in second. Meanwhile, Buick had Nations Pride perched in third, keeping tabs on Talk of the Nation.
Sugoi tried to steal it by extending his margin to seven lengths at the six-furlong split in 1:14.27. Yet the gap was already beginning to close by the mile mark in 1:38.94, and Sugoi was done by the time they reached the stretch.
Nations Pride ranged up almost in tandem with Talk of the Nation, who briefly struck the front, but could not resist the favorite’s onslaught. Asserting his class in the final furlong, Nations Pride clocked 2:01.96 to earn his fourth career Grade/Group 1 trophy.
Integration, the slight second choice at 6-5, arrived on the scene late to take runner-up honors. British shipper Ancient Rome was another half-length back for third in a fine prep for his likely venture to Kentucky Downs. Talk of the Nation weakened to fourth, followed by Sugoi and Highland Chief.
Nations Pride became Godolphin’s third Million hero — but the first for Appleby. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Sulamani won the 2003 edition via disqualification at Arlington, and Santin scored for Brendan Walsh in 2022, the year it was held at Churchill Downs. Buick won the Million during his days with John Gosden, steering Debussy (2010) to a stunning upset of Gio Ponti.
Irish-bred Nations Pride has bankrolled more than $3.4 million from an 18-10-3-2 line. The son of Teofilo scored his first black-type victory in the 2022 Newmarket S., a seven-length conquest that propelled him into the Derby (G1) at Epsom. His disappointing eighth in that 1 1/2-mile classic persuaded the Godolphin brain trust to shorten him up in distance, and his fluency on firm turf made him a natural candidate for stateside exploits.
Nations Pride endured a frustrating second in the 2022 Belmont Derby (G1), but he rebounded to win the ensuing legs of the New York Turf Triple, the Saratoga Derby (G1), and Jockey Club Derby (G3). Although he set a 1 1/2-mile course record at Aqueduct in the latter, Nations Pride again found that distance a shade too far in top company when fifth to stablemate Rebel’s Romance in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).
Kicking off his four-year-old campaign during the 2023 Dubai Carnival, Nations Pride captured the 1 1/4-mile Dubai Millennium (G3) and placed a terrific third in the about 1 1/8-mile Dubai Turf (G1). Back up to his favorite distance, he added the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis/Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (G1) at Munich and the Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine. His season finale was a subpar seventh in the Bahrain International Trophy (G2), the only time he’s been out of the exacta in the vicinity of 1 1/4 miles.
Nations Pride was produced by the German stakes-winning Important Time, a daughter of Oasis Dream and Group 1 victress Satwa Queen. This is the family of multiple Australian Group 1 star Militarize; Lucky Vega, a Group 1 winner as a juvenile in Ireland; the talented but ill-fated Wichita; and Wichita’s two-year-old full sister, Bubbling, who just bolted up at the Galway Festival for Aidan O’Brien.
