Little Mike faces tough task to steal another Million

The

Arlington Million, the Thoroughbred world's first $1 million race when it

was inaugurated in 1981, officially has never been won by the same horse in

consecutive years, though the legendary John Henry won two of the first four

runnings and Powerscourt was disqualified in 2004 before coming back the

following year to win without controversy. On Saturday, Little Mike will be the

latest horse to attempt a successful title defense of the 1 1/4-mile grass

fixture when he faces 12 others, half of which are based in Europe.

Despite having engineered an upset in the nine-furlong Woodford Reserve Turf

Classic three months previously, there was some doubt a year ago in Little

Mike's ability to get the Million's 10 furlongs as the Dale Romans-trained

gelding had earned a reputation as a speedy miler. However, under smart handling

by the now-retired Ramon Dominguez, Little Mike, much like he did in the

Churchill Downs feature, seized the lead in a paceless race and left his rivals

for dead with a quick burst in the stretch that resulted in his building an

insurmountable lead.

Little Mike later showed versatility, upsetting the 1 1/2-mile Breeders' Cup

Turf coming from slightly off the pace. Since that victory at Santa Anita,

however, Little Mike has struggled. An extensive recovery from a trip to Dubai,

where he faltered in stakes on Tapeta and grass, kept the 2012 Eclipse Award

finalist out of some important U.S. stakes this spring. He only returned to

action in last month's 1 3/8-mile United Nations at Atlantic City, where he

weakened to fourth after leading most of the way.

The European contingent is led by Grandeur, who made a successful excursion

to the U.S. last fall when taking the Hollywood Turf Cup and the Twilight Derby

and placing second in the Hollywood Derby. The gray four-year-old has worked his

way back into shape over the past month, finishing fourth in the Princess of

Wales's at Newmarket and a close second in the York Stakes three weeks ago.

Another who should move forward off a recent outing is Hunter's Light, a

Godolphin colorbearer who captured Group 1 events in Italy and Dubai over the

past year. He enters off a third in the Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, a Group 1 event

over 1 1/4 miles in Munich.

The Apache, a Group 1-winning native of South Africa, enjoyed a successful

winter in Dubai, winning the Al Rashidiya and finishing second in the Jebel

Hatta and the Dubai Duty Free. He, too, should move forward off his latest

outing, a fourth-place effort in the York Stakes following a four-month break.

The remainder of the foreign invaders include Mull of Killough and Guest of

Honour, who were separated by a half-length when settling for minor awards in

the July 13 Summer Mile at Ascot, and the multiple Group 3 winner Side Glance.