Colonial Downs

Arlington Million Stakes (Grade 1)

IT was a mixed weekend for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin in America with their four runners going off short-priced favourites in three Grade 1s and a Grade 2, at Saratoga and Colonial Downs, but they recorded placings of 7312.

The winner was the ever-reliable Nations Pride, whom William Buick partnered to win the Arlington Million Stakes at Colonial Downs.

It was the Teofilo five-year-old’s first win of the season but he had been beaten by stable companions on the other two occasions in the US.

It was his fourth North American victory to go along with the 2022 Saratoga Derby Invitational and Jockey Club Invitational Derby, and the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine last year.

The 2024 Million is a long way from the original international contest of its creation and a field of six contained the Charlie Hills-trained/Fitriani Hay-owned Ancient Rome, the mount of Jamie Spencer.

Buick settled Nations Pride in third while long shot Sugoi and jockey Julien Leparoux shot off into a lead.

As they approached the far turn, they were quickly reeled in and Nations Pride was ready to go when asked. The only threat was Integration, winner of last year’s Virginia Derby and the local prep for the Million. He couldn’t get on terms with the winner who finished a length and three-quarters clear, but relegated Ancient Rome and Talk Of The Nation to third and fourth.

Buick summed it up: “He was the best horse in the race and we knew that. He’s an exciting horse and he’s won four Grade 1s now.

“The leader was getting a lot of rope and he was getting it cheap, so I just wanted to have everything covered as well as I could,” he added while being complimentary of the Virgina track, hosting the race for the second year following the sale and demolition of Arlington Park.

Three-year-old

The Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes over a mile went to one of the better three-year-old turf horses in the US in the Graham Motion-trained Trikari.

By Oscar Performance, who won this race in his three-year-old season, the colt had won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes and he took this impressively cruising to a two and a quarter-length victory, despite going off second favourite to Frankie Dettori on the Cherie DeVaux-trained Brilliant Berti who chased Trikari home. It was the colt’s fourth win from six starts this season, and making amends for his third in the Grade 3 Penn Mile.

Motion said: “Johnny [Velazquez] was super impressed with his turn of foot.”

The Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes was a battle of the Canadian Horses of the Year as the sixth meeting between the last two winners Moira and Fev Rover came down to the final yards with Moira emerging victorious by a head. Frankie Dettori was third on Neecie Marie.

Moira was down 3-2 in their head-to-heads but was sent off the favourite. Settling off the pace in third as Irish-bred Fev Rover tried to repeat her front-running win of last year, she led but was challenged by Libban.

Jose Ortiz on Moira pulled alongside with half a furlong to go and was a head to the good at the line.

Moira’s trainer Kevin Attard said afterwards: “I think Fev Rover gets the edge over us on softer ground but Moira prefers harder turf. She’s always been a special horse to us.

The Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine in September leading into the Breeders’ Cup are her targets.

Saratoga

Fanduel Fourstardave Handicap (Grade 1)

THE Grade 1 on the Saratoga card was the Fanduel Fourstardave Handicap, and the Irish-bred son of Lope De Vega, Carl Spackler, finally did what he always looked like doing, winning a Grade 1 prize. The track was rated Good after a lot of rain through the week.

He did pick up three Grade 2 and 3 wins, including the July Grade 2 Kelso Stakes at Saratoga, despite some breaks in training.

“We thought early on he could be a Grade 1 winner,” said owner Bob Edwards of e Five Racing Thoroughbreds. “He came back from colic surgery to win at Churchill Downs. He looked like a million dollars today and he ran like it.”

Tyler Gaffalione kept Carl Spackler in second before moving to the front turning for home, and he was dominant thereafter, crossing the line three and a half lengths ahead in 1m36.63secs for the mile. If still in top form by the Breeders’ Cup, he could be a danger to European runners in the Mile.

“This sure looked like the horse that was sitting on a big number,” Brown was quoted. “He was capable of it. I had a feeling today, and then with just a little bit of cut in the ground, I think he’s even just a little bit better. I really felt today would be his day and it was.”

More Than Looks was second, a length and a half ahead of Godolphin’s favourite Ottoman Fleet who was pushed along a furlong and a half out, kept on for pressure but couldn’t match the front two.

Saratoga Derby

Godolphin also provided the favourite for the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational but, after looking the winner, the hooded Legend Of Time was run down by the Christophe Clement-trained Carson’s Run, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey.

Jockey Dylan Davis kept the son of Cupid in last place for much of the mile, furlong and a half race on the turf course.

The field fanned out into the stretch and Legend Of Time was in full stride with a furlong to go, but Carson’s Run swooped on his outside for a pretty good win.

It was the jockey’s first Grade 1 win in the US. The race offers the winner a free berth to the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.

“Great race, very good ride from Dylan,” said trainer Christophe Clement. (Carson’s Run) is a little bit peculiar. He had a very funny start at Aqueduct in the spring, so we have been working on it.

“When he is right, he has a spectacular turn of foot like he showed today.”

Del Mar

AWTAAD’s excellent daughter Anisette added another big prize to her name in winning the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap on the West Coast.

The Leonard Powell-trained filly, bred in Britain, produced her usual finishing burst to record her third straight victory, and the fifth graded stakes win of her career for owners Eclipse Thoroughbreds.

She raced in fifth of the six runners early off a decent pace and Umberto Rispoli waited behind horses into the straight, a gap between the leaders opened up inside the furlong pole and Anisette responded with her strong finish, powering past Uncorked for a length and a quarter success.

“I was on the best filly; that makes a difference,” Rispoli said. “I won today even easier than it looked. She was the best.” She carried 6lb more than Uncorked and 8lb more than Fuente Ovejuna, who dead-heated for second.

Saratoga Jumps

The Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap Hurdle was run at Saratoga on Wednesday and it brought success for last year’s second. Jimmy P, ridden by Stephen Mulqueen and trained by Keri Brion who also trained the second.

Last year’s Galway Hurdle winner for Willie Mullins, Zarak The Brave, now with Thomas Garner, was sent off favourite but unseated Graham Watters at the second hurdle. Danny Mullins partnered Artistic Choice for Leslie Young into fourth. The winner opened up a wide lead before the straight galloped on strongly to win by a 34-length margin.