Going in a bit of a change of direction here for my Saturday coverage. Usually I’m all about Del Mar or Saratoga, but this weekend the focus is on Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. It’s a track I haven’t focused on much in the past, but this Saturday’s “all Grade 1″ pick 3 sequence consisting of the Secretariat, the Beverly D, and of course the Arlington Million figures to provide some excellent turf racing. In fact, when all is said and done, the Arlington Million may be the best turf race in the U.S. so far this year (with all due respect to Curlin and Red Rocks in the Man O’ War).
We’ll start with the 32nd running of the Secretariat going 1 1/4 miles over the turf for 3-year-olds with a total purse of $400,000 on the line. The field along with jockeys and odds is as follows:
- Prime Realestate – J. Leparoux (10/1)
- Winchester – R. Douglas (10/1)
- Plan - J. Murtagh (5/2*)
- Strait of Mewsina – E. Baird (30/1)
- Snoose Goose – R. Albarado (20/1)
- Tizdejavu – G. Gomez (6/5*)
- Your Round – J. Velazquez (8/1)
- Sir Henry - E. Razo Jr. (12/1)
- Secret Getaway – E. Wilson (10/1)
We kick off the all-Grade 1 Turf pick 3 sequence with what appears to be the weakest of the three races on paper. This is largely because Tizdejavu looms as an imposing favorite to try and beat. Trainer Greg Fox has done a magnificent job getting this 3-year-old son of Tiznow (and you know I love those Tiznows) into fine form for this race. Since switching to the turf in May he’s been lights out, wiring the field in three consecutive races. What’s more, he should be able to get a comfortable position out in front in the Secretariat and will have every shot to wire the field once again. The only possible hiccup I could see is if longshot Secret Getaway (#9 – 10/1) tries to go with him from the outside and puts some pressure on him early.
A more likely scenario would be Secret Getaway attempting to rate along with several others behind Tizdejavu. The logical 2nd choice of the field is Irish invader Plan (#3 – 5/2) for trainer Aidan O’Brien. O’Brien is fast closing in on the all-time record of 25 Grade 1/Group 1 victories in a single year set by Bobby Frankel in 2003. Plan exits a very nice last race at Curragh in Ireland where he rated and prevailed going 1 1/8 miles in 1:56.8. If the turf comes up “good”, as is possible for Saturday, then I think you’ve got to seriously consider the Euro shipper as a win candidate. The Euros tendto do well on such footing. If the Turf comes up as firm than Tizdejavu would retain the advantage.
Your Round (#7 – 8/1) and Secret Getaway are the two of the rest of the field that entice me the most. Your Round may be coming into form just in time for this race. He certainly wasn’t disgraced in the Virginia Derby running behind Gio Ponti, Sailor’s Cap, and Court Vision – all of whom would have been players in here had they entered. Secret Getaway should get a clean trip breaking from the outside and as long as he doesn’t try to get involved with Tizdejavu too early should be in good position to wind up in the money turning for home. Also note that his last 4 races have all shown improvement and he took the grass nicely in the Toronto Cup at Woodbine. I feel he’s a player in here.
If you can afford to go a little deeper on your ticket, you may also want to take a long look at Winchester (#2 – 10/1) and Sir Henry (#8 – 12/1) in the post parade as well. Winchester was a colt with some promise before his form headed south in two recent starts. Might the addition of blinkers wake him up? This isn’t exactly the deepest of fields so I’d suggest using him if he makes a favorable impression prior to the race. Sir Henry (#8 – 12/1) is tough to totally discount as well. Sir Henry has run 2nd to Tizdejavu and even when out of the trifecta is always pretty close. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the money when all is said and done. For the ticket below I opted for Sir Henry over Winchester, but you won’t hear me argue with anyone that goes the other way.
Selections: 6/3,9/3,7,8,9 ($6)
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