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And while their bigger name might be out, Godolphin is still going for the repeat here with last year's Arlington Million winner Santin (Distorted Humor). In the Churchill Downs edition held at 1 1/8 miles, the 5-year-old led nearly gate-to-wire and soundly defeated GISW Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute). Racing for trainer Brendan Walsh, Santin will have to overcome the widest draw of the field from gate 11 and gets back on the turf after a pair of main-track races at Churchill and Ellis respectively resulting in back-to-back off-the-board finishes.

Never far from Grade I turf action, trainer Chad Brown brings a pair of entries in last year's GI United Nations S. winner Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) and GISW Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

And while Brad Cox may be more well known for his dirt horses, Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}) will look to give his trainer another Grade I coming off a win in the GIII Arlington S. at Churchill two back June 3 and a narrow third in the GII Wise Dan S. last time out at Ellis July 1.

THE GIRLS GO FOR BREEDERS' CUP SLOT IN BEVERLY D.

With an all-expenses paid trip to the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on the line, a field of seven fillies and mares duel on the Virginia turf in the 1 3/16-mile GI Beverly D. S.

Mark Casse's Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) leads the field from the rail draw and will look to continue her run of trifecta finishes since coming stateside last year. A two-time graded stakes winner at Woodbine, the 5-year-old trailed Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) and MGISW In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) by just a half-length on the line in Saratoga's GI Diana S. July 15.

The Argentinian-bred Didia (Arg) (Orpen) had her seven-race win streak ended by Chad Brown's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah) by just three-quarters of a length in Belmont's GI New York S. June 9. Prior to that, the 5-year-old earned Group 1 wins in her native country and took Churchill's GIII Modesty S. on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 5 before contesting the New York. Racing for Merriebelle Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas, she is also the only member of the field with experience over Colonial's Secretariat turf course–winning both of her first two starts in the United States.

Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) brought just over $1,000,000 at auction as a yearling at Keeneland September and her value increased exponentially after wining last season's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. A winner of two of her four turf starts for Chad Brown, she enters off a fourth–beaten just 1 1/4 lengths–in her seasonal debut in the GIII Eatontown at Monmouth Park June 17.

Silver Knott trains at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

GODOLPHIN'S SILVER KNOTT TAKES ON NAGIRROC IN SECRETARIAT

While Rebel's Romance may not have made the trip, Godolphin is still well-represented in Saturday's action with Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who will contest the first of the three graded stakes at Colonial in the GII Secretariat S. A Group 3 winner in England, the Charlie Appleby trainee missed Grade I glory by just a nose to Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

A further 2 1/4 lengths behind that pair, Nagirroc (Lea) has never been off the board in his eight career starts for Graham Motion and owners Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and William Strauss. A winner two back in the James W. Murphy S. at Pimlico on Preakness Day, the colt was a narrow third last time out in Belmont's GIII Manila S. July 7.

Another Manila starter and an early-season Triple Crown trail colt, Spendthrift's Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) has seen much success since switching to the turf for nearly all of his 3-year-old season. A three-time graded stakes winner, he finished second behind the recently-retired Two Phil's (Hard Spun) in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. at Turfway Mar. 25 and came right back to win the GII Penn Mile two starts back June 2.

SARATOGA'S FOURSTARDAVE IS 'WAYI' OPPORTUNITY

Keeping to the grass but moving north to New York, a field of seven accomplished older horses vie for a slot in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Saturday's GI Fourstardave H.

Already the earner of over $2 million, Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) took last year's rendition of this race and started this year off strong with a loss by a just a head in Saudi Arabia's G3 1351 Turf Sprint Feb. 25. Third in the GI Jaipur S., a race he also won last year, the Bill Mott trainee took the GIII Kelso S. at Saratoga in preparation for this spot. A true war horse, this is his fourth straight attempt at the Fourstardave.

Todd Pletcher's 'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front), a Grade I winner as a 3-year-old, has missed the trifecta only once his entire career and began his season with a win in the Opening Verse S. at Churchill before just failing to reel in Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the GIII Kelso S. last month at Saratoga.

Another Pletcher runner, 'Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) races for Siena Farm and WinStar Farm and posted a victory last time out in the GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park June 10. He's raced exclusively on the turf since a third in last year's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. The 100 Beyer Speed Figure he put up in the Poker S. is a career best.

2-YEAR-OLDS TACKLE THE SARATOGA SPECIAL

A plethora of maiden winners make the jump into graded-stakes company Saturday in the 6 1/2-furlong GII Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special S.

Courtlandt Farms has 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) here for trainer Steve Asmussen. The Summer Wind Equine-bred, the $650,000 Keeneland September yearling, rolled by 3 1/2 lengths in his Ellis Park debut July 1 under Joel Rosario, who retains the ride here.

Norm Casse jumps Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) up in class after he broke his maiden in dominating fashion in his second career start, wiring an Ellis field by 9 1/2 lengths June 15 as an 8-1 shot. With Ricardo Santana Jr. still aboard, the chestnut keeps the blinkers on and looks to improve upon the impressive 94 Beyer Speed Figure he put up in that maiden race.

Haul (Army Mule), racing for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and St. Elias Stables, went for $260,000 at this year's OBS April sale and immediately rewarded his connections with a three-length debut win as the favorite at Belmont July 9.

Rhyme Schemes (outside) | Sarah Andrew

WEST COAST FILLIES GO IN THE SORRENTO

2-year-old fillies make the grade at Del Mar Saturday in the GIII Sorrento S. Bob Baffert saddles Dua (Arrogate) for Zedan Racing Stables, the same connections who picked up the sale-topping son of Curlin at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The $400,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling won her Del Mar debut by a half-length July 22.

City of Light picked up his first 'TDN Rising Star' with Benedetta who flew home by three lengths for trainer Simon Callaghan and owner Kaleem Shah at Los Alamitos July 8. The bay brought $750,000 at the OBS March sale and put in a near-bullet work at Del Mar Aug. 5 going four furlongs in :47 1/5 (3/82).

Already a stakes winner in her first start, Dreamfyre (Flameaway) has helped put her freshman sire (by Scat Daddy) on the map with a near gate-to-wire performance in Pleasanton's Everett Nevin S.

YELLOW RIBBON HOSTS ON THE TURF

Finishing out the evening on the West Coast, fillies and mares tackle the GII Yellow Ribbon S. at Del Mar going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The race is led by the Harris Farm-homebred Closing Remarks (Vronsky) who breaks from the rail and has contested exclusively graded-stakes company since a third in last year's GII Buena Vista S. Grade I-placed in the 2021 GI Del Mar Oaks, the 5-year-old mare was sixth last time out in the GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita May 29.

Also in that Gamely S., School Dance (Animal Kingdom) checked in just behind Closing Remarks in last year's GII Royal Heroine S. and just missed by a head in the GI American Oaks.

Bob Baffert can never be counted out, even on the turf, and he brings in Ganadora (Quality Road) here. The 4-year-old sold for $1,000,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2020 and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for her 6 1/2-length debut win at Santa Anita last year. She did her best running in last year's Dark Mirage S. but also just missed by a nose in this season's GIII La Canada S. Jan. 15.

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The 5-year-old, whose previous trip to America resulted in a 2 1/2-length victory in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf, missed a prep for this year's G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic and was forced to train up to the 2410-meter feature, only to finish 11 lengths back of the world's top-rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in seventh, his first defeat in six starts on the turf. Supplemented to the Bowling Green, the dark bay clipped heels and tossed jockey Richard Mullen to the turf, but got back to his feet and completed the course riderless.

According to the tweet, connections are set to reassess his options with future plans to be announced at a later time.

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The 2023 races are slated to be run on Aug. 12.

In November, it was announced that Churchill had acquired the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment LLC, the owners of Colonial Downs.

“Churchill has made a request and the committee will review it,” said  Andy Schweigardt, secretary for the American Graded Stakes Committee. “They hope to have a meeting before Christmas to make a decision.”

Approving Churchill's request may not be a formality. Schweigardt explained that in order for the committee to grant approval to a track to move a graded race a number of factors have to be taken into account.

“They have a rule that covers this that was instituted many years ago,” he said. “We consider moves on a case-by-case basis. The basic requirements are that the new venue has to be in the same region as the old racetrack and the name, conditions, calendar date and purse of the relocated race have to be substantially similar to previous years.”

When asked if Colonial in Virginia is in the same region as Churchill and Arlington,  Schweigardt said: “To me, no. But that's just me. The previous tracks would be considered to be in the Midwest. I'm not sure Virginia would be considered the Midwest.”

The 2022 Secretariat was not run because Churchill was having issues with its turf course at the time and track officials wanted to limit the number of races run over it.

Colonial's turf course is a mile-and-an-eighth in circumference and is the widest grass course in North America.

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“I love it personally, it's very challenging,” Gaffalione said of riding in the star-studded Spa jocks' room. “Every day you've got to come in and give it your all. These guys, they're not going to take anything lightly. Everybody's out there competing and trying to win races. The best riders in the country are here and they're putting on a good show. So just to be mentioned among them, it's truly an honor.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the KTOB, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds, Three Chimneys and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to the weekend's big races and the news of Burton Sipp's suspension, and talked about what it meant to them to reach 150 episodes. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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That Saturday's GI Arlington Million took place at all is something of a 'miracle', as Churchill Downs had not hosted a race on the turf since early June. The GII Secretariat S. and GIII Pucker Up S. for 3-year-old males and females, respectively, were canceled so as not to subject the newly installed grass course to undue stress.

But offer a seven-figure purse and they will come–or eight of them will, at least–and Godolphin's Santin (Distorted Humor) proved to be the king of the hill for the second time in three months over the Matt Winn turf course, making use of his superior stamina to best California invader Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) by a cozy 1 3/4 lengths. Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), the only starter in the race for four-time Million winner Chad Brown, outfinished the surprisingly favored Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}) to finish a distant third.

Winner of the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic over Saturday's course and distance on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard May 7, Santin–the third pick at 2.45-1–hit the ground running and was intent on taking the race right to Smooth Like Strait, capable of going a good race over nine furlongs, but clearly better at the mile. The second favorite, Smooth Like Strait had things very much his own way as he lobbed the Million field along through fractions of :23.85 and :47.43, but the 5-year-old had to work much harder to retain the call in the next couple of furlongs and came under a heavy John Velazquez ride 2 1/2 furlongs from home. With Santin now breathing down his neck, Smooth Like Strait came out into about the four path off the home corner, desperately clinging to a tenuous lead. But Santin was always doing the better work, as he wrested command at the three-sixteenths pole and came away to score comfortably in the end.

“We were in a good spot and around the turn and [Smooth Like Strait] came out a little bit but I had a lot of horse beneath me,” said winning rider Tyler Gaffalione. “In the past we thought he may have underperformed in his races. We know how much talent he has and he showed that in the [Old Forester Bourbon] Turf Classic and here this afternoon in the Million. It's so special to win this race. Its history speaks for itself and I'm glad we are able to be a part of it.”

Santin was the impressive winner of a pair of late-season starts at Indiana Grand and Keeneland before running on stoutly to just miss at 15-1 in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Nov. 27. A running-on fourth in the GIII Fair Grounds S. on seasonal debut Feb. 19, the bay could not quite reel in 2021 Million hero Two Emmys (English Channel) in the GII Muniz Memorial S. Mar. 26, but added blinkers and made amends with a 7-1 upset in the Turf Classic. After having a plate repaired in the paddock prior to the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. June 11, he retreated to finish sixth after chasing front-running winner Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) and was having his first start since.

Pedigree Notes:

Santin's dam was a dual graded winner and third in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at three and runner-up in the GI Flower Bowl S. in 2016 for Kiaran McLaughlin before being covered by Distorted Humor–then a spry 24 years of age–in 2017. Santin is her first produce. Sentiero Italia is a half-sister to the likeable Saeed bin Suroor-conditioned Ashkal Way (Ire) (Ashkalani {Ire}), winner of the GI Citation H., the GII Kelso BC H. and GII Bernard Baruch H. and runner-up in the Fourstardave H.–then a Grade II–in 2006. Sentiero Italia is also represented by the 2-year-old colt Pacific Crest (War Front), a yearling Speightstown filly and a filly foal by Into Mischief.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
ARLINGTON MILLION S.-GI, $1,000,000, Churchill Downs, 8-13, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.88, gd.
1–SANTIN, 125, c, 4, by Distorted Humor
                1st Dam: Sentiero Italia (MGSW & MGISP, $994,900),
                                by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Golden Way (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
                3rd Dam: Diavolina, by Lear Fan
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $601,400. Lifetime Record: 8-4-2-0, $1,437,100.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smooth Like Strait, 125, h, 5, Midnight Lute–Smooth as
Usual, by Flower Alley. O/B-Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy. $194,000.
3–Sacred Life (Fr), 125, r, 7, Siyouni (Fr)–Knyazhna (Ire), by
Montjeu (Ire). (€50,000 Ylg '16 ARAUG). O-Michael Dubb,
Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables; B-Mr. Viktor
Timoshenko & Mr. Andriy Milovanov (FR); T-Chad C. Brown.
$97,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 5 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.45, 2.32, 6.44.
Also Ran: Set Piece (GB), Cavalry Charge, Admission Office, Cellist, Field Pass. Scratched: Megacity. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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However illusory, then, it's a relief to find enough recognizable vegetation salvaged Stateside at least to host all three of Saturday's Grade I races. True, it evidently hasn't been at all straightforward doing so at Churchill, where they have resuscitated the Arlington Million and Beverly D. on an oasis card otherwise contested entirely on the main track.

After breaking so many hearts by closing its cherished Chicago home, Churchill have not only restored the Million but also a commensurate prize. It would be interesting to learn the duration of this commitment; and indeed to have some update about the funds generated in Arlington's final year, exceeding $750,000, in principle reserved for its 2022 purses. The last I heard, Illinois horsemen were pretty vexed about the idea that Churchill could sit on that dough pending some “successor” investment.

Even if Churchill might this time be credited with vaguely altruistic intentions, this feels like a pretty uncomfortable sanctuary for the races evicted from Chicago: a turf track that has evidently been a nightmare to bed down, and can't accommodate a 10th furlong anyway. That certainly seems to have been the conclusion of most European stables. Even domestically, the races appear to have fallen somewhat between stools: on the one hand, their abbreviation has put off the stayers; on the other, they've now had to compete with the GI Fourstardave H.

The true refugees, of course, aren't the races themselves, but those Illinois horsemen who for so long worked at one of the jewels of the American Turf. That's why there will be plenty of horsemen at Colonial Downs and elsewhere raising a glass, this weekend, to the memory of Noel Hickey.

Hickey's loss could not have been more poignantly timed–evoking, as it did, memories of a heyday (above all in grass racing) that Irish Acres shared with Arlington itself. Never mind the big guy, Buck's Boy, how about Bucks Nephew, another son of Hickey's beloved stallion Bucksplasher, who was still winning stakes at eight? And some of the other stalwarts, at a lower level, were still more indefatigable: Plate Dancer (16-for-69) and Classic Fit (23-for-76), for instance, both kept going to 11.

Their breeder resolved to buy Bucksplasher, despite a mediocre race record, after discovering that only eight Northern Dancer mares were ever bred to Buckpasser. Hickey was a colorful character, a gifted athlete himself in his youth before building up a payroll of 940 employees as a broker. But he does now seem to belong to another era, which makes it all the more remarkable that a near-contemporary should be extending such an exhilarating rejuvenation.

Wayne Lukas will be 87 a couple of days before the GI Spinaway S., where he now hopes to saddle Naughty Gal for a captivating showdown with another daughter of Into Mischief, Prank–herself yet another credit to the extraordinary work of the Lyster family at Ashview Farm. Having found a potential heir to Secret Oath (Arrogate) in last weekend's GIII Adirondack S. winner, Lukas has meanwhile eagerly commenced the next turn of the carousel by crossing the road to Fasig-Tipton and spending nearly $2.7 million on five yearlings, half of it devoted to a single Medaglia d'Oro colt.

Lukas apparently predicated this spree on a theory he has developed, over the years, “on angles and skeletons [and] the way they're put together.” If he wants to cover his costs, he could just jot the details down on a piece of paper and offer it to the highest bidder.

I am always bewildered by the way owners stampede to fashionable young trainers, especially in Europe where neglect of seasoned operators tends to be even more bovine. With horses, you would have thought that all the enthusiasm and energy in the world will never measure up to sheer experience. If you owned the Kentucky Derby favorite, and he came up with a problem on the eve of the race, would you rather the decisions were being made by someone dealing with the issue for the first time, or someone who has done so hundreds of times over several decades?

We associate youth with audacity, but we're really talking about a form of naivete. It's experience that truly fortifies your nerve. And that can also be true of jockeys. (At least, that is, until the poignant parting of the ways after they suddenly figure that there must be jobs out there where you don't have to be followed all day by an ambulance.) It took an insight and assurance years in the making, for instance, for Mike Smith to show such glaring restraint with Life Is Good (Into Mischief) at Saratoga last summer that the Equibase comment baldly states: “overconfident handling.”

Never mind that running Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) to a neck over seven furlongs shows the kind of generosity that simply doesn't require coercion. This was one of those occasions–returning from a six-month lay-off, and for a new barn–when the jockey's top three priorities were: the best interests of the horse, the best interests of the horse, and the best interests of the horse.

People seldom dare to say so, because so much of the sport's funding comes through the windows, but there are times when even the wagering dollar has to step in line. After all, the kind of handicapper who thinks he or she deserves the homage of horsemen should reciprocate with a little respect the other way; should understand (and be reconciled to) the possibility that a prudent jockey, in these quite particular circumstances, might want to avoid giving his mount an experience that could cause him to regress.

They can cope with that idea when a horse makes its debut, and here was another case that blatantly called for their absolution. Whether or not connections share this view–and the fact is they have named other jockeys ever since–I feel pretty certain that Life Is Good is only as good as he is because Smith rode him that day with such length of perspective.

You very rarely see a horse break with quite the gusto that suffused Life Is Good last weekend. He was practically airborne, so eager has he remained for his vocation. And, however innate his competitive instinct, Smith certainly made sure that it was not soured.

If only more American jockeys could show corresponding conviction when riding a route on grass. On the same card last weekend, War Like Goddess (English Channel) won the GII Glen Falls S. off a halfway split of 1:17.51. And this was scalding, compared with her previous win at the Keeneland spring meet, where they had staggered along in 1:19.88.

These numbers condemn American horsemen just as instructively as the dismal averages of most turf stallions at the yearling sales. A mile and a half of grass gives these guys a nosebleed. War Like Goddess is by a wonderful stallion–and all this ties in pretty obviously with our lament a couple of weeks ago, over the crisis in Kentucky turf breeding now that Kitten's Joy is also gone–but these glacial splits show a community that cannot come to terms with the perplexing combination of grass and distance.

The fact is that hardly anybody takes these horses seriously. That's nearly always the case at the sales ring, while jockeys ride them as though indulging some kind of niche, semi-humorous weirdness. But do you remember Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), under a proper Irish horseman, being rushed into a clear lead to win the GI Breeders' Cup Turf? He reached halfway in 1:12.7. That's over seven seconds faster than in that Keeneland race! And they couldn't lay a glove on him.

As I'm always saying, there's no less of a cultural logjam on the other side of what should always be a two-way street, with Europe's disastrous detachment from dirt blood. But all you guys who have flown from Saratoga to Deauville, if you want to import serious grass blood, then please get your teams to wake up and import some serious grass attitude, as well.

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Churchill is moving forward with plans to host the GI Arlington Million and the GI Beverly D. S. on the lawn. The former will be run from lane one, with the latter scheduled to run from lane three. The Beverly D. is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event for the Filly & Mare Turf division.

“While our new Bermuda-hybrid turf course continues to mature to its ultimate potential, we are being appropriately conservative by limiting the number of races in the best interest of long-term preservation of the surface and growing root system,” said Churchill President Mike Anderson. “The course is healthy and vibrant and we are extremely optimistic about its performance now and in the future. However, we don't want any setbacks to its progression, especially right now during its critical growth season. Our plan is to take advantage of the width and versatility of the new course and run the two marquee races–the Arlington Million and Beverly D.–in two separate running lanes to provide fresh ground for each important race.”

First post at Churchill Aug. 13 is 12:45 p.m. ET.

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Lukas announced last week that he was going to run his star filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) in the Apr. 2 GI Arkansas Derby against the colts instead of in the safer pick, the GIII Fantasy S. run the same day. It's not just a bold choice, it is a smart choice. With the contingent of males heading to the Arkansas Derby an unusually weak one, Secret Oath figures to be the favorite in a race where the purse is $1.25 million and the winner gets 100 points for the Derby. She can absolutely win. The Fantasy goes for $600,000.

And while Lukas says the horse, no matter how she performs in the Arkansas Derby, is still being pointed for the GI Kentucky Oaks, don't believe him for a minute. If she wins the Arkansas Derby, she'll run in the GI Kentucky Derby. Lukas is too much of a swashbuckler not to take that chance. This is right out of his play book.

A filly last ran in the Derby in 2010 when Devil May Care (Malibu Moon) finished 10th. In 2016, Churchill went to a new system, awarding qualifying points in traditional preps for the race rather than going by earnings in graded stakes races. That meant that a filly had to run in a prep against males to have any chance of making it into the Derby field. Up until now, no one has even tried.

Enter Lukas. He didn't become one of the greatest trainers of all time by being timid.

He won the 1984 Arkansas Derby with the filly Althea, who came into that race just seven days after winning the Fantasy. It was the last time a filly won the Arkansas Derby. She didn't fare well in the Kentucky Derby, she was 19th. But she was there. In 1988, he sent Winning Colors from the GI Santa Anita Oaks straight to the GI Santa Anita Derby, which she won. Four weeks later, she became only the third filly in history to win the Kentucky Derby. Lady's Secret ran against males seven times and beat them in the 1986 GI Whitney H., a win that helped her secure the Horse of the Year title. Serena's Song won the 1995 GII Jim Beam before running 16th in the Derby, the fourth Lukas-trained filly to start in the race. She went on to win the 1995 GI Haskell Invitational. In 1996, she missed by just a neck when second in the Whitney.

Secret Oath, a late developer, didn't hit her stride until she got to Oaklawn. She won a Dec. 31 allowance there by 8 1/4 lengths and then won the Martha Washington S. by 7 1/4. Next up was a start in the GIII Honeybee S. and she crushed them again, winning by 7 1/2 lengths.

Maybe she's not as good as a Winning Colors or a Lady's Secret, but she doesn't have to be…particularly when it comes to winning the Arkansas Derby. Many of the starters will be coming out of the GII Rebel, which was a mess. It was won by 75-1 shot Un Ojo (Laoban) and the odds-on favorite from the Baffert stable, Newgrange (Violence), was a dull sixth. The Rebel went in 1:45.69 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth. Six races earlier in the Honeybee, Secret Oath went almost a second faster, in 1:44.74.

In T.D. Thornton's latest Derby Top 12, not a single confirmed Arkansas Derby starter made the list.

Among the colts eyeing the Derby, there are no stand outs, no one to fear. The best horse may be Baffert's Messier (Empire Maker) and, due to Baffert's problems, he may not be in the field. There's also the Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) factor. Last year's Eclipse Award-winning juvenile filly champ will make her 3-year-old debut Saturday at the Fair Grounds in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. If she picks up right where she left off she might just be better than any of the colts eyeing the Derby.

Then there's the “what's best for the game” angle. During a prolonged period where scandals have dominated the headlines, the sport could really use a feel-good story. To see a revered icon attempt to win the Kentucky Derby, 23 years after he last won the race and to do so with a filly at age 86, is something everyone can rally around. This could be Lukas's last chance, and he appears ready to go for it. Good for him.

Speaking Of Old-Timers…

How about Rated R Superstar (Kodiak Kid) winning a $500,000 graded stakes race at age nine? The veteran pulled off the feat Saturday at Oaklawn when winning the GIII Essex H. by 2 1/4 lengths.

Owner Danny Caldwell and trainer Federico Villafranco took a big chance last year when claiming the horse for $50,000 as an 8-year-old. But he's more than paid them back. He's won four times since and earned $300,000 in the Essex for the richest win of his career. Rated R Superstar won his first graded stakes way back in 2016 when he captured the GIII Carry Back S. at Oaklawn. He's won six stakes races, including the 2019 Essex, which was ungraded that year. He'll go next in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 23.

The New Arlington Million

People love to hate Churchill Downs, but when they do something right they should be recognized for it. The announcement last week that Churchill will hold a one-day meet Aug. 13 and will host the GI Arlington Million, the GI Beverly D. S. and the GII Secretariat S. was a welcome one. Yet, it was met with a lot of negativity.

Chris Block, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which represents horse owners and trainers, told nbcchicago.com that the Million's move “is another reminder that Churchill Downs shuttered Arlington Park and abandoned Illinois horse racing, compromising hundreds of jobs throughout our state.”

Yes, it would be much better if Arlington Park were still open and hosting those races, but that was not going to happen. The only alternative to the Million being run at Churchill was that it wouldn't be run at all. This is better. The sport can't easily afford losing such a historic race.

The Million, by the way, hasn't always been run at Arlington. With Arlington in the process of being rebuilt after the fire, it was run at Woodbine in 1988.

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With the coordination of Ellis Park and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Churchill will host a special Arlington Million Day Aug. 13. The card will feature  four stakes cumulatively worth $2 million: the $1-million GI Arlington Million; $500,000 GI Beverly D. S.; $300,000 GII Secretariat S.; and $200,000 GIII Pucker Up S.

Other Arlington stakes to be run this year at Churchill are the $250,000 GIII Modesty S., $200,000 GIII ArlingtonS., $200,000 GIII Chicago S. and the listed $200,000 American Derby and $175,000 Hanshin S.

Eight of the 14 races on Kentucky Derby Day are stakes with purses totalling $7.16 million. In addition to the Derby, the first Saturday in May will showcase the $1-million GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic; $750,000 GI Churchill Downs S.; $750,000 GI Derby City Distaff; $500,000 GII Pat Day Mile; $500,000 GII American Turf; and the $160,000 Knicks Go Overnight S.

Churchill Downs will host the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks May 6. The seven stakes that day total $4.25 million: the Oaks; $750,000 GI La Troienne; $500,000 GII Alysheba S.; $500,000 GII Eight Belles S.; $500,000 GII Edgewood S.; $500,000 GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S.; and the Modesty.

Churchill's closing weekend features the $750,000 GII Stephen Foster S. The 1 1/8-mile race anchors an eight-race stakes card July 2 that totals $2.33 million and includes the $350,000 GII Fleur de Lis S.; $350,000 GII Wise Dan S.; and American Derby.

Churchill's first condition book of scheduled races features $120,000 maiden races throughout the Spring Meet. Additionally, there will be a $250 bonus awarded to trainers whose starters finish fourth through last in all non-stakes races.

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