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Equibase Analysis: Armory Poised To Upset Domestic Spending In Mr. D.

This Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000 Mr. D. Stakes, formerly the Arlington Million, features a strong field of 10 including Domestic Spending (GB), who has reeled off three straight Grade 1 stakes wins, the most recent of which came in the Manhattan Stakes in June at the distance of the Mr. D. Stakes.

Zulu Alpha, who leads the field in career earnings at $2.2 million, makes his second start following 10 months off and hopes to run back to his form of 2020 when winning three of five graded stakes including the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes. Bizzee Channel just won the local prep for this race, the Grade 3 Arlington Stakes and goes for his third win in a row. Then there's Armory (IRE) – from the barn of Aiden O'Brien (who will bring along world class jockey Ryan Moore from across the pond as well) – who finished fourth in the Group 2 York Stakes in his most recent race and who won the Group 2 Hurley Stakes earlier this year.

Two Emmys missed by a head to Bizzee Channel in the Arlington Stakes and could be up to the task, as could Arlington Stakes third-place finisher Another Mystery. Strong Tide finished sixth in the non-graded Johnathan B. Schuster Memorial Stakes in his most recent start and similarly Glynn County was fifth in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes around the same time and both appear overmatched in this field. Big Dreaming finished second in the Dueling Grounds Derby last summer and enters the race off an allowance win but is taking a very big step up on class to this grade 1 stakes level. Space Traveler (GB) is another European import. He has never run farther than one mile in his 19-race career and his most recent win came in the non-graded Ganton Stakes in June at a mile.

Armory (IRE) can add to the success European imports have had in Grade 1 races in the U.S. this summer, similar to Bolshoi Ballet winning the Belmont Derby and State of Rest winning the Saratoga Invitational Derby last weekend. Armory (IRE) has won five of 15 career starts, including one at this 10-furlong turf trip and one at the slightly longer distance of one and five-sixteenths miles. After a runner-up effort in the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia last October, Armory (IRE) took time off to mature and returned as a 4-year-old to win the Hurley Stakes in May, earning a then career-best 118 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure. Next, even when third in the Prince of Wales's Stakes in June at Royal Ascot, Armory (IRE) ran fantastically well when checking in third behind sensational turf star Love, improving his career-best figure to 122. Most recently, Armory finished third in the York Stakes last month, behind another superstar in Bangkok, with a 115 figure effort. Jockey Ryan Moore, who rode the trainer's Bolshoi Ballet to victory in the Belmont Derby earlier this year, comes in from Europe to ride and the only time he rode Armory (IRE) this year was to victory in the Hurley Stakes, which suggests Armory (IRE) is ready to win for the sixth time in his 16th career start and emerge victorious in the Mr. D. Stakes.

Domestic Spending (GB) is the strongest challenger to Armory (IRE) in this race, having earned a 119™ figure when winning the Manhattan Stakes on Belmont Stakes day in June in his most recent start. Now having won four stakes in a row starting with the 2020 Saratoga Derby, Domestic Spending (GB) has proven he loves firing big off short rests, such as when winning the Hollywood Derby last fall and when winning the Turf Classic Stakes in May. Jockey Flavien Prat has been aboard for his last two wins and knows exactly when to tell Domestic Spending (GB) to change gears, just as he did in the Manhattan when going from 11 lengths behind the leader in seventh after a mile, to second with an eighth of a mile to go, before drawing off to win by nearly three lengths. Now possessing a six for seven in his career, if Domestic Spending (GB) runs as expected the likely stretch battle between him and Armory (IRE) may be one for the ages.

Zulu Alpha leads the field with 12 career wins and $2.2 million in earnings. Although more known as a horse who loves to run a mile and one-half, the distance he won the Elkhorn Stakes (116™ figure) last year, Zulu Alpha has won at this 10 furlong trip as well and he has won on the Arlington Park turf course as well, something neither Armory (IRE) or Domestic Spending (GB) can claim. Having been away from the races since last September, Zulu Alpha's fifth-place finish in the Arlington Stakes last month can be viewed as a prep for this race. Having earned a career-best 123 figure in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes last year and a 116 figure in the Elkhorn, there can be little doubt Zulu Alpha can run well enough to win this race.

The rest of the field, with their best ™ Equibase Speed Figures, is Another Mystery (113), Big Dreaming (106), Bizzee Channel (111), Glynn County (105), Space Traveller (GB) (112), Strong Tide (115) and Two Emmys (108).

Win contenders:
Armory (IRE)
Domestic Spending (GB)
Zulu Alpha

Mr. D. Stakes – Grade 1
Race 9 at Arlington Park
Saturday August 14 – Post Time 7:13 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Quarter on Turf
Three Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $600,000

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All Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Saratoga, Arlington

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 encompassing all graded stakes with racing action from historic Saratoga Race Course and Arlington Park on Saturday. The sequence will include four Grade 1 contests and a Grade 2 event.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Juveniles will take centerstage to start it off as a 12-horse field will compete in the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite in Race 9 at 5:39 p.m. Eastern. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds will see Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen saddle a pair of talented Winchell Thoroughbred homebreds – and sons of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner – in Gunite and Red Run. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will see if Doctor Jeff, who won a first-out six-furlong sprint at Belmont Park last month, can handle the step up in stakes company, while Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will have two contenders as well with Midnight Worker, who won at Saratoga already in July, and Double Thunder, who won the Bashford Manor last out in June at Churchill Downs.

Action then shifts to Arlington, located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for the Grade 1, $400,000 Beverly D. for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 3/16 miles on the turf in Race 7 at 5:49 p.m. Trainer Chad Brown, a six-time Beverly D.-winner who has won the last five editions of this race, will look to extend his streak by sending out the Irish-bred Lemista, who will look to rebound off an eight-place finish in the Grade 1 Diana on July 17 at Saratoga. Lemista, listed at 5-1 on the morning line, will face a strong seven-horse field that includes 9-5 morning-line favorite Mean Mary for trainer Graham Motion. Santa Barbara, conditioned by renowned international trainer Aidan O'Brien, is 2-1.

Saratoga's featured race, the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the inner turf, will go off in Race 10 at 6:13 p.m. Brown will have another strong contender in this prestigious turf race as well, with Raging Bull facing an all-graded stakes winning field as he looks to take the next step in a race in which he ran second in 2019 and fifth last year. Brown will be looking for his first career victory in the Fourstardave, which is a “Win And You're In” event for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 6 at Del Mar. Mark Casse, inducted into the Hall of Fame last week, will send out Got Stormy, the winner of the 2019 Fourstardave, and she seeks to become the first dual Fourstardave winner since two-time Horse of the Year and recent Hall of Fame inductee Wise Dan [2012-13].

Arlington will close the sequence with two Grade 1s, starting with the $300,000 Bruce D. for 3-year-olds going one mile on the turf in Race 8 at 6:28 p.m. Trainer Jack Sisterson, who has amassed four Grade 1 wins since 2020, will look to sustain his run by sending out Tango Tango Tango. The race, formerly named the Secretariat, will see Tango Tango Tango, winner of the American Derby at the same track on July 17, face a field that includes Mystic Lake Derby-winner King of Miami and Like a Saltshaker.

Concluding the Cross Country Pick 5 will be the $600,000 Mr. D. for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/4 miles on the turf in Race 9 at 7:13 p.m. Formerly the Arlington Million, the Mr. D. will see the O'Brien-trained Armory, under jockey Ryan Moore, look to parlay strong international efforts into success in North America. Armory was the runner-up in the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia last year and third in the Group 1 Prince of Wales at Royal Ascot two months ago and fourth last out in the Group 2 York on July 24. Brown will have strong representation in this race as well, with Domestic Spending carrying a four-race winning streak into the weekend. Domestic Spending has won six of seven starts overall.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, August 14:
Leg A: Saratoga – Race 9, G2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite (5:39 p.m.)
Leg B: Arlington – Race 7, Beverly D. (5:49 p.m.)
Leg C: Saratoga – Race 10, G1 Fourstardave (6:13 p.m.)
Leg D: Arlington – Race 8, Bruce D. (6:28 p.m.)
Leg E: Arlington – Race 9, Mr. D. (7:13 p.m.)

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CDI Doesn’t File for ’22 Dates for Arlington

The July 30 deadline for applying for Illinois 2022 race dates came and went with no surprise move that might have buoyed the near-future fate of Arlington International Racecourse.

If anything, suburban Chicago's landmark Thoroughbred track inched closer to permanent closure Friday, because Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), the gaming corporation that owns the up-for-sale landmark, failed to file even a placeholder application to race next year that could have been transferred to a buyer willing to keep the sport afloat.

Nor did CDI ask the Illinois Racing Board for race dates at any other location in the state, which corporate officials had hinted at doing as far back as a year ago.

If granted, such an application to race elsewhere could have given Illinois horsemen another venue at which to race while CDI reaped entitlements related to live racing licensure, like off-track-betting and advance-deposit wagering.

CDI had sparked a glimmer of hope within the racing community earlier this month when it was revealed that the gaming corporation had requested a 2022 dates application from the IRB.

But requesting a blank application never meant a track owner had to actually fill it out with requested dates and file it.

CDI continues to pursue what company officials believe are bigger-picture casino endeavors at two lucrative locations where CDI wants to expand its gaming footprint in and near Chicago.

Arlington and any associated gaming endevaors there by another operator would be viewed as a competitive threat to CDI's casino ventures, and CDI officials disclosed earlier this year that the corporation's preference is to sell the valuable 326-acre parcel to a dveloper who won't keep the property as a rcetrack, which it has been since 1927.

Hawthorne Race Course, the Chicago area's lone remaining Thoroughbred venue, also runs Standardbred meets, so tranferring all of the Thoroughbred dates to Hawthorne's work-in-progress racino is not currently workable.

Pretty much as expected, Hawthorne's management filed blanket Jan 1-Dec. 31 applications for both breeds, with the understanding that the details will be worked out later, largely contingent on what happens with the Arlington sale

CDI's sale process which is believed to have finished its bidding period with four known offers. Only one of them proposes keeping the track operational for racing.

A likely scenario for 2022 could call for Hawthorne to essentially flip its exisitng schedule of running Thoroughbreds in the spring and fall, instead picking up the warmer weather dates Arlington used to have while switching harness racing to the autumn through spring months.

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ITHA: Refusal To Apply For 2022 Arlington Race Dates ‘Disappointing But Not Surprising’

The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association issued the following press release on Thursday:

Continuing their campaign to sabotage future gaming opportunities at Arlington Park, track executives are refusing to apply with the Illinois Racing Board for race dates in 2022.

Arlington officials are well aware of interest from other parties in continuing racing at the state's flagship racing facility, as at least one group of investors has publicly disclosed its plan to purchase Arlington and continue live racing there. But if Arlington does not apply for 2022 dates by tomorrow, thereby preserving an avenue for a future owner of the track to pursue racing, then any new owner of the track will not have the option of racing there next year.

Under Illinois law, a dates application for the next year must be filed by Aug. 1. With Aug. 1 falling on a Sunday this year, the deadline moves up to Friday, July 30 – the last IRB business day before Aug. 1.

“Churchill Downs is writing the book on bad faith, so this latest move is disappointing but not surprising,” said Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

Since 2018, when it announced its intent to purchase its ownership interest in Rivers Casino, Arlington owner Churchill has devoted itself to eliminating the threat of competition that gaming at Arlington might pose to nearby Rivers. Churchill refused to apply for a license to develop Arlington as a racino, even though its lobbyists had spent two decades lobbying Illinois lawmakers for that privilege, and then insisted it would sell the track to another entity that would use the property for a purpose “higher and better” than horse racing.

In February, Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes told ABC7/WLS-TV in Chicago: “I think it's clear why [Churchill] did not choose to open a casino at the racetrack property – because it would directly compete with their majority interest in the Rivers Casino.”

ITHA President Campbell added: “Churchill's commitment to stopping any gaming at Arlington from competing with Rivers is the worst kept secret in Illinois. Company executives have practically contorted themselves to explain and justify their anti-competitive behavior while carefully avoiding any acknowledgment that their true motive appears to be eliminating the threat of competition from Arlington.”

With at least one group of reputable and credible investors poised to purchase Arlington to continue horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering – the highest and best purpose, without question, for one of the finest racing venues in North America – Arlington President Tony Petrillo told a local media outlet that Arlington has a racing dates application in its possession but probably will not file it.

“It's clear that Churchill Downs cares exclusively about corporate profit and that all other considerations are incidental,” Campbell said. “All we can do in this case is hope that Churchill will recognize the utility, for the sake of its interest in selling Arlington Park to the most capable bidder, of filing the dates application to preserve the possibility of future racing at the track.”

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