His to lose? Oscar Performance tops Arlington Million 2018

Launched by an unforgettable battle between John Henry and The Bart, few races have ever gotten off to a more perfect start than the Arlington Million. Arlington's signature race has navigated more than its share of choppy waters since that 1981 classic, but it remains one of the biggest turf races in America.

The 1 1/4-mile Million will be be run for the 36th time on Saturday, and once again it will pit a solid mix of international runners against the home team. This year, favoritism should fall to one of the best in the United States in Oscar Performance.

Make no mistake: This edition, like many of the past, has a deep list of potential winners, but in the speedy son of Kitten's Joy, America clearly has the horse to beat this time around.

Oscar Performance, trained by Brian Lynch, is no stranger to the Arlington International turf course. Last summer he came to Suburban Chicago, after an impressive win at Belmont Park, and showed his class with an authoritative win in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes.

That win against fellow 3-year-olds was already his third Grade 1 victory. In 2016, he accounted for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, and in the race before his big Secretariat victory, he scored in the rich Belmont Derby. It's worth noting that each victory at the highest level came at a different racetrack, and in fact, a different region of America. Further proof of his class can be seen in his return to the races this year.

After a long layoff following a defeat in last fall's Breeders' Cup Turf, Oscar Performance returned for Belmont Park's Grade 3 Poker Stakes on June 17. Ridden for the 11th consecutive race by Jose Ortiz, Oscar Performance stalked demanding early fractions before taking control at the head of the stretch. From there, he cruised to the wire 1 1/2 lengths clear of his closest opposition.

Eye-catching to be sure, the performance was bolstered by the final time of 1:31.23 for the flat mile. It not only easily eclipsed the course record, but it also matched the world record. Granted the Belmont turf had been playing faster than ever this spring, but that takes nothing away from the performance of the classy victor. 

Arguably the best American turf horse of his age group as both a 2 and 3-year-old the past two seasons, the Amerman Racing homebred has begun his career as an older horse in fantastic style. He now returns to Arlington once again off an impressive win at Belmont Park. With the speed to wire the field, but also the proven ability to stalk and pounce, Oscar Performance will be the one they all have to beat. This time he faces older in the Million, and a number of horses hoping to reel him in over the ten furlong trip.

Last year, the Arlington Million was won by Beach Patrol, which came as no big surprise considering his trainer, Chad Brown, has been a dominant force on the American turf scene for several years. This year, Brown will be well represented by a trio of capable grass runners.

In Money Multiplier, bred in Kentucky; Robert Bruce, bred in Chile; and Almanaar, bred in England, Brown has three veteran runners each capable of winning on Saturday with their best.

If Brown is the best turf trainer in the United States, you could easily label Aidan O'Brien as the world's best overall. Unlike Brown, a two-time winner of the Arlington Million, the Irishman has a small contingent for this year's edition, but it's a strong one.

The well traveled Deauville has run well in multiple continents, including the U.S. Two years ago, he took home top prize in the Belmont Derby, and the Irish-bred son of Galileo has already twice tried the Arlington Million. In with a chance in the stretch in each of the past two editions, he will look to improve upon his consecutive third-place finishes in 2016 and 2017. 

Further adding to the overall depth of the 2018 Arlington Million will be a pair of intriguing European runners in Century Dream and Curcus Couture, as well as graded stakes winners here in the States, in Divisidero and Spring Quality.

Arlington takes entries for the Million on Tuesday along with Saturday's other Grade 1 races, the Secretariat and Beverly D.