Arlington Million: Fields for 3 graded stakes at Colonial Downs

Charlie Appleby’s ongoing mission to conquer America takes him to a new frontier Sunday, when he sends Nations Pride against five rivals in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on the turf at Colonial Downs.

First run 43 years ago in Chicagoland as the world’s first $1 million Thoroughbred race, the Million anchors a stakes-heavy day in New Kent, Va., between Richmond and Williamsburg. The Beverly D. (G2) and Secretariat (G2) also will be run Saturday on the Colonial grass.

Click here for Colonial Downs entries and results.

Making only his third start this year, Nations Pride is a 5-year-old, Godolphin homebred entire by Teofilo. He is stretching back to his pet distance of 1 1/4 miles, at which he is 6-for-8. That includes the 2023 Canadian International (G1), the October race at Woodbine where he last showed up in a winner’s circle.

Bred in Ireland, Nations Pride was third May 11 in the 1 3/8-mile Man o’ War (G2) at Belmont at the Big A and then second June 8 in the 1 3/16-mile Manhattan (G1) at Saratoga.

“He loves to be away from home and to travel around,” Appleby’s assistant Christiane Harley said this spring about Nations Pride, who also had a Group 1 win last year in Germany and a first Grade 1 victory in the 2022 Saratoga Derby Invitational.

On Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf track, Nations Pride had a maintenance workout Friday in company with stablemate Ottoman Fleet, who will race in Saturday’s Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga. They were clocked at 52.52 seconds for their half-mile breeze.

“We had Nations Pride leading Ottoman Fleet down there,” Appleby told the New York Racing Association. “I was delighted with him. He had William (Buick) on him there and looked really well.”

Nations Pride, who is 17: 9-3-2 with $2,831,754 in earnings, is part of the string of horses Appleby brought to New York this spring in a serious attempt to be more than just an occasional raider in North America. In the U.S. this year Appleby is 32: 11-7-6 with earnings of $3,624,441. This will be his second try in the Million. The first came when Tryster finished eighth in 2016 at the race’s original home Arlington Park.

Buick will ride Nations Pride on Saturday from post 4.

The field of six is the Arlington Million’s smallest ever. Ascot Summer Mile (G2) runner-up Ancient Rome won last year’s Mint Millions (G3) at Kentucky Downs. Kelso (G3) second-place finisher Talk of the Nation will be sent longer than 1 1/16 miles for the first time. Laurel Park stakes runner-up Highland Chief scored in the 2022 Man o’ War (G1). Last-out Million Preview victor Integration is 3-for-3 at Colonial. The 7-year-old gelding Sugoi, winner of the Louisville (G3), was supplemented.

In its second running at Colonial Downs, the Arlington Million will be the 11th of 12 races Saturday with a post time of 6:40 p.m. EDT. In what is forecast to be a potentially showery week, the National Weather Service predicted a 40 percent chance of rain Saturday with a high near 82 degrees.

Leading from gate to wire, Fev Rover defeated four rivals last year in Colonial’s first hosting of the Beverly D. Now 6, the Ireland-bred mare by Gutaifan will try to win it again, this time against five other starters.

The millionaire owned by Tracy Farmer and trained by Mark Casse was a beaten odds-on favorite in her last start, finishing a troubled second in the one-mile Nassau (G2) on June 29 in the rain at Woodbine.

Javier Castellano will ride Fev Rover from post 4 on Saturday.

Canada’s 2022 horse of the year Moira comes into the Beverly D. off her second-place finish July 13 in the Diana (G1) at Saratoga. Nadette won the Beverly D. Preview that same day at Colonial. Mission of Joy is winless in seven starts since she scored in the 2023 Regret (G3). Neecie Marie, who won the Beaugay (G3), is trying to bounce back from a last-place finish in the Diana. Libban, a recent convert to turf, won a Lone Star stakes June 29 by 5 1/2 lengths.

The 1 3/16-mile Beverly D., an automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, will be Saturday’s 10th race at Colonial starting at 5:50 p.m. EDT.

The winner of last month’s 1 3/16-mile Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) at Aqueduct, Trikari reverts to one mile Saturday for the Secretariat, which drew nine 3-year-olds.

That is presuming he races at Colonial. Trikari was one of the three colts cross-entered Sunday into the rained-out Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), which was pushed back a week to Saturday.

Asked Sunday if he knew yet which race he would choose, trainer Graham Motion said, “I don’t. The forecast for Colonial does not look great with the storm coming.”

First World War and Fulmineo also were cross-entered.

“Both places are still under consideration depending on weather,” Fulmineo’s trainer Arnaud Delacour said Sunday. “The partners should make a decision toward the middle of the week.”

Owned by Californians Jerry and Joan Amerman in the name of their Amerman Racing, Trikari has raced five times on turf, winning twice, and two triumphant times on synthetic tracks. The Oscar Performance filly’s most visible outing probably was her win in the American Turf (G2) on the May 4 Kentucky Derby undercard.

Bought for $27,500 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales October 2022 yearling auction, Trikari is 7: 4-1-1 with $996,630 in earnings. She starts from the outermost post Saturday with jockey John Velázquez.

There are four other last-out winners entered in the Secretariat, including Fulmineo over the same course and distance in the Boston Stakes, Brilliant Berti from the American Derby, Bear River from the Dade Park Dash and General Ledger in a Gulfstream Park turf allowance.

The rest of Saturday’s entrants include American Derby runner-up First World War, fourth-place Boston finisher In a Jam, 2-year-old-stakes winner Mattingly and allowance victor Rock’n a Halo.

The Secretariat is carded as the ninth race Saturday at Colonial with a post time of 5:20 p.m. EDT.