Intellogent looks to give Chappet victory in first Arlington Million
French-based trainer Fabrice Chappet will be looking to make a splash in his first visit to the Grade I Arlington Million held Saturday at Arlington International Racecourse.
Chappet will saddle Intellogent in the Saturday feature.
Fiona Carmichael’s Intellogent was last seen in May at Longchamp (FR) where he finished a solid fourth beaten only a length in the Prix d’Ispahan (G1) going 1 1/8 miles on a the soft turf course.
Intellogent is a Grade I winner at the one-mile distance, and in his only start at the Million’s distance of 1 ¼ miles, he finished third in the Prix d’Harcourt (G2) at Longchamp in April 2018.
“This distance I think is a perfect trip for him,” Chappet said Thursday morning. “He has the win going the mile, but I think he is at his best when he’s going further.”
Florent Geroux, who previously was a regular rider at Arlington, will hop aboard Intellogent for the first time Saturday.
“He doesn’t have a great draw, but I know that Florent is familiar with Arlington,” Chappet explained. “He’s much more familiar with the layout than I am, so I’m going to leave it up to him when he gets out of the gate to make a decision on where to spot him. I have nothing but confidence in Florent.”
Intellogent’s sire, Intello (GER), is out of leading sire Galileo (IRE).
Intellogent was purchased for $357,200 in 2016 when he went through the ring as a yearling.
He will be looking for his first victory of 2019, and his second Grade 1 victory on Saturday when he lines up in post 9.
His career record stands at 11-3-1-2, with over $490,000 in career earnings.
Geroux, who won the Arlington Million in 2015 with The Pizza Man, will also be looking to add another Million victory to his resume.