Quiet Force Getting Good at the Right Time
If last year’s Grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million XXXII – won by Andrew Bentley’s longshot Hardest Core – taught the betting public anything, it is to pay attention when a horse is getting good at the right time. This year, that label may be appropriately applied to QUIET FORCE, from the adept barn of Mike Maker. Owned by Warner Thoroughbreds, the regally bred son of Dynaformer was a keen claim in March of last year and ran the best race of his career on Saturday when impressively taking the Grade III Arlington Handicap over capable multiple graded stakes-placed Middleburg and Canadian champion UP WITH THE BIRDS. The plan is now for both Quiet Force and Up With the Birds to march on to the Million, while their Christophe Clement-trained competitor Middleburg searches for easier avenues.
Speaking of Up With the Birds, the Sam-Son Farm homebred son of Stormy Atlantic experienced a bombardment of bumping throughout the first half of the race under Eclipse Award-winning champion apprentice jockey of 2014, Drayden Van Dyke. Upon breaking free of such, he made a bid, but could not catch Quiet Force or Middleburg in the lane. The plan for the Graham Motion trainee is to stay the course for the Million, granted he exits the race well.
Scratched from the Arlington Handicap was Team Valor International and Gary Barber’s likely favorite TRIPLE THREAT, who had a slight fever detected the day prior to the race. Favored on the morning line, the jet-black son of Monsun is still under consideration for the Million and must be respected on form, especially after defeating Middleburg in the Grade II Monmouth Stakes last out. Furthermore, hailing from the Bill Mott barn, it should be of little worry if he enters the Million after a two-month layoff.
Two races later on the card, Midwest Thoroughbreds’ local Illinois-bred hero THE PIZZA MAN stole the show with a measured victory in the Grade III Stars and Stripes at 1½ miles. Winning the race for the second consecutive year, the son of champion turf horse English Channel will now be pointed to the Million – a race his connections feel he could have possibly won last year, especially given his dynamic performance earlier in the card when taking the Listed American St. Leger over internationally respected stayer Dandino.
Elsewhere this week, Phipps Stable’s MR. SPEAKER made an impressive return to the races for Shug McGaughey. A Grade I winner last year at the Million’s 1¼-mile distance, the son of Pulpit left much to be desired in his previous two outings this year. On Wednesday, in a salty allowance at Belmont Park the bay easily defeated Jon and Sarah Kelly’s classy multiple graded stakes-placed Clement trainee CHAMOIS. While neither of those two are nominated to the Million, the latter’s connections have shown marked interest in possibly bringing their tough son of Smart Strike to Chicagoland.
A key race to watch in the United States this weekend is Saturday’s Grade I $400,000 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar, which is scheduled to feature Million hopeful FINNEGANS WAKE, from the barn of Peter Miller. Owned by Donegal Racing and Rockingham Ranch, the 6-year-old is having a career year and has had Aug. 15 circled on his calendar since late winter. The 6-year-old son of Million victor Powerscourt has started at Arlington’s International Festival of Racing three times already – finishing fifth (2014) and fourth (2013) in the last two Millions and second in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes (2012) – but would be making his first Arlington foray under the tutelage of accomplished conditioner Peter Miller after spending his first four seasons with Dale Romans.
Little Red Feather Racing et al.’s talented 4-year-old MIDNIGHT STORM – also a Million nominee – starts in the Eddie Read in his first race since finishing a game second in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on June 13 to Talco for trainer Phil D’Amato. The son of Pioneerof the Nile garners watching, as his best career race was last year over the same nine-furlong trip in the Grade II Del Mar Derby.
A third Million nominee in the bunch is the improving and well-regarded 4-year-old TWENTYTWENTYVISION, from the barn of Dick Mandella and ownership of Peter and Ellen Johnson. The son of Pollard’s Vision will be making only his seventh career start, but has yet to finish out of the money and has developed quickly since debuting on Jan. 4 at Santa Anita.
A Million probable, according to his connections, to keep an eye on as he works toward the Chicagoland classic is Walter Swinburn’s LEGENDARY, from the barn of young Niall Saville. Last seen finishing a sharp third in the Grade I Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park onJune 6, the long-striding son of Exceed and Excel skipped the Arlington Handicap to train up to the Million, according to his conditioner. Having already had three outings this year since April – two in Grade I company – the two months between races should be of little fitness worry for the Fair Hill-based 6-year-old.
The International Racing Bureau confirmed that Mrs. Fitriani Hay is likely to send her improving son of Galileo, THE CORSICAN, to the Million after his solid fourth in the Group I Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. As mentioned in a previous edition of Road to the Million, the David Simcock-trained 4-year-old has improved vastly this year and lost by only 3¼ lengths in one of the world’s most contentious and prestigious 10-furlong turf events.
Others to watch from overseas who have shown interest in the Million include aforementioned (in previous Roads) WAKE FOREST,CUSTOM CUT and BELGIAN BILL. A key race to watch is the Group II York Stakes on July 25 at its namesake course in England, as well as the Group I Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich one day later in Germany. Both races are over left-handed courses at about-10-furlongs and have produced significant Million contenders in the past.
Source: Arlington Park