Two contenders scratch from Arlington Million 2018 on race day
Augustin Stable homebred Spring Quality and Gunpowder Farms' Divisidero will not compete in Saturday's running of the Grade 1 Arlington Million.
“He hasn’t been eating and drinking like he normally was," said trainer Graham Motion. "I’m just not comfortable with running him. We’re going to continue to give him fluids. He’s bright and alert but he’s just not ready to run."
Spring Quality, a multiple graded stakes winning son of Quality Road, was among the top contenders for the Arlington Million following his victory in Belmont Park’s Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes.
“I’d like to fly him as opposed to putting him on a van and there’s a flight to Saratoga tomorrow. If he gets back to his normal self and responds well to the treatment I’d like to run him in the Sword Dancer (Aug. 25 at Saratoga),” said Motion, who will saddle Untamed Domain in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes and Secret Message in the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes on Saturday’s lucrative 12-race card.
Divisidero, recent winner of the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap for trainer Kelly Rubley, was cross-entered in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga and will race there instead. The multiple Grade 1-winning son of Kitten’s Joy finished seventh in last year’s Million.
A talented Arlington Million field of nine is headed by multiple Grade I winner Oscar Performance and is slated as Race 11.
A key change in the prestigious Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes will see jockey John Egan, in town to guide Circus Couture (IRE) in the Million for trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, pick up the mount aboard Irish-bred Nyaleti for trainer Mark Johnston. Silvestre de Sousa was scheduled to pilot Nyaleti, a 3-year-old daughter of Arch with Group 2 credentials, but was unable to secure paperwork in time. Egan has ridden Nyaleti on three previous occasions including her maiden win at first asking on June 18, 2017, at Salisbury.
First post time for Saturday's Arlington’s International Festival of Racing is 12:15 p.m. CT.