Dear Readers,
Today I’m going to look back at the August
17th Arlington Million and the Beverly D. Stakes. Ladies first, and
to that end the Beverly D. is a Grade I race for fillies and mares,
three-year-olds and up and going one mile and three-sixteenth on the turf
course at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights Illinois. As part of the Arlington International Festival
of Racing, the Beverly D. Stakes is the fillies and mares equivalent to the Arlington
Million and runs on the same card.
This year’s
winner was a four year old British invader named Dank. Interesting name choice since dank defined is damp and often
chilly. Maybe she was named after the weather on the day she was born. Five
years living in Great Britain and I remember damp and chilly succinctly.
Dank squatted a bit coming out of the
gate, but quickly ran up into the pack, staying tucked between horses until she
was taken to the outside by her jockey Ryan Moore as they turned for home.
Despite winning by four-and-half lengths, this filly was switching leads,
stumbling and even climbing a bit. I’ve seen a lot of horses run with their
tongue hanging out; Casual Lies for
one, but this fillies tongue was practically licking the hand of the jockey,
and flapping in the wind like a flattened balloon. I wonder if they ever tried tying her tongue.
She has thrown a couple of less than stellar performances over her career;
perhaps she swallowed her tongue on those occasions. I’m just saying.
It’s hard
not to like a horse that wins by that far, and I do like Dank. But it didn’t look like the Beverly D. Stakes was her best
race. I would like to see Dank more
engaged, I don’t think she can win the Breeders’ Cup, switching leads and
stumbling around down the lane.
Next I’ll
look at the Arlington Million, three-year-olds and up going one mile and quarter
on the turf. A field of thirteen filled
the gate, and this was one rough race. The eventual winner The Apache was disqualified from first and placed second, giving Real Solution the win. This caused a
lot of controversy on the boards. Personally I think The Apache should have been placed last and his jockey given a
suspension.
If you
really watch the race carefully, you will see that The Apache went across the field in the stretch, from right to
left, wiping out everybody in his path. Hunter’s
Light almost went down, and just as he was making his move, taking away any
chance he might have had. Mull of Killough
had to be checked hard and you can see his head go up as he’s forced to climb
over The Apache’s heels, while Little Mike was forced to do the same
thing.
Once The Apache got to the rail, his rider then
hit him left handed and out he goes, repeatedly slamming into Real Solution. The Apache deserved to be placed behind all the horses he fouled. That
would have placed him eleventh behind Hunter’s
Light. The fouls committed by The
Apache were so egregious; he needed to be disqualified from any finishing
position.
Horses and
jockeys could have been injured and even killed. With each horse who was forced
out of his lane and over The Apaches’
heels was another opportunity for a wreck that would have left horses and
riders piled up all over the turf course right in front of the grandstand.
Horse’s duck and they lug, but they
have riders who are supposed to control them. I didn’t see Christophe Soumillon
standing up to control his horse. It looked like he kept riding for the win,
which left the jockey’s on the horses, The
Apache cut across without sufficient clearance, to fend for themselves.
I can only
hope all the horses came out of this race without injury. I’ve seen horses cut
down so severely, that they’ve had shoes and quarters torn off, and even
tendons severed.
Now the
winner, Real Solution, he didn’t get
involved in the bruhaha at the eighth pole, but he was game as they come when The Apache kept putting the pressure on
him as he lugged out down the lane and bumping into Real Solution.
This was Real Solutions third start in the
United States, and he looks like he should keep getting better. I hope he goes
to the Breeders’ Cup.
Take
care,
Shelley
Riley
Author
of Casual Lies – A Triple Crown Adventure,
selected for inclusion in the 32nd Annual Kentucky Book Fair on
November 16th at the Frankfort Convention Center, in Frankfort
Kentucky. I hope I see some of you there.
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