It's Arlington Million Time in Chicago

Welcome to the Arlington Million site, where we'll be covering the entire International Festival Of Racing and I'll be offering my opinions here on-site at Arlington Park in Chicago.

A pair of explicit preps for the Chicago showpiece were staged recently. The more significant was the July 4 Firecracker H. (G2) at Churchill Downs, where EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) got the perfect tune-up, albeit in defeat. The Helen Pitts trainee was always going to find it tricky to catch a loose-on-the-lead THORN SONG (Unbridled's Song) on yielding turf at a flat mile. Add in Einstein's 124-pound impost (six pounds more than Thorn Song), and traffic problems at a terribly inconvenient moment at the top of the stretch, and his task got exponentially more difficult. Indeed, once Einstein was shuffled back to fourth in midstretch, things looked dire. Despite the deck being stacked against him, he regrouped and finished strongly to grab second, beaten a grand total of one length. This loss should not be held against him.

In the July 12 Arlington H. (G3), STREAM CAT (Black Minnaloushe) rudely dethroned two-time defending champion COSMONAUT (Lemon Drop Kid), who had things his own way on the front end but was simply blown away by 3 3/4 lengths late. Stream Cat had flashed talent at times for Patrick Biancone, and he put it all together in this smashing debut for Rusty Arnold, which was also his first start since October. Although the Arlington was contested at the same course and distance as the upcoming Million, it's not certain to hold that many clues for the marquee event. The turf was downright soft, and Cosmonaut may have been tired from an unexpected hitch in his travel plans, enduring a 16-hour-long van ride when his flight did not go. In any event, it was unlike him to give way without a fight. As far as Stream Cat is concerned, he ran such a monstrously good race in his reappearance that it's at least debatable whether he could regress when he comes back in the Million off four weeks' rest.

Also at Arlington on July 12, the confirmed front runner TIZDEJAVU (Tiznow) continued his relentless progress with a 2 1/4-length score in the American Derby (G2). A perfect three-for-three on the grass, the Greg Fox pupil had captured the May 2 Crown Royal American Turf S. (G3) and romped in the June 14 Jefferson Cup S. (G2), both at Churchill. So far he's had the luxury of clear leads through steady, or even pedestrian, fractions. Until he is tested up front, or shows an ability to rate, we won't be able to gauge his real merit. One way or another, that test should come in the Secretariat S. (G1) on Million Day.

A much deeper Secretariat prep was the July 19 Virginia Derby (G2). GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) had already shown push-button acceleration as a juvenile, and again in his blistering three-year-old bow in the June 6 Hill Prince S. (G3), but we had not gotten the measure of his heart -- until now. In an old-fashioned dogfight with COURT VISION (Gulch) throughout the final furlong, Gio Ponti dug down deep to win by the tip of his nostril. Both colts performed honorably in a real tussle that involved brushing on the far turn and again in the waning yards. The pair surged 2 1/4 lengths clear of SAILOR'S CAP (Distant View), who was dispatched as the 6-5 choice after destroying the field, including Court Vision, in the June 21 Colonial Turf Cup S. (G3) on soft ground.

Court Vision was arguably a trifle unlucky in the Virginia Derby, in that Gio Ponti got first run while hemming him in, but counterbalancing that, Gio Ponti had raced wide throughout and covered more ground than his adversary. The royally bred Court Vision, a one-time Kentucky Derby (G1) contender who trudged home 13th in the Run for the Roses, is the latest in a series of colts who have transformed classic disappointment into a promising career on the turf.

All three major events on Saturday's card are shaping up to be contentious affairs, and I'll be back to share my thoughts on the combatants throughout the week.