Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideveiw.com

As I sat in my seat at Arlington Park looking out over the stunningly beautiful turf courses at Arlington Park last Saturday it struck me again what an incredible venue the place is to watch thoroughbred racing.  Having now had the opportunity to visit all of the major racing venues in North America it is a very easy task for me to name the place where the highest percentage of fans have a great view of the competition. 

To go along with those great spectator vantage points, Arlington also offers the most modern and inviting indoor facilities of any race track in the U.S.  The absolutely only disappointment I could ever mention about Arlington Park is the lack of recognition and support it gets from the lawmakers of the state of Illinois on whom the value of this jewel of a racing facility seems lost.  Let’s hope they catch on before something happens to this gem.

On Saturday, one of the best human interest stories in the sport this year unfolded at Arlington Park.  Owner Richard Duchossois witnessed a horse that he owns win the Grade 1 Beverly D., a race named in honor of his late wife.  In a made for television script, Eclair de Lune captured the Beverly D. for trainer Ron McAnally, a long time friend of Duchossois.  In the race prior to the Beverly D., Paddy O’ Prado made a case for being the best three-year-old colt in training with a victory in the Grade 1 Secretariat.  On the backside of the Beverly D., European shipper Debussy caught last year’s Eclipse winning older male horse Gio Ponti at the wire to capture the Arlington Million.  With a different script for each race – a win by a prohibitive favorite, then the victory by the sentimental choice of the crowd, and finally the upset win by a horse trained by John Gosden, one of the European trainers who has sent horses to the Million for most of its history – the day could not have been more thrilling.

Sometimes as a handicapper you get beat by a scenario that you cannot not see coming no matter how hard you look.  When that happens all there is to do is tip your cap and move on.  Sometimes, however, we forget about some information we have stored away, only to recall it as a horse we could and should have played crosses the finish line first.  Such was the case for this handicapper in the Arlington Million.  I know better than to dismiss a horse that has a classy race record in Europe, especially one with even moderate success.  It is not unusual for one of these types to like the harder ground and different pace scenario of American turf racing and thrive in the new conditions.  By omitting Debussy from both the mid and late Pick 4 we saw two tickets fizzle.  Sadly, we had all of the other five races right, and the cost of including the Arlington Million winner would have been very little.  Not again, I say!

Even though the Grade 1 Alabama was run at Saratoga on the day of the International Festival of Racing, I have to comment on the win by Blind Luck in that race.  First, props go to TrackSideView editor Ron Correll for picking the exacta in that race in his Friday article.  Second, there is not a more likeable trainer than Jerry Hollendorfer, and I love to see his horses win.  Third, Blind Luck is one gritty competitor that seems to have just enough to win the really big races.  The connections were very smart to keep her closer to the pace in the Alabama, a strategy that paid dividends for them on Saturday.  Congrats to them!

Now I have saved the very best reflection until last because it is the one that provides the fondest memories of the day.  The Arlington International Festival of Racing is the one time each year when all of us from TrackSideView gather in one place to see live racing.  Those of you who read Picking Winners are entertained each week by the wit of Rick Francis (plus he gives out winners) and the accurate picks in big races handed out by Kat Kubik.  Kat picked the winners in the Secretariat and Beverly D. once again this year.  I confess that I often play her picks instead of my own.

Rick, his family, and friends travel each year from Louisiana to Illinois to see the International Festival.  They bring great stories from Don’z On The Lake located in Mandeville, La., and they make a day at Arlington Park the very best.  By next week they’ll be back at Don’z and order will return to the universe.  I will point out that one member of the group this year embraced me with the truth by pointing out he had lost a lot of money betting my Pick 4 selections.  I know firsthand that is true, Ronnie, because I’m right there with you.  We’re not giving up though.  Oh, and by the way, for some strange reason people all around us kept yelling, “Who Dat.”  Go figure.