Colonial Downs Picks | Arlington Million 2024

Aaron previews the 2024 Arlington Million Stakes (G1) at Colonial Downs Racetrack & gives his top win pick from this top-level horse race.

Will Nations Pride earn his 4th career top-level score against a stout field of 5 rivals in a likely prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf?

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The press release:

Boasting a resume that includes six stakes wins in five different countries, Godolphin’s globetrotting Irish-bred Nations Pride headlines a field of six for the 1¼- mile Grade 1 Arlington Million, the grand finale of seven stakes carded for Colonial Downs’ Festival of Racing Day on August 10.

Preceded immediately by the 1-3/16 miles Grade 2 $500,000 Beverly D for fillies and mares and the one-mile Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds, the Arlington Million is scheduled as race 11 of 12 on the program which gets underway at 1 p.m. ET.

Set to make the third start of his 5-year-old campaign, last out Nations Pride played runner-up to a fellow Charlie Appleby trainee when he was unable to rundown Measured Time in the Manhattan (G1). Nations Pride’s brilliant 2023 campaign included taking the Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine, his third graded stake score in three different countries. As a 3-year-old the stakes winner in England asserted himself globally with back-to-back scores in the Saratoga Derby (G1) and Jockey Club Derby (G3). William Buick, the top call jockey for the Appleby barn, will be in town to ride both Nations Pride, who drew post 4, and Mischief Magic, the morning line favorite in the Van Clief Stakes. Buick is looking for his second Arlington Million triumph having won the race in 2010 aboard Debussy

Chief among Nations Pride’s competition in the Arlington Million is another with proven overseas form, Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s Ancient Rome. Though bred in Kentucky, the son of War Front established himself as a group stakes winner at 2 in the Prix des Chenes (G3) at Longchamp. Trained by Charlie Hills, the now 5-year-old added the Mint Millions (G3) at Kentucky Downs to his resume in 2023. Having proven himself at the Arlington Million distance in the Coral Chesterfield Cup, Ancient Rome enters fresh off a second-place finish to the unbeaten Quddwah at Ascot in July’s Summer Mile (G2). With the familiar presence of 2011 Arlington Million winning jockey Jamie Spencer in the saddle, Ancient Rome will start from post 2

West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Pine Racing Stables, William Freeman, Michael Valdes, and John Ballantyne’s Integration is a perfect three-for-three over the Colonial’s Secretariat Turf Course. With his dominant win in the Million Preview, Integration notched his fourth career victory in seven races. Demonstrating his brilliant turn of foot, the Shug McGaughey trainee was unbeaten as a 3-year-old, including the Grade 3 New Kent County Virginia Derby and the Hill Prince (G2). Aboard for all his Colonial Downs scores, Integration will reunite with Kendrick Carmouche and leave from the rail.

Finishing in the top three in eight straight stakes, Allen Stable and CHC Inc.’s Talk of the Nation is as consistent as they come. Exiting a second-place finish to multiple graded-stakes winner Carl Spackler in the Kelso (G3), the 4-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher employs forward tactics. Distance will be the question for the son of Quality Road who has never ran more than 1 1/16 miles. Guided by Eclipse Award winning rider Jose Ortiz, the son of Quality Road draws post 6.

Paradise Farms and David Staudacher’s Sugoi has returned to top form since joining the Mike Maker barn. With back class hidden deep in his past performances, the 7-year-old was claimed for $50,000 last April at Keeneland and was immediately pointed towards the Louisville (G3). the son of Karakontie wired the field in the 1½-mile race, earning his fourth turf victory but just his first graded stakes score. Next out, Sugoi led deep into the stretch in the Chorleywood but was unable to hold off Webslinger’s late charge. Aboard for both stakes runs, Julien Leparoux travels to New Kent for the mount and will be the likely pace presence from post 3.

Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s winner of the 2022 Man O’ War (G1), Highland Chief (Ire), will make his fourth start of the year in the Arlington Million. Last out, Highland Chief ran second in the Prince George’s County Stakes at Laurel Park. Trainer Graham Motion gives the call to Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, as he does Trikari in the Secretariat and Mission of Joy in the Beverly D.

Here is the complete field for the Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs from the rail out, with jockey, trainer and morning line:

1. Integration (Carmouche, McGaughey, 5-2)
2. Ancient Rome (Spencer, Hills, 3-1)
3. Sugoi (Leparoux, Maker, 8-1)
4. Nations Pride (Buick, Appleby, 8-5)
5. Highland Chief (Velazquez, Motion, 12-1)
6. Talk of the Nation (Ortiz, Pletcher, 6-1)

Expanded for 2024, the Festival of Racing includes four additional stakes: the $100,000 Petramalo Mile, a one-mile dirt race for 3-year-olds and its sister race, the $100,000 Penny Chenery at seven furlongs; the $150,000 Van Clief for older runners at 5½ furlongs on the turf and its distaff companion event, the $150,000 Andy Guest. Purse money totals $2.5 million over the added money events.