Archive for May 2018

2018 Addison Cammack Memorial Handicap and Isaac Murphy Handicap Preview

This Saturday begins the set of state-bred summer stakes races at Arlington Park.  The card features a pair of sprint stakes for older horses: the Addison Cammack Memorial Handicap for open-company Illinois-breds, and the Isaac Murphy Handicap for fillies and mares.  Both races will be contested at six furlongs on the polytrack, and both races... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 30, 2018 at 4:43 pm
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Arlington Classic Winner Ezmosh at Home on the Turf

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Ezmosh began his career on the dirt, and always showed flashes of promise over the main track.  He broke his maiden over the main track at Churchill Downs last September, finished a close second behind eventual Preakness 2nd-place finisher Bravazo earlier this year, and his connections thought enough of him to... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 26, 2018 at 7:12 pm
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2018 Arlington Classic Preview

The Arlington Classic has been run in some form since 1929, though it has only been run on grass since 1994, and at its current distance since 2002.  It began at the American Classic distance – a mile and a quarter on the dirt — but has been run at distances as short as a mile. ... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 23, 2018 at 5:03 pm
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Princess La Quinta Breaks Through in the Arlington Matron

With a royal wedding dominating the news, it only makes sense that a princess would have her day.  And so it was today at Arlington International Racecourse, when Princess La Quinta drove past Daddy’s Boo to win the Grade 3 Arlington Matron.  The victory was Princess La Quinta’s first victory in graded stakes company — as... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 19, 2018 at 11:57 pm
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2018 Arlington Matron Preview

We’ve visited Pimlico to look at Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day on Friday and Preakness (G1) Day on Saturday, but of course, there’s racing action going on in our backyard as well.  After a one-year hiatus during which it was run at Churchill Downs, the Arlington Matron (G3) has returned to the Chicago area. The race... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 17, 2018 at 8:45 pm
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2018 Preakness Stakes Preview and Saturday Stakes Selections

Saturday’s card at Pimlico features the Preakness Stakes: the second jewel of the Triple Crown.  JUSTIFY, dominant winner of the Kentucky Derby, heads east to see if he can maintain his undefeated record.  GOOD MAGIC, his closest pursuer in Louisville, joins six others in trying to topple trainer Bob Baffert’s latest juggernaut. The day’s card... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 17, 2018 at 1:01 pm
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2018 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Preview and Friday Pimlico Stakes Selections

The three-year-old scene got a bit of a breather last week, as the biggest race on that segment of the calendar was the Peter Pan (G3), where Blended Citizen finally put the dirt route potential on his pedigree page into action, kicking home and putting his name into the Belmont (G1) discussion. But, with the... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 15, 2018 at 2:46 pm
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Matrooh Carries Connections to Career Milestones in the Hanshin Cup

Trainer Cipriano Contreras served for decades as an assistant in the barn of Chicago stalwart Michael Reavis.  Reavis has a reputation for being a shrewd claiming trainer, and when Contreras struck out on his own in 2016, Contreras began to write his own history of smart moves in the claiming game. Today, Contreras set himself a high... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 12, 2018 at 8:12 pm
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So Many Reasons to Love Way Too Smarte

Way Too Smarte, the winner of yesterday’s Arlington finale, delights me for so many reasons. First of all, look at her jockey’s silks.  It may not be obvious from the side, but from the front, you can see why they’re the greatest silks in Chicago: overalls, over a green shirt.  How clever is that?  They’re specifically painter’s... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 12, 2018 at 11:47 am
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2018 Hanshin Cup Preview

Arlington’s meet started last Friday.  Oaks Day and Derby Day crowds came to enjoy the first weekend of real spring weather.  As the fields got bigger on Saturday, some long shots crossed the wire — kicking off a carryover in Friday’s Late Pick 5, which we preview in a separate piece. The stakes portion of... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
May 11, 2018 at 2:41 pm
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