The Arlington Revolution - Can Europe Reclaim the Beverly D.?
By: Alex Sausville, Off The Turf Podcast
Arlington Million Day has been known for bringing some
exceptional international talent to the windy city. The Beverly D itself has
hosted many European connections to its winner’s circle including the likes of
Dank and Euro Charline in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
However since the
disqualification of Secret Gesture in the 2015 rendition of this prestigious
event, the Beverly D. trophy has belonged to the US and Chad Brown. Brown has
now captured 5 Beverly Ds including 4 consecutive victories leading into this
Saturday.
This year’s Beverly D is not just a chance for Brown to
extend his win streak to 5 consecutive, but it also gives one of his turf
superstars, Sistercharlie, a chance to join the exclusive company of
multiple Beverly D winners. Following a Chad Brown trifecta in last year’s
race, Sistercharlie comes in off an extremely impressive win in the G1 Diana at
Saratoga. She defeated two very talented stablemates in that race including G2
New York Stakes winner Homerique and multiple G1 winner Rushing Fall.
With another strong Chad Brown contingency headed to Chicago
in search of more triumphs on the Arlington turf, legendary European trainer
Aidan O’Brien will be sending in two of his best shots at capturing his first
Beverly D with Fleeting and Magic Wand. Aidan O’Brien has had a
storied career on Arlington Million day, with 4 wins in the Secretariat Stakes
and the 2011 Arlington Million with Cape Blanco. However despite his successes
on both sides of the water, the Beverly D is one he has been unable to
capture.
Last time out, Sistercharlie provided an exceptional
effort for the opening weekend fans at the Spa, blowing by Rushing Fall in the
stretch of the Diana. Sistercharlie had come off a 7 ½ month layoff leading
into that grade 1 event and looked as good as ever in doing so. That win was
Sistercharlie’s 4th consecutive victory for a horse who has won all but two
starts in the US with losses in the Belmont Oaks and New York Stakes by a neck
and head respectively.
Despite the towering force of Sistercharlie, Chad Brown also
sends out two others with a lot of talent including G1 American Oaks winner Competitionofideas
and Thais(FR), who finished a solid third in the Beverly D just last
year behind two of his stablemates. Thais was on the lead last year and assumes
to be in a similar position again on Saturday. Sistercharlie will garner the
majority of the attention of this group, however Competitionofideas is coming
off two losses in the Matchmaker and New York Stakes by a neck and Thais looked
as if she was the setup speed horse last year and got very brave on the front
end in the process, finishing a strong third behind two super talented fillies.
Fleeting on the rail is a horse that should be
considered a serious contender to upending Sistercharlie and potentially being
O’Brien’s first Beverly D winner. This horse will be shortening up from a mile
and a half in her most recent start in the G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks at the
Curragh and gets a two-time Beverly D winning jockey in Ryan Moore back in the
saddle. For Fleeting’s first start on American soil it will be quite a test,
but may just be one she’s up for.
With a couple starts in the US under her belt, Magic Wand
comes out of a tough race back in July at Royal Ascot but has proven her talent
level in races prior. One of her best performances came from a 2nd place finish
to current Arlington Million favorite Bricks and Mortar in the inaugural
Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. She did get a very nice rail trip during
the Pegasus Turf and was merely bested by the possibly the best turf runner in
the US. If Magic Wand can get a similar trip in the Beverly D she could have a
very strong chance to be contending at the wire.
My Plays:
$5 Trifecta - 7 with 1,6 with 2,3,4,5,8 = $50
$5 Trifecta - 7 with 2,3,4,5,8 with 1,6 = $50
Total: $100
Final Thoughts:
Despite a couple of very talented shippers coming into this
race from across the pond, I still do not see them being able to take down a
super sharp horse in Sistercharlie. With my trifectas, I will be looking
for one of the O’Brien runners to finish underneath and hopefully create some
value with one of the other horses. I do believe there could be some factors
that could cause either Magic Wand or Fleeting to bounce in this effort and if
they do I hope a nicely priced horse can pick up a 2nd or 3rd for a nice
payout.
With a plethora of turf talent on display at Arlington
International Racecourse this Saturday, the stage is set for a memorable
Million Day. Sit back, relax and enjoy, “The Greatest Show on Turf."
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