Debussy wins the Arlington Million
Debussy became the eighth European-trained winner of the Grade One Arlington Million at Arlington Park.
Gio Ponti was attempting to become only the second horse to win the Million twice – following on from the great John Henry in 1981 and 1984 but had to settle for second.
Luca Cumani had won the race with Tolomeo in 1983 and was back with Summit Surge, the mount of Kieren Fallon, and was joined by the John Gosden-trained pair Tazeez and Debussy in the 28th running of what was the first million-dollar contest in America. And it was Debussy, ridden by Gosden’s new stable jockey William Buick, made a late rush in the final yards to beat Gio Ponti by a half-length, with Tazeez making it a great race for Gosden when he took third. Summit Surge was fifth.
Breaking from stall two, Buick was content to sit behind the pace set by Quite A Handful from Tazeez going into the first turn with Gio Ponti in last place. Richard Hills took a narrow lead on Tazeez early in the back stretch which he extended with four furlongs to run.
Hills made the long strike for home at the start of the home turn, and was perhaps five lengths clear at one point, but the challengers were stacking up behind him. Gio Ponti came wide for Ramon Dominguez and appeared to have clinched the win when he collared Tazeez in the final furlong. But Debussy, whom Buick quietly smuggled into the race from between horses having looked short of racing room, came with a late run down the rail to lead in the last 50 yards. "He had nowhere to go," Gosden told the Blood Horse. "I think they just tired the last part and he dashed up the rail and done it really well. I've been trying to win this race for 28 years."
The victory provides Debussy with an automatic entry for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, at Churchill Downs on November 6th, as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series.
Buick replaced Jimmy Fortune as Gosden’s stable jockey at the start of the season and proved that he has the big-race temperament from the beginning of their partnership when he rode a cool race on Da Re Mi to win the Group One Sheema Classic at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night.
The bond that American racing has with dirt was demonstrated this week when it was announced that Santa Anita will replace its synthetic Pro-ride surface with good old dirt in time for its meeting that begins in December. And many horses who eventually prove themselves as turf specialists have been tried on dirt in the pursuit of the glittering prizes.
Paddy O'Prado had won two Graded races on the turf and the Grade One Bluegrass Stakes, on the turf-friendly synthetic track at Keeneland, but he could not transfer that form to dirt, finishing third to Super Saver in the Kentucky and sixth to Lookin At Lucky in the Preakness.
Back on turf he is looking the best three-year-old seen on the grass for some time and followed up his recent win in the Grade Two Virginia Derby when he won the Grade One Secretariat Stakes for Dale Romans and Kent Desormeaux.
He followed the pace set by Cherokee Lord and then came clear in the home stretch as he beat Wigmore Hall, trained by Michael Bell and ridden by Jamie Spencer, who was making the giant leap from winning the John Smith’s Handicap at York and a conditions race at Newmarket in the last six weeks. Wigmore Hall was tracking Paddy O’Prado down the back stretch but good never get on terms with the winner in the last quarter-mile and was beaten by one-and-a-half lengths, with Workin For Hops in third.
The closest that the Europeans got to the Grade One Beverly D Stakes was that the winner was bred in Germany as Eclair de Lune, trained by Ronald McAnally and ridden by Junior Alvarado, beat Hot Cha Cha and Gypsy’s Warning, whose third place gave William something extra to show for the trip.
At Saratoga, Blind Luck won the Grade One Alabama Stakes in a photo-finish with Havre de Grace.
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