Six stakes races to commence on 25th June at the Prairie State Festival at Arlington Park- Preview
Six stake-races, each offering a purse of $100,000 draws the past Illinois Champions’ Dandalk Dust and River Bear, who easily stood up among the other 56 entrants. Prairie State Festival will begin on 25th June at Arlington Park, consisting of
its traditional six stake-races.
The champion turf female, Dundalk Dust, is among the favourites to perform at Arlington Park under trainer, Chris Block. The four-year-old filly will be a little rusty because she hasn’t raced since March, when she finished seventh in the New Orleans Ladies
Stakes.
The weather forecast is bright and sunny for the Prairie State Festival’s opener and the first race of the day will be the 6 furlong long White Oak Handicap.
It will feature three-year-old or older male sprinters and the ones who made the top line have Shrewd Operator among them.
Trained by Chris Block, the seven-year-old brown gelding will run for the first time for his trainer.
Mighty Rule who is too familiar with the White Oak Handicap will also start, finishing second and third in the same race in the past.
The pace of the race will be significant since the short distance and the sprinters taking part in it have plenty in their engines.
The 2009 White Oak Handicap champion, River Bear, will be up against tough competition as team Block unleashed Shrewd Operator.
Though it will be his first run for the trainer, he is making headlines and expected to do well against past champions.
Purple Violet Stakes will feature three-year-old fillies while the Poly track spans up to 1 mile.
The one to look out for is Seans Silverdance, trained by Lisa L. Merritt, the three-year-old filly has 2 wins from 4 starts.
In her two-year career, she won the Debutante at the Hawthorne and captured a massive win by 9 ½ lengths.
One mile long Springfield Stakes will be featuring three-year-old colts.
Mavericking will be launched by Chris Block, previously winning a state-bred allowance and of late looks in very good touch, looks ready for the Prairie State Festival.
Dundalk Dust is 7 to 5 morning line favorite, trained by Chris Block the filly won five of her eight starts did not manage to bag a win at her last outing at Fair Grounds.
The most important and much anticipated tie of all the six races is the Black Tie Affair, it is for three year olds and up and spanning at 1 1/6 miles.
One of the favorites to win the Black Tie Affair is Princeville Condo who greatly impressed in his workout where he breezed six furlongs in 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Arlington Park will be filled with top talent come 25th June and it will be a great racing event among the homebred who duel it out for their trainers and owners.
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