Arlington Million preview: Racing TV's Rachel Candelora marks your card

With a $20 million race recently announced, it is sometimes hard to remember that just 37 years ago the first $1,000,000 horse race in the world took place at Arlington Park, in Chicago, Illinois.

The inaugural running of the Arlington Million was an absolute cracker with the gutsy John Henry just getting up by a nose over The Bart in a finish now immortalized by a statue overlooking the paddock at Arlington called Against All Odds.

Just four years later the “Miracle Million” was run in the shadow of the fire ravaged grandstand of a blaze that occurred only 25 days before. The brilliant Teleprompter (trained by Bill Watts) won the race and since then the Million has become a race to note on the International front and will be live on Racing TV on Saturday night.

This year four international raiders from Ireland, Britain, and France will line up to try and beat the top-rated horse in the US, Bricks and Mortar.

Bricks and Mortar hails from the stable of Chad Brown who has won the Million for the last two years, and, since coming back from a career threatening nerve injury, has taken all before him winning five races in succession, including three at Grade One level.

On all known form, and given his trainer’s fantastic record in turf stakes, Bricks and Mortar will win the Arlington Million – and with most bookmakers he will be odds-on to do so.

If you fancy backing on at short odds, I would suggest backing him early before the racing starts as there is an extremely good chance that his trainer Chad Brown could be going into the Million having won the previous two Grade One’s on the card, and therefore how short will Bricks and Mortar be come post time?

If short prices are not your thing, three horses that you can back against the favourite would be the reigning champion Robert Bruce, the “talking horse” Bandua, and the French raider Intellogent.

Robert Bruce, also trained by Chad Brown, won this race last year and is looking to become only the second horse in history to win two Millions after John Henry in 1981 and 1984, but in his one run against his stablemate Bricks and Mortar, he finished second to him in the Group One Manhattan last time out.

However, Robert Bruce is rounding into form on his third run off a six-month break, he has an affinity for the sometimes tricky Arlington turf track, and Javier Castellano takes over the reins here.

Bandua, formerly trained by Dermot Weld, ran a really good third over course and distance on his US debut in the Group One Secretariat last year before returning to Arlington last timeout and winning, in a track record time, the local prep for the Million.

Jockey Adam Beschizza gets on well with this son of The Factor and was aboard him for his Arlington win last time. With most bookmakers he is a double-figure price and it would not be surprising if he got up for a piece of it.

Of the International raiders, Intellogent is of most interest representing France. A Group One winner in the Prix Jean Prat last year, he has been running some solid races this season against top level company.

His fourth-place effort in the Grade One Prix d’Ispahan last time, when the cheekpieces were reached for, reads well in the context of this race and trainer Fabrice Chappet has opted to try first time blinkers and use jockey Florent Geroux, a Million winner, who has plenty of experience riding around Arlington.

Prior to the Million, Racing TV are showing the Grade One Beverly D for the fillies and mares and the Grade One Secretariat for the three-year-olds which is being run over a mile for the first time this year having formerly been run over 10f.

As previously mentioned, trainer Chad Brown has great chances in both of these races with reigning champion Sistercharlie in the Beverly D, and the lone Grade One winner in the Secretariat with Fog of War.

Before the Grade One action starts on the turf there is a “brucie bonus” as we will be showing the Bruce D Memorial Stakes on the all-weather in which the leading trainer of the year at Arlington, Larry Rivelli, sends out both the favourite and second favourite in the shape of Big Drink of Water and Can’t Hide From Me.

However, over this one-turn mile it may be worth taking a chance on the Dale Romans-trained Dabo who was super impressive when taking his Arlington record to three-from-three last time out.