Arlington Park Stakes Previews: Grade III American Derby, GIII Modesty Handicap

By Bailey Gallison —-

EZMOSH TRIES FOR TURF HAT TRICK IN GRADE III AMERICAN DERBY

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (July 4, 2018) – Eight sophomores will race to establish themselves at the top of the 3-year-old turf division in the Grade III $100,000 American Derby at Arlington International Racecourse on Saturday, July 7. One of four Grade III events taking place that day in the Ride to the Million, presented by Miller Lite, the American Derby will be contested at 1 1/8 miles over the Arlington green.

Returning to the Chicagoland oval is Grade III Arlington Classic winner Ezmosh who emerges from post five under Jose Valdivia, Jr. The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred son of Tizway is owned by Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing and Zayat Stables and tried turf for the first time one race prior to the Arlington Classic – a first-level allowance event over Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ Stall-Wilson Turf Course where he defeated fellow entrant Dubby Dubbie (Jack Gilligan, post four). Trained by Brad Cox, Ezmosh broke his maiden over a fast main track at Churchill Downs last September at third asking and did not find the winner’s circle again until switching to the grass in March.

Lothenbach Stables’ Captivating Moon looms as the biggest competition to the Arlington Classic winner. Although the son of Malibu Moon has yet to find the winner’s circle at stakes level, he has been stakes-placed six times, and most recently was third in Canterbury Park’s Mystic Lake Derby on June 23 beaten 1½ lengths behind Sniper Kitten. The homebred also dead-heated for second in the Grade II American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 5 with multiple graded stakes winner Untamed Domain and was second beaten 5¼-lengths behind Analyze It in the Grade III Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland on April 6. The Chris Block trainee will be ridden by jockey Florent Geroux from post six.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will send three-time winner Tap Daddy to Arlington exiting a win in Pimlico Race Course’s James W. Murphy Stakes on May 19. The 1 1/16-mile event was originally scheduled for the turf but was taken off and contested over a sloppy main track Owned by Exotique Racing, the son of Scat Daddy broke his maiden over the turf at Kentucky Downs on September 14 by 3¼ lengths and two starts later defeated winners in a Churchill Downs allowance race over the Matt Winn Turf Course by 1½ lengths. Tap Daddy has secured $243,654, which is the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field of eight runners. He will break from the outside post under the handling of Jose Lezcano.

Wimborne Farm’s Pont Du Gard (Jose Lopez, post three) will try to turn the tables on Ezmosh after finishing second to the colt by 2½ lengths in the Arlington Classic. Trained by Ignacio Correas, IV, the Louisiana-bred son of Liaison was also second to Tap Daddy last year in a November allowance race at Churchill Downs. Local racegoers might remember Pont Du Gard when he sprung a 31-1 upset in his career debut last summer over the Arlington turf course. Irocnically, this took place on July 7 – exactly one calendar year from the American Derby. Pont Du Gard earned his second career victory five starts later when shipping to Fair Grounds to defeat seven other Louisiana-breds by 1¼ in a first level allowance event on March 9.

Kitten A Gettin (Corey Nakatani, post one), Proquestor (Constantino Roman, post two) and Real Story (Joe Bravo, post seven) complete the field.

The Grade III American Derby is slated as Race 5 (3:41 p.m.) on Saturday’s 10-race card.

MILLIONAIRE DADDYS LIL DARLING CAPS BAKER’S DOZEN IN GRADE III MODESTY HANDICAP

– Daddys Little Darling, with purse earnings of $1,250,405, will look to add to her coffers in Saturday’s 62nd running of the Grade III $100,000 Modesty Handicap at Arlington International Racecourse. The 1 3/16-mile turf tilt for fillies and mares, three-year-olds and upwards is one of four graded stakes offered in the Ride to the Million, presented by Miller Lite on July 7.

The Normandy Farm homebred 4-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy, trained by Ken McPeek and to be piloted by Brian Hernandez, Jr., will be seeking her first win of 2018 having hit the board in both the Grade III Bewitched (2nd) at Keeneland and the Grade II New York (3rd) at Belmont Park this season. Last year, Daddys Lil Darling banked in excess of $700,000 in purse earnings while posting a record of 2-3-1 from nine starts including a victory in the Grade I American Oaks, a 1 ¼-mile turf classic at Santa Anita Park. The talented miss also completed the exacta in three other Grade I events including the Kentucky Oaks on the Churchill Downs dirt, as well as the main track Ashland Stakes and turf Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, all last season. She will leave from the outside post in a field of 13.

Prado’s Sweet Ride, a 6-year-old homebred daughter of Fort Prado trained by Chris Block for Darrell and Sadie Brommer, made the grade in 2015 with a score in the Grade III Regret Stakes at 1 1/8-miles on the Churchill Downs turf. Last year was the most lucrative season yet for the Illinois-bred mare as she posted a record of 2-3-2 from nine starts while banking $159,980 in purse money buoyed by victories in the Illini Princess Handicap at Hawthorne Race Course and the New Orleans Ladies Overnight Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Last time out, Prado’s Sweet Ride finished third in the off-the-turf Mike Spellman Memorial Handicap. Of her seven lifetime wins, six have come on the turf. Jose Lopez will look to add to that win tally as he guides the mare from post nine.

Princess La Quinta, trained and part-owned by James Gulick in partnership with Al Moorhouse, captured the Grade III Matron at the Chicagoland oval on May 19. The 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road is winless in 10 turf tries, but does have one second and five thirds to her credit on the lawn. Carlos Marquez, Jr., winner of five of the nine stakes run this meet at Arlington, will ride from post seven.

Majestic Angel (Edgar Perez, post one), Oh So Terrible (Sophie Doyle, post two), Go Baby Run (Jermaine Bridgmohan, post three), Celestial Insight (Florent Geroux, post four), La Manta Gris (Declan Cannon, post five), Hallie Belle (Joe Bravo, post six), Church Social (Jose Valdivia, Jr., post eight), Daring Duchess (Jose Lezcano, post ten), Sully’s Dream (Channing Hill, post 11), and Con Te Partiro (Corey Lanerie, post 12) complete the field.

The top three finishers in the Modesty receive entry with starting fees waived into the Grade I Beverly D. on Aug. 11, a “Win and You’re In” event for the Grade I $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

The Grade III Modesty Handicap is slated as Race 6 (4:16 p.m.) on Saturday’s 10-race card.

Arlington International Racecourse – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 71-day meet in 2018 from May 4 through September 22. Arlington International Racecourse, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 10 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities in Aurora, Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Waukegan, Villa Park, Rockford, Hodgkins, McHenry, Green Oaks and Orland Hills. Arlington International Racecourse is a proud member of America’s Best Racing. Information on Arlington International Racecourse and Trackside OTB can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arlingtonpark and www.facebook.com/tracksideotb, and on Twitter at @Arlington_Park for the latest happenings, @ArlingtonRacing for the latest racing news and @TracksideOTB for all things pertaining to off-track wagering.