OH SO TERRIBLE TO USE GIII MODESTY HANDICAP AS A PREP FOR ANOTHER START IN THE GI BEVERLY D

By Grant LaGrange —-

OH SO TERRIBLE TO USE GIII MODESTY HANDICAP AS A PREP FOR ANOTHER START IN THE GI BEVERLY D

After an impressive allowance win at Arlington in early June, Oh So Terrible is looking to make her next start in the GIII Modesty Handicap, which is run on Arlington Million Preview Day at 1 3/16-miles on the turf course for older fillies and mares.

Owned by Carol Hammersmith and trained by Bradley Ross, the 5-year-old mare scored her first victory of 2019 stalking the pace and just getting up at the wire to win a second level allowance race going one mile on the turf course at Arlington on June 9.

“She’s coming out of that Allowance win very well. She worked well the other day and she’s starting to show us what she really is,” Ross said. “She has matured a lot. She is five now, her weight looks great and she knows what she is doing now. She’s really coming into herself.”

“The blinkers have really helped a lot as well,” Ross explained. “We’ve worked her out of the gate to help her get better position early and she did that last time. The blinkers have helped her with that. She just looks really relaxed and healthy, so we’re excited for what’s coming up this summer.”

Last year, she ran fifth in the Modesty and returned on Million Day to run fifth in the Beverly D after a couple of tough, unlucky trips.

Nominations for the GIII Modesty close on Wednesday, July 3.

RUNDOWN OF 2019 ARLINGTON MILLION EARLY NOMINATIONS

Early nominations for the GI Arlington Million which will be run at 1 ¼-miles over the Arlington turf course closed last month on May 18. A month later, prime contenders have continued to emerge.

We’ll start with Bricks and Mortar who is also making a case for Horse Of The Year this year for trainer Chad Brown, who enjoyed success in the GI Arlington Million last year with Robert Bruce.

Bricks and Mortar is undefeated so far in 2019 and has earned almost $4 million dollars this year. He kicked off the year by winning the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes and has followed that up with victories in the GII Muniz Memorial, GI Old Forester Turf Classic, and the GI Manhattan Stakes earlier this month.

Trainer Chad Brown also has defending Champion Robert Bruce, who could clash with his stablemate Bricks and Mortar come early August.

Robert Bruce has yet to find the winners circle in his two tries so far of 2019, however, last time out he ran an impressive second behind Bricks and Mortar in the GI Manhattan at Belmont on June 8.

Robert Bruce has won eight of his thirteen career races and has accumulated earnings of over $1.2 million dollars.

Another horse to continue to track is Channel Maker who has now earned almost $2 million dollars in his career so far and comes from the barn of Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bill Mott.

His win in the GI Man O’ War at Belmont in May stamped him as one of the best older turf males in the country thus far. The Man’O War was his first win since winning the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic last summer at Belmont. Channel Maker is out of one of English Channel and is owned by Wachtel Stable, Barber, Gary, R. A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. The now 5-year-old could show up on the Arlington turf course this summer.

The GI Arlington Million is the highlight of the Arlington meet, and is a Win and Your In race for the Breeders Cup Turf. The race will be run on August 10 as the feature race. Also, as always, on the card will be the $100,000 GIII Pucker Up Stakes, $500,000 GI Secretariat Stakes, and $600,000 GI Beverly D.