One week after Ria Antonia took on the boys in the Preakness, Istanford will take her shot at bruising the male ego as one of eight three-year-olds in the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Classic on Saturday.
The 1 1/16-mile turf event, the first leg of the Mid-America Triple which continues on July 12 with the American Derby and concludes August 16 with the Secretariat, highlights a trio of Grade 3 stakes at Arlington.
The Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Matron, a nine-furlong Polytrack test for fillies and mares, features Frivolous, who exits a romping 4 1/4-length allowance victory at Keeneland. The G. Watts Humphrey Jr. homebred displayed class in Chicago last season, finishing a neck second in the Arlington Oaks.
A full field of 14 will go forward in the Grade 3, $150,000 Hanshin Cup, a one-turn Polytrack mile for older horses. Occasional View, who has blossomed this season with a win in the Commonwealth at Keeneland and a second in the Vigil at Woodbine, might be a slight favorite.
Arlington Park Spring/Summer 2014 Meet Information
Dates: May 2 – September 28, 2014
Arlington Park horse racing schedule: In May and June, Arlington will be open for live racing every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday with a post time of 1 p.m. and every Friday with a first post of 3 p.m. There will be a special 12:15 p.m. post time on Saturday, May 4, for the Kentucky Derby day program and there will be a holiday racing program on Memorial Day Monday, May 27, beginning at 1 p.m. Once the calendar flips to July, Arlington’s schedule will change to a Thursday-Sunday schedule with the first race slated for 1 p.m. on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 3 p.m. on Fridays through August and 2 p.m. in September.
Arlington Park wagers available may include: Win, Place, Show, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double, Pick 3, and Pick 4.
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Arlington Park Racetrack Information
Main track (Polytrack): 1-1/8 mile oval
Length of stretch from last turn to finish line: 1,049 feet
Width of stretch: 90 feet
Composition: Polytrack
Turf: 1 mile oval
Width of stretch: 150 feet
Composition: 15% red fescue, 52% Kentucky bluegrass, 31% perennial rye
Bets available may include: Win, Place, Show, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Jackpot High 5, Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 and Jackpot Pick 9.
About Arlington Park
Arlington has been part of the Chicago sports scene since 1927, when a group of investors built what was then called Arlington Park, which upon its opening was called “America’s most beautiful race course” by the Chicago Tribune.
Completely rebuilt following a 1985 fire that destroyed the facility, Arlington remains one of the world’s finest racing establishments. Each August, Arlington hosts the world-renowned Arlington Million, which was inaugurated in 1981 as the world’s first million-dollar horse race.