Arlington Million 2025:
It is hard to believe that Arlington International Racecourse closed down in 2021 and the Chicago Bears bought the land in case they decide to put a football stadium in Arlington Heights. Fortunately, the Arlington Million lives on with the 2025 version on the Virginia turf at Colonial Downs. This race and the Beverly D. Stakes on the Colonial lawn represent roughly the halfway point of the summer meet.
As the name implies, this one has a million-dollar purse and represents the biggest prize of the weekend. It is a big weekend for turf, as the Arlington Million and the “win and in” Breeders’ Cup Turf qualifying Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga are the highlights.
The biggest story of the Arlington Million is that it represents the turf debut for 2024 Kentucky Derby champion Mystik Dan, as he is competitively-priced in a field of eight accomplished horses.
The Arlington Million is set for 5:54 p.m. ET on the Secretariat turf track at Colonial Downs on Saturday, August 9 on Fanduel TV.
Here are the Arlington Million entries, odds, jockeys, and trainers:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Mystik Dan | B. Hernandez | K. McPeek | 9/2 |
| 2 | Time Song | L. Saez | J. Thomas | 30-1 |
| 3 | Vesting | J. Castellano | M. Maker | 12-1 |
| 4 | Runaway Storm | A. Achard | E. West | 20-1 |
| 5 | Cairo | B. Curtis | A. Haynes | 7/2 |
| 6 | Fort Washington | J. Alvarado | C. McGaughey | 4-1 |
| 7 | Grand Sonata | T. Gaffalione | T. Pletcher | 8-1 |
| 8 | Integration | C. McGaughey | J. Velazquez | 8/5 |
A couple of Irish horses are in the mix here with Vesting and Cairo, who is believed to be the biggest threat to favorite Integration. Shug McGaughey has two excellent contenders in this year’s field with the favorite and also Fort Washington, as his two entries grabbed good starting positions on the outside for this 1 ¼-mile gallop on the grass.
Grand Sonata is cross-entered in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, but the expectation throughout the week has been that Todd Pletcher will decide to run here as opposed to the Spa.
Here are some notes on the horses:
1. Mystik Dan (9/2; Hernandez/McPeek): The turf debut for Mystik Dan is the most compelling part of this race. If what he’s done on dirt can translate to the turf, his speed figures and performances are the best of any contender in the field. Sire Goldencents had a few data points on synthetic surfaces, including a sprint win in the 2014 Pat O’Brien Stakes. He actually broke his maiden on the synthetic surface, but never ran a turf race. Dam Ma’am had one turf start and ran fourth in a Churchill allowance.
The weather looks good, so footing shouldn’t be an issue for the first turf trot. But, he’s just such an unknown. The price pays homage to his dirt results, but McPeek’s turf reputation isn’t as strong and first-time starters have not had much success from his barn.
2. Time Song (30-1; Saez/Thomas): The son of Not This Time has lived up to that namesake a lot in his career. Luis Saez is a good rider for this distance runner, who has finished second in three straight races and four of the last five, but only has one career win. That came over the Gulfstream Park turf in a maiden special weight in April 2024. The 1 ¼-mile journey will be the second-longest scamper after going 1 and ¾ in the San Juan Capistrano Stakes back in June. That was a great effort to finish second to Irish-bred Nitti, but this is a much better field. With the lowest career-best Equibase figure in the field, the longest odds on the board are fitting.
3. Vesting (12-1; Castellano/Maker): The distance is the biggest concern for Vesting, whose father Blue Point was an extremely accomplished turf sprinter. Acquired at the Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale earlier this year for just $85,000 after eight starts and just one win for Chad Brown’s stable. Since joining forces with Michael Maker, he’s won over a mile and a half at Aqueduct and hit the board at the Spa last month. He’s an improving horse and easily the most interesting of the longer shots.
4. Runaway Storm (20-1; Achard/West): Runaway Storm has hit the board with regularity throughout his career, but this is a big step up in class. He was third behind Integration was back in the 2023 Virginia Derby and has three wins against weaker fields. This gelding did get the first graded stakes win for trainer Ethan West back in 2023, but he’s outclassed in this field. Alex Achard is just an 11% rider this season and for his career.
5. Cairo (7/2; Curtis/Haynes): Cairo is an international shipper from across the Atlantic, as trainer Alice Haynes searches for a huge score. This is just her second horse to run in the U.S., as her first entry, Lady Hollywood, ran fifth in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The son of Quality Road hasn’t won since 2023, but has finished second four times since then. With a flat track and a big speed number in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, the connections felt this was the place to go. The import has a great chance, but a lot of unanswered questions form make for a tough handicap.
6. Fort Washington (4-1; Alvarado/McGaughey): The well-bred son of War Front and Azaelia is leveling up a bit here coming off of a very disappointing run at Churchill Downs in the G2 Wise Dan Stakes. That came on the heels of two wins in G3 events and a fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Turf, where fellow McGaughey horse and Arlington Million foe Integration ran second. Fort Washington has been consistently competitive. And while this is labeled a G1 turf race, it’s fair to say this is a step back from the Pegasus’ G1 field. Also, for all of his experience, he’s never gone a mile and a quarter.
7. Grand Sonata (8-1; Gaffalione/Pletcher): Grand Sonata was cross-entered here and in the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga. He ran extremely well at Monmouth last time out in the G2 United Nations with a strong bounce back effort after a total no-show in the Belmont Gold Cup at the Spa. Pletcher has gone back to Tyler Gaffalione here, as he was in the mount for his only graded stakes win to date, a triumph in the Kentucky Turf Cup last September to get Grand Sonata into the Breeders’ Cup Turf, where he ran 11th.
8. Integration (8/5; Velazquez/McGaughey): Last year’s Arlington Million runner-up is here to right that wrong, as five-time turf winner Integration rides from the outside post as the short shot in the field. He’s 0-for-4 this year, losing to three legitimate horses in Deterministic, Spirit of St. Louis (twice), and Carl Spackler. He was beaten by another terrific turf horse in Nations Pride in this event last year.
The Colonial Downs turf track has been very kind to Integration with a maiden win, a Virginia Derby win less than a month later, plus another first and a second in 2024. This will be his first start here for this year, but he’s the horse to beat.
Arlington Million Picks
Integration and Cairo are getting a ton of buzz in this field and deservedly so. Cairo’s run against some of the world’s best on the European turf and has more than held his own. I wonder and worry a bit about the shipping aspect, so it’ll be Integration over Cairo and Vesting for me. But, I do think Cairo has a great chance in the Mint Millions Stakes next month and that’ll be a spot to keep in mind.
Prediction: 8-5-3-1
