Arlington Heights, IL (Best E Casino) - Saturday's 26th running of the Arlington Million at Arlington Park features a world class field of eight turf runners. The 1 1/4 mile grass race is part of the "Win and You're In" program with the winner qualifying for the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf.
Drawing the inside post is the 2-1 morning-line favorite Archipenko, who leads the European contingent. Owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum and Dr. A. H. Parker. Archipenko will be ridden by Kevin Shea.
The four-year-old won Hong Kong's Audemars Picquet Queen Elizabeth II Cup last April 27. Returning to Great Britain, Archipenko won the Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot on July 12. Overall Archipenko, trained by Michael DeKock, has won four of 13 career starts for $1.9 million.
The 5-2 second choice in the program is another runner from Europe, Mount Nelson. Trainer Aidan O'Brien will go after his second Arlington Million crown having won in 2005 with Powerscourt. John Murtagh has the riding assigment and the pair will break from post seven.
The four-year-old, owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Susan Magnier has earned $798,169 in an eight race career with three wins. Tabor won the Million in 1997 with Marlin.
Mount Nelson is coming off a nose victory in the Coral Eclipse Stakes on July 5 at Sandown Park.
The top American contender is Einstein who is 7-2 in the morning-line and will start from post six with Robby Albarado in the saddle. Owned by Midnight Cry Stable and trained by Helen Pitts, the six-year-old won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, May 3, and the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on February 23.
"This year everything's just kind of fallen in place," said Pitts during Tuesday's teleconference. "I mean it's just from being able to start the year with that money allowance race and move forward from there. It's just kind of played out as the year's gone on and he's just moved forward off of every race."
Einstein has finished second in his last two starts, the Stephen Foster behind Curlin and the Firecracker Handicap to Thorn Song. In a 20-race career he has eight wins and better than $1.3 million.
Here is the complete field for Arlington Million XXVI in post position order: Archipenko, Kevin Shea 2-1; Stream Cat, Julien Leparoux 8-1; Spirit One, Ioritz Mendizabal 10-1; Sudan, John Velazquez 8-1; Cloudy's Knight, Ramsey Zimmerman 20-1; Einstein, Robby Albarado 7-2; Mount Nelson, John Murtagh 5-2 and Silverfoot, Rene Douglas 20-1.
The Arlington Million will be shown live on ESPN with a 5:45 p.m. (et) post- time.
