The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on turf. It was originally raced at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of miles.
The Arlington Million is the first thoroughbred race to offer a purse of US$1,000,000. It is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, and the winner automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Turf.Breeders' Cup Challenge
Churchill Downs, whose parent company owned the land of the defunct Arlington Park racetrack, hosted the Arlington Million in 2022. The 2023 race was run at Churchill-owned Colonial Downs in Virginia.
History The Arlington Million was introduced in 1981 by Joe Joyce, the father of TVG's Mike Joyce and the president of Arlington Park at the time. The winner receives 60% of the million dollar purse and the Arlington Million Trophy. The race was graded after only its second running and was awarded a grade one status in 1983 based on the talent of the runners that raced in its first two years.
The horse John Henry won the race twice.Milwaukee Sentinel - August 27, 1984 On August 30, 1981, Willie Shoemaker became the first jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry took the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart. The track famously ran the Arlington Million in 1985 under the shadow of a burnt-out grandstand, after a fire had occurred there 25 days earlier. In 2007, Jambalaya became the first Canadian bred horse to win the Arlington Million, with his trainer, Catherine Day Phillips, being the first female trainer to ever win the race.USA Today - Aug 12, 2007
The race has been run under several different names: in 1981, it was called the Arlington Million Invitational Stakes; from 1982 through 1984 it was known as the Budweiser Million Stakes; from 1985 through 1987, it was the Budweiser-Arlington Million. In 1988, the race was held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to accommodate the completion of repairs after the 1985 fire, and there was no race held in 1998 or 1999 during a two-year shutdown of Arlington Park. In 2021, the final year of live racing at Arlington, the race was called the Mister D. Stakes (after Richard L. Duchossois) with a purse of $600,000.
The 2022 Arlington Million was run at Churchill Downs. The Louisville racetrack's parent company, Churchill Downs Incorporated (which owns the Arlington Park property), announced that it would relocate the race along with several of Arlington's traditional stakes races. A special one-day Arlington Million racing card was held at Churchill on August 13, 2022. The plans were made possible after Churchill reached an agreement with Ellis Park, which normally controls racing in Kentucky during the summer, along with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Kentucky horsemen. The move was criticized by the president of a group representing Illinois horsemen. Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association president Chris Block suggested that the relocation of the Arlington Million and other races is another sign that the Arlington Park racetrack was closed for good, adding: "What I want to do now is take a horse down there and win the first Arlington Million at Churchill Downs." Because the Churchill Downs turf course is smaller than the one used at Arlington, the distance of the race was shortened from miles to miles.
In December 2022 an agreement was reached between Churchill Downs and the American Graded Stakes Committee to move the 2023 Arlington Million to Colonial Downs in Virginia. The move allowed the race to return to its original distance of miles.
Several times throughout the race's history, it was nationally televised, usually through a simulcast aired on WGN-TV picked up by their superstation feed, NBCSN, and TVG throughout the years.
Records Time record:
At miles 1:58.19 - Set Piece (2023)
Most wins: 2 - John Henry (1981, 1984)
Longest odds:
40.60 - Mill Native (1988)
Shortest odds:
0.50 - Bricks and Mortar (2019)
Most wins by an owner: 3 – Juddmonte Farms (2000, 2002, 2023) 3 – Godolphin Racing (2003, 2022, 2024)
Most wins by a jockey: 2 - Laffit Pincay, Jr. (1982, 1991) 2 - Cash Asmussen (1988, 1992) 2 - José A. Santos (1990, 1993) 2 - Gary Stevens (1990, 1997) 2 - Jerry D. Bailey (2000, 2002) 2 - Ramon A. Dominguez (2009, 2012) 2 - Irad Ortiz Jr. (2018, 2019) 2 - Florent Geroux (2015, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer: 4 - Chad C. Brown (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Largest margin of victory: 5 lengths - Estrapade (1986)
Shortest margin of victory: Nose - John Henry (1981)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time Distance Track Ref2026Burnham Square 4Brian Hernandez Jr.Ian WilkesWhitham Thoroughbreds, LLC2:00.80 milesColonial2025Fort Washington 6Junior AlvaradoClaude R. McGaughey IIIMagic Cap Stables1:59.58 milesColonial2024Nations Pride (IRE)5William BuickCharlie ApplebyGodolphin2:01.96 milesColonial2023 Set Piece (GB)7 Florent Geroux Brad H. Cox Juddmonte Farms1:58.19 milesColonial 2022 Santin4 Tyler Gaffalione Brendan P. Walsh Godolphin1:46.88 milesChurchill2021 Two Emmys5 James Graham Hugh Robertson Wolfe Racing and Hugh Robertson 2:03.34 milesArlington2020Not run due to the COVID-19 pandemic2019 Bricks and Mortar4 Irad Ortiz Jr. Chad C. Brown Klaravich Stables & William H. Lawrence1:59.44 milesArlington2018 Robert Bruce (CHI)4 Irad Ortiz Jr. Chad C. Brown Convento Viejo LLC2:02.29 milesArlington2017 Beach Patrol4 Joel Rosario Chad C. Brown James Covello, Sheep Pond Partners & Head Of Plains Partners2:02.39 milesArlington2016 Mondialiste6 Daniel Tudhope David O'Meara Geoff and Sandra Turnbull2:01.87 milesArlington2015 The Pizza Man6 Florent Geroux Roger A. Brueggemann Midwest Thoroughbreds2:02.20 milesArlington2014 Hardest Core4 Eriluis Vaz Edward Graham Andrew Bentley Stables2:01.51 milesArlington2013 Real Solution 4 Alan Garcia Chad C. Brown Kenneth L. Ramsey and Sarah K. Ramsey2:00.99 milesArlington2012 Little Mike5 Ramon Dominguez Dale Romans Priscilla Vaccarezza2:02.44 milesArlington2011 Cape Blanco4 Jamie Spencer Aidan O'Brien Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mrs F Hay2:05.39 milesArlington2010Debussy4William BuickJohn GosdenPrincess Haya of Jordan2:03.01 milesArlington2009Gio Ponti4Ramon DominguezChristophe ClementCastleton Lyons2:04.19 milesArlington2008Spirit One4Ioritz MendizabalPhilip DemercastelKamel Chehboub2:02.17 milesArlington2007 Jambalaya5 Robby Albarado Catherine Day Phillips Todd Phillips & Catherine Day Phillips2:04.76 milesArlington2006 The Tin Man8 Victor Espinoza Richard Mandella Ralph and Aury Todd2:01.35 milesArlington2005 Powerscourt5 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien Sue Magnier2:03.38 milesArlington2004 Kicken Kris 4 Kent Desormeaux Michael R. Matz Brushwood Stable2:00.08 milesArlington2003 Sulamani 4 David R. Flores Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin2:02.29 milesArlington2002 Beat Hollow5 Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel Juddmonte Farms2:02.94 milesArlington2001 Silvano5 Andreas Suborics Andreas Wöhler Stiftung Gestüt Fährhof2:02.64 milesArlington2000 Chester House5 Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel Juddmonte Farms2:01.37 milesArlington1998 - 1999 Race not held 1997 Marlin4 Gary Stevens D. Wayne Lukas Michael Tabor2:02.54 milesArlington1996 Mecke4 Robbie Davis Emanuel Tortora James Lewis Jr.2:00.49 milesArlington1995 Awad5 Eddie Maple David G. Donk Ryehill Farm1:58.69 milesArlington1994 Paradise Creek5 Pat Day William I. Mott Masayuki Nishiyama1:59.78 milesArlington1993 Star of Cozzene5 José A. Santos Mark Hennig Team Valor Stable2:07.50 milesArlington1992 Dear Doctor5 Cash Asmussen John Hammond Henri Chalhoub1:59.84 milesArlington1991 Tight Spot4 Laffit Pincay, Jr. Ron McAnally F. Anderson, V.J. Winchell & F. Whitman1:59.55 milesArlington1990 Golden Pheasant4 Gary Stevens Charlie Whittingham Summa Stable & Wayne Gretzky1:59.60 milesArlington1989 Steinlen6 José A. Santos D. Wayne Lukas Wildenstein Stable2:03.60 milesArlington1988 Mill Native4 Cash Asmussen André Fabre C. N. Ray2:00.00 milesWoodbine1987 Manila4 Angel Cordero Jr. LeRoy Jolley Bradley M. Shannon2:02.40 milesArlington1986 Estrapade6 Fernando Toro Charlie Whittingham Allen E. Paulson2:00.80 milesArlington1985 Teleprompter5 Tony Ives Bill Watts Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby2:03.40 milesArlington1984 John Henry9 Chris McCarron Ron McAnally Dotsam Stable2:01.40 milesArlington1983 Tolomeo3 Pat Eddery Luca Cumani Carlo d'Alessio2:04.40 milesArlington1982 Perrault5 Laffit Pincay, Jr. Charlie Whittingham Serge Fradkoff & Baron Thierry van Zuylen1:58.80 milesArlington1981 John Henry6 Willie Shoemaker Ron McAnally Dotsam Stable2:07.60 milesArlington
In 2021, the Arlington Million was known as the Mister D. Stakes. The Apache finished first in 2013 but was demoted to second place following a Stewards' Inquiry. Powerscourt finished first in 2004 but was demoted to fourth place following a Stewards' Inquiry. Storming Home finished first in 2003 but was demoted to fourth place following a Stewards' Inquiry. The only filly to win the race.
References
Notes In 2015, The Pizza Man became the lone horse bred in Illinois to win the Million. No races were held at Arlington International Racecourse in 1998 or 1999, as the Illinois horse racing authorities did not authorise dates for the track. Starting in 1991, timing was arranged to hundredths. In 2004, Pat Gibson won a million pounds on the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? by correctly answering the Million was not a Triple Crown race in the United States (which were the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes). Starting in 2007, the winner of this race will qualify for the Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships in the Turf Division.
External links Ten Things you should know about the Arlington Million at Hello Race Fans!