Weekend Stakes Results

Outside of the two juvenile races at Arlington Park there isn't a ton of action on the graded stakes calendar this weekend.  Belmont will run the Grade 2 Bowling Green this afternoon but it's debatable as to how much of an impact that race will ultimately have on the Breeders' Cup Turf division.  My guess is not much.  

Champion female sprinter Informed Decision will run in the Grade 3 Presque Isle Downs Masters in a race that drew a full field of twelve fillies and mares.  This race will likely not have the Breeders' Cup significance that it had the past two years with the Cup returning to dirt this fall.  Furthermore, it will interesting to see how horses making their final starts on synthetic perform in this year's Breeders' Cup as the past two years the reverse schedule (last start on dirt prior to synthetic Breeders' Cup race) produced a big zero across the board.    

There are several significant group races taking place in Europe this weekend, including the local prep for the Arc, the Group 2 Prix Neil at Longchamp, and the Group 1 Vincent O'Brien at the Curragh.  The O'Brien is "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, as is today's Turfway Fall Championship at a mile and a half (Breeders' Cup Marathon).

UPDATED:

• Major Gain takes the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity as he moved past the field in the last two furlongs.  The Wayne Catalano trainee stopped the timer in 1:36.36.
• To say that Al Khali was much the best in the Grade 2 Bowling Green is a massive understatement - he was the best by a country mile.  He was boxed in, he was blocked, he checked...and then he swung wide as the field moved inside the final furlong and blew by the rest of his rivals.  The length of victory (and the resulting speed figure) won't properly describe how easily he passed that field after a horrendous trip.  I don't know if he's a horse that can be a major contender for the Breeders' Cup Turf but he showed a lot of class today today. 
• Wonderlandbynight rolls six-wide off the final turn and grinds down the leaders in the stretch to win the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie in 1:36.64.  The Lassie and the Futurity are run in very similar times (Futurity .28 faster) - either the Futurity was weak or the Lassie was strong.  
• Informed Decision continues to be a monster on synthetic tracks as she wins the Grade 3 Presque Isle Downs Masters by a head last night.